Virginia Organizing advocates urge improvements in housing, energy justice

Virginia Organizing gathered for a press conference to give residents affected by mold, inadequate housing and general disrepair the opportunity to testify outside the General Assembly Thursday. 

Committees within Virginia Organizing came together to coordinate the event and highlight proposed legislation, including HB2195, HB1718, SB777, and HB1658. The press conference announcement stated that the group is “in support of legislation for improving housing conditions and addressing energy justice.” 

HB2195 would enact licensing requirements for mold inspectors and remediators, ensuring they meet the standards for the profession. 

“This may result in a period where firms and individuals currently working in these fields and certified under current law must suspend their work until the licensure requirements are established,” the Department of Planning and Budget reported in testimony about the bill on Jan. 17.

“My grandson who lived his first three-and-a-half years of life in this apartment was constantly in and out of hospitals with asthma, bronchitis, and related issues,” said Jessica Moody who is a member of the Charlottesville chapter of Organizing Virginia. “My asthma was so bad I had to choose between my health, and having a place to live. I ended up homeless and in a shelter because my lungs could not take it any longer.”

Said Del. Delores L. McQuinn, D-Henrico: “My bill HB2195 is a step in the right direction to address this issue. I appreciate the support of all the organizations represented today. We know that tenants and homeowners have sought mold inspection and remediation only to find that the service providers were untrained and did an insignificant job in remediating a very serious home health hazard.”

HB1718 would allow localities to sue landlords for damages regarding health and safety hazards when a violation fails to be remediated. 

Speakers at the press conference also touched on HB1935 and its Senate counterpart SB777, which would create a task force to establish plans for “weatherization-ready repairs and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits” to be “provided to all eligible income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth residing in multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes by Dec. 31, 2033.”

Finn Pollard, a member of the Richmond Organizing Chapter, said, “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.”

HB1658 and SB748 would also require the Board of Housing and Community Development to create an advisory group that will evaluate requirements and offer suggestions and findings for temperature regulations by November. The bill was unanimously tabled in the committee on rules by the House.

Virginia Organizing’s website defines itself as a “non-partisan statewide grassroots organization that brings people together to create a more just Virginia.”