The work to support underserved communities in Richmond entered a new phase Thursday at the St. Luke Legacy Center, as city leaders and health officials announced over $1 million in funding for partner groups as part of the Richmond Health Equity Fund.

A mix of new and returning groups will work to address community health disparities exacerbated by COVID-19, with $989,205 allocated for new initiatives and $388,000 designated to continue support for existing partners.

“The awardees today, past and present, are making a difference, picking up where traditional health care organizations leave off, filling in the gaps,” Mayor Levar M. Stoney said.

Stoney was joined by City Council members Cynthia Newbile and Katherine Jordan, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director Elaine Perry and Health Equity Fund Program Officer Shaleetta Drawbaugh and representatives from the partner groups.

The inclusive medical clinic Health Brigade, food access advocates the Richmond Food Justice Alliance and behavioral health and substance abuse agency WHO Counseling Services are among the partners whose funding will help tackle a wide range of community challenges.

Access to food, health care and education resources, chronic disease, substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery, and maternal, child, mental and behavioral health are the areas of focus these and other groups will address through the HEF investments.

For Community 50/50, a nonprofit focused on support and outreach for Richmonders in need, HEF provides an opportunity to continue its work providing resources for those in need. The investment will allow it to expand its third Sunday feeding program into a full-service health fair that will provide health screenings, nutritional counseling and other services.

“We can bring licensed clinical social workers, we can bring nutritionists, we can bring certified individuals and experts in the area to come and actually provide a direct need, and then follow up with weekly wellness checks,” Community 50/50 founder and CEO Zenobia Bey said.

Other new and ongoing partners include the Nationz Foundation, Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center, Shalom Farms, the St. Luke Legacy Center Foundation, Empowering You for Positive Change, the Hive Movement, the Virginia Anti-Violence Project, the Help Me Help You Foundation and Real Life.

HEF began in 2021 with an initial $5 million investment courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act. In the years since, the city government and investments from Atlantic Union Bank, the Community Foundation, the Robins Foundation and the Schaberg Foundation have helped establish new funding sources for the initiative.

So far, $3.2 million in funding has been allocated to local groups tackling these disparities. Speakers at the press conference acknowledged the work still ahead to address inequity in the city, but celebrated the dedication shown by the city and local organizations.

“These are generational issues, and it’s going to take that kind of investment to really turn it around,” Newbille said. “Using the ARPA funds in the way we are doing in Richmond, we’re putting Richmond on the map as an innovator and as a city committed to equity.”