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FILE PHOTO: Richmond City Hall (Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Richmond City Council approved a resolution Monday night, calling for the city’s homeless service providers to enact policies that affirm people’s gender identity and sexual orientation.
While the city doesn’t own or operate any shelters, it does act as a pass-through for millions in federal funding. According to Richmond officials, approximately $7.5 million in federal grants and CARES Act funding has been distributed to homeless service providers this year.
The resolution calls on these providers to ensure that gay and transgender people “are not discriminated against on the basis of any such person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.” About a quarter of transgender people said they did not seek shelter when experiencing homelessness due to fear of mistreatment, according to a 2015 national survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality.