Oregon Hill Has Gained In Poverty Since Last Census

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Yesterday I attended a presentation by Hope In The Cities/Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities at VCU called “Unpacking the 2010 Census: The New Realities of Race, Class, and Jurisdiction”. It was an interactive event for the nearly 200 or so attendees, mostly workers from the nonprofit and educational sectors. There were the instant audience response devices that have been deployed more and more at community meetings, most recently at the Mayor’s public budget meetings.

Speaking of Mayor Jones, he stopped by to announce a new commission that focuses on eradicating poverty, but the main event was Dr. John Moeser, a longtime fan of the neighborhood and Richmond in general, who gave a lecture with Powerpoint called “An Overview of Poverty, Race, and Jurisdiction in Metropolitan Richmond”.

While he spoke mostly to the historic and endemic causes of overall poverty in Richmond, as an aside he did point to one of the local findings from the 2010 census- that poverty has increased in Oregon Hill. Why? – because college students, who are counted and generally produce less income than the national poverty measure, have increased their number in the neighborhood.

What’s the overall poverty rate of Richmond City residents? 22%

There are some other findings and topics for discussion that I hope to get to in the comments or future posts.

Youth Philanthropy Project – Grant deadline is April 12th!

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From announcement:

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce a funding opportunity through the Youth Philanthropy Project. This small grants initiative helps to promote youth volunteerism and service by making funds available for youth-led community service projects.

Any youth-run initiative in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico or Richmond is eligible if it is in need of funding for service projects that benefit the community. Applicants may include, but are not limited to church youth groups, school clubs or nonprofit organizations that involve youth in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the proposed program. Only one proposal may be submitted for each
organization.
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Occupy Monroe Park group ‘Busted’

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I don’t have all the details, but from unofficial sources, it sounds like the Occupy Monroe Park demonstration was ‘busted’ by police last night, with at least 8 people being arrested and the camp dissolved.

2nd District Councilperson Samuels sent an email to Fan District Association members supporting a decision for action against the demonstration, stating that it was in violation of several laws.

821 Cafe Wins Best Burger Poll

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Congratulations to 821 Cafe for winning Richmond.com’s ‘Best Burger Poll’.

“We took over the restaurant seven years ago,” owner Andrew Clarke says, “and really ‘beefed up’ the menu, so to speak.”

Co-owners Chip Cooke and Andrew Clarke introduced a variety of ½-pound and full-pound juicy burgers to the menu and topped them with everything from fried onions and portobello mushrooms to bacon and chili.

They also do a lot of burger specials, like the Volcano Burger stuffed with fresh mozzarella, fried jalapeños and buffalo sauce or the Texas burger with BBQ sauce and whiskey fried onions.

821’s burgers run $6.25 to $9. Or you can even go for a “Man vs. Food” type challenge with the Brent Burger – a whopping one-pound patty sandwiched between two grilled sandwiches for $12.

821 also makes their burgers extra affordable with $2 quarter-pound burgers every Monday night. How’s that for a deal?

The most popular burger, according to Andrew, is the Union Burger ($8.50) topped with bacon, portobello mushrooms and fried onions. Or the Veggie Burger with bacon (yes, odd combo, but apparently quite popular), provolone cheese and avocado.

HOME Workshop on Foreclosure Recovery

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While other parts of the Richmond area have seen lots of foreclosures, Oregon Hill has remained relatively stable. That’s not to say that people are not struggling here and elsewhere. In response…

Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) announces a new group education
opportunity for those recovering from a foreclosure or facing a
foreclosure. The goals of the recovery class are to provide support,
education and resources to help recover financially and personally; to
empower individuals to create for themselves a more secure financial
future; and to find comfort and encouragement in a peer group setting of
other individuals who have also been through this difficult time.

HOME invites anyone who has recently been through or are currently in
the process of a foreclosure to see if this 4-week class is right for
them by attending one of the informational sessions on Tuesday, March 22
at 6:30PM or Thursday, March 24 6:30PM. Individuals must attend one of
these information sessions or contact HOME by phone prior to the first
class on March 29.

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Celebrating Lent With Soup At St. Andrew’s House

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From announcement:

On Fridays during Lent, St. Andrew’s House (yellow house beside the church at 236 S. Laurel Street) is going to be open for FREE coffee, WiFi, and soup — as long as the soup lasts, that is — when it’s gone, it’s gone:-). 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Stop by and enjoy the space!

Feel free to call or email if you have questions (648-7980, abailey at standrewsoreghonhill.org).