For Immediate Release: January 27, 2025
Contact: Rachel Hefner
rachelhefner@virginia-organizing.org
434-422-6480
What: Press conference in support of proposed legislation aimed at improving housing conditions and increasing energy efficiency for all Virginians
When: Thursday, January 30 at 1 p.m.
Where: General Assembly Building, 201 N. 9th Street, Richmond, VA, 23219
Richmond, Va. – On Thursday, January 30 at 1 p.m., the Statewide Housing and Environmental Justice Committees of Virginia Organizing will hold a press conference highlighting the need to support several pieces of proposed legislation aimed at improving housing conditions for tenants across the state. Tenants from all over Virginia will speak on the effects of unsafe housing conditions, dealing with mold, disrepair, and inadequate cooling.
Low-income housing is often poorly insulated, leading to increasingly higher utility bills – a burden that many families struggle with as extreme temperatures become more common in the state.
Portsmouth Chapter member Nagolia Wells shared, “My bills are high especially when the wintertime comes. One time I paid about $400 one month! I’ve never had a bill that high in my life. My partner went around the house trying to fix things to keep the air in. Sometimes, I use the space heater so I don’t have to use the heat. Wintertime is rough with Dominion!”
Waynesboro resident Andrea Jackson stated, “Not only is it very difficult to hold landlords accountable for addressing the mold, but when you finally do, the mold remediators and inspectors that they hire are untrained and do a very poor job.”
The connection between housing conditions and environmental justice cannot be ignored.
For more information or to interview a spokesperson about this event, please contact Rachel Hefner at (434) 422-6480 or email rachelhefner@virginia-organizing.org
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Virginia Organizing is a non-partisan statewide grassroots organization that brings people together to create a more just Virginia.