Residents of Richmond public housing live in fear, demand action to address poor conditions

Her family dialed 911. But when paramedics reached the seven-story affordable housing development, they found its elevators malfunctioning yet again. In fact, the elevators at this federally funded housing development had not been working for one week, residents say, and they often break down. The building houses some of the city’s most vulnerable residents — low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

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Vacant, Neglected, Destructive: How Richmond’s abandoned homes became fire hazards

After sitting vacant and neglected for almost a decade, 662 Fourth St., a home in the Iron Triangle, burst into flames. The blaze, which neighbors say was started by trespassers, lead to the destruction of three homes. According to public records and interviews with city officials, Richmond doesn’t have the budget or staffing to fully mitigate the risks posed by vacant homes.

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KaBOOM! and Target help Richmond build a park in a day

Children sand a bench as they help 200 other participants work on building a new park in Richmond. (Yesica Prado/Richmond Confidential)

On Friday, March 17, staffers from KaBOOM! and Target gathered with members of the community to build a park for Richmond in one day. KaBOOM! is a nonprofit that provides new playgrounds and park equipment to cities that lack economic resources. The lot on Wendell and 24th Street had been empty for 15 years after…

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