Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Restorative Justice Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clergy and residents urge transparency, inclusion for Shoe Lane restorative-justice task force; residents press housing and shelter needs
Summary
An interfaith group asked council to make meetings of the Shoe Lane restorative-justice task force public and to allow former Shoe Lane residents to join; other speakers urged faster action on homelessness and broader housing concerns, including calls for a regional shelter.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Several members of the public urged Newport News City Council on Dec. 10 to make the Shoe Lane restorative-justice task force’s meetings public and to include former Shoe Lane residents in the process, and other speakers pressed the council on homelessness and housing affordability.
A representative of an interfaith, interracial clergy group said white churches and clergy historically were silent when residents of the Shoe Lane neighborhood were displaced. The speaker asked the council to make the task force meetings public, to allow Shoe Lane residents to join the task force if they choose, and to provide transparency so the broader public can follow deliberations.
Citizens also addressed homelessness. Chris Miller of Virginia Organizing and other speakers urged council support for a regional shelter and said the city’s homelessness response needs coordinated regional resources and services, not only shelter beds. "Housing needs to be addressed in our area. We cannot wait another season," a speaker said during the citizen-comment portion.
Other public comments raised larger housing and tax concerns. One resident cited Census and local statistics to argue Newport News lags neighboring localities on median household income and may be losing population, and suggested tax rates and housing supply influence migration patterns. Another resident announced a community donation drive (The Miracle Project) distributing scarves, hats and gloves for children and listed City Hall, Denbigh Community Center and Midtown Community Center as drop-off sites.
Council members acknowledged the comments and described ongoing work: staff noted the city will receive a housing study in January that projects long-term housing needs, and council members said a regional homelessness study is underway to identify service gaps beyond shelter capacity.
