Friends,We’re getting things done for Hampton Roads and Richmond!On Monday, I was in Norfolk to celebrate an exciting investment in righting a historic wrong. Here’s the deal: when the interstate system was built in the 1950s-1970s, developers often sliced straight through Black communities. Vast concrete highways and negligent planning flattened or isolated African-American communities. In Norfolk, the development of I-264 cut off the St. Paul’s neighborhood from downtown and all of its grocery stores, schools, and jobs. That isn’t right, and sadly it’s a situation replicated across the country. That’s why when we negotiated and passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, we made sure there was funding to reconnect communities that had been impacted by historic discrimination.
I’m proud that some of this money is coming straight to Virginia. In a small classroom overlooking the tangled I-264 interchange that isolated this community, I announced $1.6 million in infrastructure law funds to make it right – money that will help create a plan to reunify Norfolk and equalize opportunity. Read more from the Virginian-Pilot or 13 News Now. Norfolk isn’t the only community that’s benefitting from this money – Richmond is also getting a share to reconnect Jackson Ward by creating a new bridge or freeway lid that would reunite transportation and public spaces.
Equalizing opportunity means more than just reconnecting communities – it also means expanding affordable housing for all. I’m proud to be leading on this too, and I recently announced over $50 million to expand affordable housing across the Commonwealth. On Monday, I stopped by Richmond to hear directly from local leaders about how they’ll put their share of the funding to work. I always appreciate the opportunity to hear from residents and leaders alike about how we can keep up the momentum and get folks in stable, economical homes. Read more about this in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Together, we can build our cities and towns to be connected, affordable, and easily navigable. I’m ready to keep fighting for these priorities in Congress. If you want to get in touch with me about affordable housing or another issue that is important to you, you can send me an email anytime using the form on my Senate website. You can also find more updates on my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
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