Richmond launches Big Six public housing cleanup as part of People Plan

RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority launched an ongoing cleanup campaign Saturday targeting trash hot spots across the city's Big Six public housing communities — Creighton, Gilpin, Fairfield, Hillside, Mosby and Whitcomb courts.

The effort kicked off at 7 a.m. Saturday when trucks were prepositioned simultaneously across all six communities. Teams from RRHA and the Department of Public Works worked together to address 50 identified trash hot spots, clearing piles of debris dumped on roadways and removing abandoned vehicles.

WATCH: Richmond housing chief on Big Six cleanup: 'We're not stopping'

RRHA CEO Steven Nesmit said the campaign is part of Mayor Danny Avula's People Plan and will not be a one-time effort.

"That Mayor Avula says we must ensure that public housing residents live in the most safe and decent place possible," Nesmith said. "We're not stopping. This is not a one-time thing. This will be going on forward with our partners."

Nesmith said the initiative also includes plans to tow abandoned cars throughout the Big Six communities.

WATCH: RRHA VP says Richmond trash cleanup 'is a city issue, period'

Charles Willin, vice president of public housing at RRHA, said the effort extends beyond public housing.

"We have a collaborative effort between the Department of Public Works and the Housing Authority to rid trash in the City of Richmond," Willin said. "I know we talked about the Big Six, but this is a city issue. So when I say it, I'm saying to rid trash in the city of Richmond, period."

The program aims to hold both maintenance professionals and residents accountable for the conditions of the neighborhoods. Nesmith said residents will no longer be permitted to dump trash indiscriminately, and that his maintenance team will also be held to a higher standard.

The campaign is part of Mayor Avula's broader People Plan, which aims to ensure public housing residents live in safe and decent conditions as the city moves forward with demolition and rebuilding of new public housing. The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Engagement is also a partner in the effort.

VIDEO VAULT 2017: The hidden history of Richmond's housing projects

Richmond's public housing communities have deep roots in the city's history. According to previous CBS 6 reporting, the courts were built beginning in the 1940s as part of a post-Depression era effort to replace substandard housing — much of it without indoor plumbing or running water — with new, healthier buildings.

Gilpin Court, the oldest and largest of the six, dates to 1943 and was named for Charles Sydney Gilpin, an African American actor from Richmond's Jackson Ward neighborhood who became one of the country's most significant stage performers of the 1920s. The remaining courts were built between 1952 and 1962.

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PHOTOS: The history of Richmond’s housing projects

Richmond has more subsidized public housing communities than most comparable cities, and the courts have long been associated with concentrated poverty and the challenges that come with it. The current cleanup campaign represents one of the city's most visible recent efforts to improve conditions for the residents who call them home.

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