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PETERSBURG, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin celebrated three years of the ongoing Partnership for Petersburg with a series of updates and announcements at the historic Petersburg Public Library on Washington Street. The Governor and First Lady were joined at the celebration by Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, members of Petersburg City Council, and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
The Partnership for Petersburg was launched on August 22, 2022, with state, local, community, and faith leaders coming together to make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of the people of Petersburg.
“Petersburg today is safer and healthier, financially stronger, serving students better and providing greater opportunities for people,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Three years ago, we came together in this room to forge a covenant between state, local, private, and non-profit partners to work together to lift up the spirit of a beautiful Virginia city. Today is a celebration of the progress made together and a recommitment to continue this Partnership.”
As part of the update, covering dozens of initiatives across six pillars, the Governor announced a $3 million partnership with nonprofit drug-maker Civica to produce affordable, fast-acting insulin. Once in full production, this is expected to lower the costs of life-saving medicine for hundreds of thousands of Virginians and millions of Americans. Production will be at the life-sciences focused CAMPUS facility located in Petersburg that is shared with Phlow and Novo Nordisk.
The Governor also announced an additional $7.5 million in funding from the Department of Conservation and Recreation that has been made available for resiliency projects to mitigate future flooding. This brings the total amount of state support for flood resilience in Petersburg to $12.5 million under the Youngkin Administration.
Event attendees from the Commonwealth of Virginia government and the Petersburg community pledged their commitment to continue the Partnership for Petersburg by signing a pledge wall to be maintained at the library going forward.
After the event at the library, the Governor, First Lady, Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham and the City Council boarded the famous Petersburg Trolley to visit the site of the blighted Travel Inn, which will be demolished with support from the Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development.
As part of the celebration, First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin honored a special group of individuals she affectionately calls her “FLOVA Friends”—community champions in Petersburg whose work she has witnessed firsthand over the past three years. From school mentors and public safety officers to nonprofit leaders and faith-based partners, these individuals have played a vital role in the progress of the Partnership for Petersburg. Their efforts—in classrooms, clinics, recovery homes, and community centers—embody the spirit of service and resilience that continues to define Petersburg’s transformation. Each was invited to share their story during the program, offering a powerful reflection of the lives touched and the hope restored through this collective endeavor.
“The Partnership for Petersburg started with a radical idea — seeding resources, encouragement, volunteerism, commerce and care into an at-risk community to make it stronger and more viable,” said First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin. “Today, we see the manifestation of those good works in many of the programs, progress and people of Petersburg. It has been my honor to play a small part in this big undertaking and to witness positive change.”
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin. Governor, from the first time you visited Petersburg, you didn’t just see our challenges- you saw our potential. You listened, you acted, and you’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with us. Your dedication and the commitment from the Partnership for Petersburg team have been truly extraordinary. On behalf of the citizens of Petersburg, I thank you,” said Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham.
“Three years ago, we made a promise- not just to stand with Petersburg, but to build with her. Today, we celebrate not just progress, but partnership. We’ve seen what’s possible when government, business, faith, and community lock arms in purpose. As Scripture reminds us, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ And that’s exactly what Petersburg has done—rising, building, and transforming lives. This anniversary isn’t the end—it’s the foundation for what comes next,” said Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
Below is a summary of key accomplishments and ongoing efforts across the six pillars of the Partnership for Petersburg:
Community (Build Relationships with Community and Faith Leaders)
- Virginia Community Resource Center (VCRC) Launched: The VCRC currently houses 11 organizations that offer support to residents of Petersburg and surrounding communities. Since opening in April 2023, these organizations have served a combined total of more than 23,000 visitors.
- Girls with Pearls: The First Lady partnered with Blandford Academy, Petersburg City Public Schools, Communities in Schools of Petersburg, and the Petersburg Women’s Club to implement the Girls with Pearls program during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. Each school year about 12 Blandford Academy students participated in the program and were paired with mentors, focusing on different topics each month. The First Lady will be back at Blandford Academy sometime next month to kick off the 2025-2026 class of Girls with Pearls.
- It Only Takes One (IOTO) Outreach: The First Lady launched the Commonwealth-wide It Only Takes One initiative to spread awareness and education on the dangers of fentanyl. The First Lady, alongside the Attorney General, partnered with key state agencies and the city to host an event at the YMCA highlighting that while one fake pill laced with fentanyl can take a life, one conversation can save one.
- Salary Donations: The Governor and the First Lady donate their salary each quarter to a worthy nonprofit serving Virginians. In November 2022, they donated their Gubernatorial salary to Pathways in Petersburg and in December 2023 they donated their salary to Canine Companions.
- Women + girls: The First Lady hosts Sisterhood Gathering all across Virginia, and hosted one recently in Petersburg, highlighting the leadership of local VCRC Executive Director Donna Williams, as well as Virginia Works Commissioner Nicole Overly and Department of Medicaid Assistance Services Director Cheryl Roberts.
- Investment in Community Resiliency: The Department of Conservation and Recreation provided $7.5 million in funding from the Community Flood Preparedness Fund to the City of Petersburg for long-overdue infrastructure upgrades that include: $250,000 for sediment dredging and conveyance restoration study, $650,000 to complete a stormwater structure inventory and model priority areas & planning for improvement projects, $2 million to sediment removal from harbor outfalls allowing 67 acres of downtown to drain, and $4.6 million for the acquisition of hazardous property with underground, channelized floodway for stream daylighting.
Keep Petersburg Moving (Transportation)
- New Multimodal Center: Completed $8 million, 75,000-square-foot park and ride facility that opened under-budget in Fall 2022. Since completion, bus ridership has increased over 25%--from 404,000 in FY 2022 to 511,000 in FY 2025.
- Enhanced Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. Secured $450,000 in federal funds to further operational improvements focused on enhancing accessibility and connectivity. Proposed solutions to address non-emergency medical transportation to medical facilities will be presented to Peterburg City Council in September.
- Modernization of Petersburg Ettrick Train Station. Secured $6.4 million in federal funds and $4.3 million in state rail funds to fully fund the station modernization and improvement project, which will rehabilitate the station canopy and platform and improve the parking lot. Final project design will be complete by late 2025, with construction beginning in Summer 2026. Additionally, VPRA—with help from a $1 million Federal Railroad Administration grant—will begin exploring opportunities for additional station enhancements and improvements to support more ridership growth.
- Additional Passenger Rail Service. Debuted 3rd roundtrip on the DC-Petersburg-Norfolk route in July 2022. Ridership on these routes has since grown by 208%, with over 35,000 boarding or getting off the train on one of these three roundtrips at the Petersburg Ettrick Station in FY 2025. Since we announced the Partnership for Petersburg, ridership on all Amtrak trains at the Petersburg Ettrick Station has increased more than 110%, with almost 60,000 riders boarding or disembarking from a train at the station in FY 2025.
- Ensure Petersburg has Safe Entrances and Exits along the I-95 and I-85 Corridors. Secured $15.7 million of funding through the SMART SCALE process for the I-95 at Rives Road Exit Roundabouts Project. Secured $45.9 million of funding through the SMART SCALE process for the I-95/I-85 Interchange Improvements Project.
Commerce and Trade (Foster Business and Job Growth)
Virginia Housing Resources
- Rental Unit Development. Provided over $39 million in financing to support the development of 332 units of rental housing in Petersburg, with the projects totaling more than $80 million in development costs.
- Housing Tax Credit. Allocated more than $9.13 million in housing tax credits to create or preserve 898 rental housing units in Petersburg.
- Home Ownership Loans. Supported 434 Petersburg households through homeownership loan investments totaling over $79.5 million.
- Planning Commission Grant. Supported the Crater Planning District Commission through a $2 million grant, with $500,000 allocated to support housing priorities in the city of Petersburg.
- Mortgage Relief Program. Assisted nearly 260 households in Petersburg through $3.8 million in mortgage relief through the Virginia Mortgage Relief Program.
DHCD
- Sycamore Grove mixed-use development with hotel. Committed $8M in state investments to support the Sycamore Grove mixed-use development that will include a grocery store and workforce housing. Va Department of Housing and Community Development provided a $3.5M Industrial Revitalization Fund commitment for site demolition and infrastructure/utilities, as well as grocery store/retail improvements.
- Main Street Petersburg. Awarded $435,500 grant from Va Department of Housing and Community Development to City of Petersburg and Main Street Petersburg to support wayfinding/signage, façade improvement and improvement plan for high visibility gateway/corridor areas. Work to be completed by September 2025.
- Ramada Inn. Using $2.6 million funding provided by Va Department of Housing and Community Development, demolished the Ramada Inn from August through December 2022, removing the blighted structure that had been vacant since 2012.
- Hotel Petersburg. The state has committed $2.2 million via gap financing through Virginia Tourism Corporation and a loan through Virginia Small Business Financing Authority to support the opening of the hotel for redevelopment of Hotel Petersburg into a 65-room boutique hotel with banquet and dining facilities. Hotel Petersburg opened in December 2024.
- Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF). The City of Petersburg was awarded $750,000 in the July 2025 IRF announcement to demolish the Travel Inn on East Washington Street. This builds on the state’s commitment to support the city’s efforts to remove blighted properties.
- Petersburg Job Fair. In conjunction with state agencies and federal partners, the City hosts an annual Partnership for Petersburg Job Fair. In January 2025 at the Petersburg Library, more than 520 job seekers attended. The Office of the Attorney General has also hosted two job fairs in Petersburg focused on returning Virginians.
Health (Improve the Health of Petersburg’s Citizens)
- Health Training and Education Event. Petersburg High School hosted a Health Training and Education Event for over 300 students and in partnership with close to ten organizations. Students were exposed to hand-only CPR training, Naloxone overdose reversal training, anti-vaping and tobacco cessation materials, and exposed to several career pathways through numerous community organization tables.
- MCO Sponsored Events. Since August 2022, MCOs have hosted over 1,000 Petersburg-focused events, with a total contribution of over $5 million.
- Goodr. The Goodr Mobile Grocery store served 600+ households in partnership with Bon Secours between 2024 and 2025 with over 20,000 meals and 24,000lbs of food being supplied. Total meals provided through activations sponsored by Amazon, Anthem bring the number closer to 50,000 meals.
- Conexus. During the 2024-2025 school year: 1,200 students screened by Conexus. 561 students (47%) were identified to have vision issues and 431 students received eyeglasses. 72% Medicaid enrolled students were served.
- Petersburg Health Department Visitor Increase. As of June 2025 the Men’s Sexual Health Clinic received 112 visitors and the Immunization Clinic received 578 visitors.
- Maternal Health- Increase in Doula Care. There are 35 State-Certified, Medicaid approved Doulas covering the Petersburg/Hopewell area, 5 of which directly reside in Petersburg or Hopewell. There have been a total of 47 Doula-Assisted Births in Petersburg, VA.
- Maternal Health- Increase in Postpartum Visits. In November 2023, DMAS collaborated with Dr. Daphne Bazile of Bon Secours Southside to extend the OB/GYN Saturday clinic days. There have been five successful clinics with another planned for early fall and over 80 members have been served. Since the inception of the project, postpartum visit rates increased 16%, however, the creation of a maternal and postpartum dashboard for monitoring visit rates has shown even more success with an average postpartum visit rate of 57.7% including a rate of 64% in June 2024, which is 52% increase on the baseline rate.
- Poor Creek Wastewater Project. $62 million in total funding has been secured from federal, state, and local sources, including $3.4 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. An estimated over 1,700 new jobs and 7,000 construction jobs are tied to the water and wastewater projects. These improvements will provide improved reliable service to current customers including Bon Secours Southside Medical Center and the Pharmaceutical Cluster (Novo Nordisk, Phlow, CivicaRx). The projects also support future development in the Poor Creek area.
- Opioid Abatement Authority. The City of Petersburg was awarded $540,000 from the Opioid Abatement Authority, which will include $100,000 for PSAs and training materials.
- Fentanyl. In 2024, Petersburg recorded 17 fatal fentanyl overdoses, marking a 50% reduction from the 34 deaths reported in 2023 and a 53% decline compared to the peak of 36 fatalities in 2021. The city has also seen overall drug overdose deaths drop by 39.5% since 2023 and 45% since 2021, along with a 30% reduction in overdose deaths linked to cocaine since 2023. The number of fatal ODs for persons 0-17 years of age for Petersburg was 0 for both 2023 and 2024.
Education (Prepare Petersburg Students for Life)
- After-school Programming. Communities In Schools of Petersburg (CISP) provides integrated student support services to 90% of Petersburg City Public School students through 10 site coordinators. In the past year, they served over 4,000 students and 925 families, with 84% of students improving academically, 85% behaviorally, and 76% in attendance. CISP also coordinated food and basic needs assistance for thousands of families through partnerships and volunteers.
- Tutoring. The Urban Leagues of Greater Richmond and Hampton Roads partnered with HBCUs to provide college tutors to school divisions. These programs used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds to provide high intensity tutoring to Petersburg Public Schools and Newport News Public Schools, resulting in over 150 Petersburg students receiving over 230 total tutoring and mentoring sessions from college students. In addition, the Governor highlighted engagements underway from two new providers:
- The Life Enrichment Center (LEC), which provides one-on-one, in-person literacy mentoring and tutoring to elementary students reading below the third-grade level in select Virginia schools. Tutors commit one hour weekly, working in structured cohorts overseen by a coordinator. 90% of students enrolled in the LEC showed reading improvement. LEC has also built 15 Literacy and Technology Centers in Title I schools across Virginia, serving over 7,000 students. In the fall of 2023, Governor Youngkin and First Lady Youngkin donated their salary to LEC.
- EduTutorVA, which offers virtual math and reading tutoring to students in high-need Virginia schools three times a week. EduTutorVA has served over 1,400 Virginia students and demonstrated strong results – at the Richmond partner school, EduTutorVA increased SOL pass rates from zero to 94% in one year and raised reading proficiency at William Ramsay Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, from 28% to 70%.
Public Safety (Keep Our Community Safe)
- DCJS. In FY 25, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services awarded over $3.9 million in grants to the City of Petersburg. This included over $2.6 million in 599 Funds and over $560,000 for Community Corrections and Pretrial Services.
- Mobile Command Unit. Office of the Attorney General (OAG) provided $400,000 to Petersburg for a mobile command unit, a drug K-9 named Elvis, Flock Cameras, and a Police One app to improve transparency and Public Safety.
- National Network of Safe Communities. OAG paid for the National Network of Safe Communities to work with their Ceasefire Coordinator to implement gang violence intervention, including Ceasefire Petersburg technical assistance.
- ACA. In February 2025 a full time ACA was appointed to prosecute violent crimes. Since then, they have prosecuted five cases all of which have been found guilty.
- Ballistic IQ Funding. OAG funded Ballistic IQ for Petersburg. BIQ is gun crime intelligence software, Ballistics IQ offers law enforcement a mobile, ballistics triage tool to quickly identify, catalog, and establish leads based on firearm evidence at a crime scene. Once submitted, Ballistics IQ produces a Crime Scene Analysis (CSA) Triage report that provides law enforcement with a breakdown of an analysis of a fired cartridge case. Petersburg has scanned 287 Fired Cartridge Cases (FCCs) and have submitted 20 CSA reports.
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