During the COVID-19 pandemic, inequities have persisted across our community. Social detriments of health must be continuously discussed to ensure our community has access to meaningful health care and services. Our city’s top health issues from breast cancer, substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and other illnesses affect women gravely and residents. With the rising cases of domestic abuse and sexual violence, domestic abuse negatively impacts Alexandria’s women, men, children, and the LGBTQ community. We must ensure all members of our community have the resources and supports to live healthy lives. The impact of mental health on our younger members have increased throughout the pandemic and with the increased changes to how we live our lives, our community needs access to mental health services.
We must invest in the present to capitalize on our future. With that said, we are lacking in our affordable housing initiatives, our public schools cannot support the increase in student enrollment, and our education funding for Pre-K programs and school infrastructure is in jeopardy. Our children must come to school prepared to learn (on Zoom or in the physical classroom), and the equalizing factor of Pre-K programs existing for all children in our City is a necessity. The achievement gap does not wait until later grades. It begins in Kindergarten when students have not had the same, consistent opportunities as others at their grade level. We need to do better when providing resources to meet our children's educational needs.
From my previous term on the Alexandria Commission for Women, I have continuously centered women and their families in matters before City Council. Women continue to face expensive childcare, pay inequity, and social health detriments that negatively impact our community as a whole. Women of color disproportionately face higher poverty, unemployment rates, educational outcomes, and earnings compared to their white counterparts. We must continue to work with women of all backgrounds and lived experiences to ensure our city’s policies are centering those who need the most support. As a mother of two young children and as a daughter of a single mom, we must do more to support women and their families.
Alexandria has always prided itself on being a safe and inclusive community. We must continue to acknowledge our own city’s history and champion policies that center the lived experiences of people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, religious minorities, and all communities who are affected by systemic racism and prejudice. We must continue to support all communities in the initiatives, policies, and activities in our city. Alexandria would not be the dynamic, inviting, and engaging place we call home without the diversity of our residents.
Alexandria has always prided itself on being a safe and inclusive community - it's always been about the people and the programs. However, now more than ever as our City sees its way to the other side of COVID-19, our economy has not been able to sustain the resources needed for continued or initial implementation of our social programs and safety initiatives. We need to increase pay and benefits for our teachers and First Responders, have continued dialogue concerning the issuance of body cameras, and ensure a balanced community police review board. We need to continue to address mental health awareness and initiatives, heroin and opioid addiction, human trafficking concerns, gang prevention initiatives, safer traffic patterns/pedestrian safety, and domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
Recently, many social programs have also seen decreased funding, which has significantly impacted how assistance is implemented in women's issues, services for seniors, immigrant families, mental health services, all children, including youth at-risk. We, as a community, cannot continue to de-fund our social programs hoping our non-profits can pick up the slack. To do so is to literally short-change our own Alexandrians.
We must protect our environment in the city of Alexandria and for the future of the Commonwealth. As a spoken advocate assigned to CSO and as the Vice Chair of the regional Council of Governments Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee, I understand what’s at stake if we do not prioritize our environment and the protection of natural resources. By becoming the founding member of the subcommittee of FARM under CBPC, I have actively fought for environmental success in the community by ensuring the targeted state mandated dates of budget and completion dates for the CSO through Alex RiverRenew are on time. With my assignments, I continue to amplify constituent’s voices regarding flooding issues, climate issues, and hunger issues in our community. Alexandria must act now to ensure our future generations may have a chance at a brighter future.
We must invest in the present to capitalize on our future. Alexandria lacks affordable housing initiatives for residents across our city. We must pursue thoughtful plans to ensure every Alexandria resident has access to housing without disrupting current infrastructure. It is my hope to continue to establish affordable housing units to ensure more individuals and families are able to join our community without facing economic barriers.
We must invest in the present to capitalize on our future. With that said, we are lacking in our affordable housing initiatives, our public schools cannot support the increase in student enrollment, and our education funding for Pre-K programs and school infrastructure is in jeopardy. Our children must come to school prepared to learn (on Zoom or in the physical classroom), and the equalizing factor of Pre-K programs existing for all children in our City is a necessity. The achievement gap does not wait until later grades. It begins in Kindergarten when students have not had the same, consistent opportunities as others at their grade level. We need to do better when providing resources to meet our children's educational needs.
We must consider that a robust revitalization of Alexandria needs to happen in order for our economy to grow, strengthen, and diminish the burden put on our taxpayers. We need to continue to focus on improving our infrastructure: renovating/rebuilding our city and school buildings, installing better pipes, drains, sewers, constructing our digital broadband network for our schools and workforce, reinforcing our bridges, and repaving our roads. We now have plans in the works for the West End property of Landmark Mall just recently brought INOVA to the table for a mixed-use plan after the mall sat nearly empty for far too long without any sign of redevelopment. Our residents and business owners have found a hopeful resilience in pivoting to online sales, outdoor dining, and carryout for dining and alcohol. Alexandria needs to continue to re-invent and modernize, so that our City gets the investments needed to maintain what is a questionable post-COVID economy. That means money needs to stay in Alexandria and not go to neighboring jurisdictions. The Potomac Yard Metro will also encourage economic growth, and the idea of a Business Improvement District in Old Town should be revisited without compromising retailers' autonomy or income.
Alexandria has always prided itself on being a safe and inclusive community - it's always been about the people and the programs. However, now more than ever as our City sees its way to the other side of COVID-19, our economy has not been able to sustain the resources needed for continued or initial implementation of our social programs and safety initiatives. We need to increase pay and benefits for our teachers and First Responders, have continued dialogue concerning the issuance of body cameras, and ensure a balanced community police review board. We need to continue to address mental health awareness and initiatives, heroin and opioid addiction, human trafficking concerns, gang prevention initiatives, safer traffic patterns/pedestrian safety, and domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
Recently, many social programs have also seen decreased funding, which has significantly impacted how assistance is implemented in women's issues, services for seniors, immigrant families, mental health services, all children, including youth at-risk. We, as a community, cannot continue to de-fund our social programs hoping our non-profits can pick up the slack. To do so is to literally short-change our own Alexandrians.