DCAO outlines FY27 human services budget, highlights Caritas surge shelter, language access and opioid grants

Amy Popovich, the deputy chief administrative officer for human services, presented the administration’s FY27 human services budget to the Richmond City Council on April 6, describing the portfolio as the city’s “heart and soul” and outlining priorities across justice services, libraries, social services and the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services.

Popovich said the budget emphasizes staffing and service continuity rather than one‑time infrastructure spending. She highlighted a number of reclassifications and hires across the portfolio, including a new director of gun violence prevention and a deputy director of justice services. "The biggest thing I think that we've done ... is all of our new, awesome hires," she said, thanking staff and community partners.

Why it matters: Popovich framed the FY27 request as a sustaining budget for safety net functions — shelter, public assistance and language access — that council members said are critical to residents who rely on city services.

Key details and claims

- Homeless services: Popovich said the Caritas surge shelter added about 60 beds this year and that the FY27 operating increase in DNCS is intended to sustain that shelter. She noted the Caritas initiative involved regional partners including Henrico, Chesterfield and Hanover as well as the City of Richmond.

- Opioid‑abatement funding: Popovich said the City will distribute about $700,000 this year through a first Request for Applications using funds from the Opioid Abatement Authority.

- Staffing and vacancies: Popovich reported significant progress filling vacancies in the juvenile detention facility (a reported vacancy drop from roughly 40% to about 8% in six months) and said most position increases are reclassifications rather than new FTEs; the only net new DNCS FTE cited was in homeless services.

- Language access: Carla Ramos, manager of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Engagement, described steps to expand language access: the city installed a language‑line app on mobile devices, added iPads and dual‑handset phones for customer‑facing areas, added shortcuts on desk phones, contracted three bilingual interpreters for public meetings, published an updated language access plan aligned with federal and state guidelines, and plans a NEOGOV training module for staff. Ramos said Spanish is the top requested language and provided usage figures: her office recorded about 1,084 interpretations (estimated market value about $42,232) and translation work with an estimated value near $20,000.

Council follow‑up and data requests

Councilmembers pressed for more detail on resource allocation and measurable outcomes. Councilwoman Jones and others asked whether language‑access improvements required new positions; Popovich and Ramos replied the work will be supported by two full‑time bilingual staff plus contracted interpreters and that phone/training costs are funded across departments rather than by creating new permanent positions for OIRE. Council members asked for a consolidated impact report and for the administration to provide counts and budget line details for after‑school programming, caseloads, and a breakdown of language‑access spending across departments.

Attributable quotes

- "We will be launching soon a virtual complying training through NEOGOV," said Carla Ramos, describing the training plan for employees.

- "This budget funds the heart and soul of our city," Popovich said, summarizing the portfolio’s focus on emergency response, everyday supports and community programs.

What comes next

Council members asked the administration to provide follow‑up data: (1) the list of positions requested but not funded in social services, (2) totals for language‑access spending across departments, and (3) programmatic data on after‑school supply and demand (NextUp evaluation results). Popovich committed to providing those materials to council.

Provenance: The presentation and Q&A are from the human services portion of the FY27 budget work session (topicintro: Carla Ramos language‑access remarks at SEG 502; topfinish: Popovich close at SEG 458).