Petersburg


Description

Petersburg, located just twenty-five miles south of Richmond, is one of the most historically significant cities in America. Today it is arguably the most economically and socially distressed city in Virginia. With one of the highest unemployment rates and lowest home ownership rates in Virginia, Petersburg struggles with a continuing loss of jobs and the widespread abandonment of houses. The city has the highest illiteracy rate in the Commonwealth (43%), as well as the highest teen pregnancy and high school drop out rates in Virginia. Only two of its nine public schools are accredited. In short, Petersburg faces myriad social ills resulting from severe poverty. A recent study revealed that the life expectancy of children born in Petersburg is the eighth shortest of more than 3300 municipalities in the U.S.

The Phoenix Project has identified the lack of civic capacity as a critical challenge for moving people and places out of poverty in Virginia’s distressed communities, and in Petersburg especially. In Petersburg, a city of 33,000 residents, the private sector has been decimated. As a result, the city government has few resources to cope with the increasing social service burden. Responsibility for the community’s social safety net falls to the nonprofit sector and government. These strapped nonprofit organizations are trying to cope with extreme social challenges while they seek to capitalize on economic and community development opportunities. There are simply not enough hands and minds in Petersburg, which has suffered significant “brain drain” and the decrease of its 25-50 year old demographic, the segment of the population that often takes leadership roles in the nonprofit sector in other more functional communities. In the short term, the Phoenix Project seeks to meet the need for capacity by bringing university resources to bear on specific economic and community development projects; in the long-term, we will meet this need by developing the next generation of nonprofit leaders and civic entrepreneurs to pursue economic and social justice throughout the Commonwealth for years to come.

Partners

"I have had numerous opportunities to observe first-hand the Phoenix Project's work with students, faculty and community residents. I wholeheartedly endorse their approach and hope that others are similarly impressed with their commitment to the community, excellence in programming, and vision for the future." - The Honorable Annie Mickens, Mayor of the City of Petersburg

The Phoenix Project’s Community Advisory Council provides guidance for our work in Petersburg, helping identify and prioritize projects and building support for our efforts throughout the community. We are grateful to all of our Community Advisory Council members for their investment in the partnership.

The College of William and Mary and Virginia State University became the first university partners in 2006 and serve as anchors for the partnership. As these institutions rapidly expanded their engagement, the partnership attracted participants from Richard Bland College and the University of Richmond. We are now working to connect these universities, along with John Tyler Community College, Virginia Tech, Longwood University and Virginia Commonwealth University, each of which offers or hopes to offer some activities in the city, and to deepen and broaden their community engagement.

Results

The Phoenix Project conducted three hundred individual meeting with city officials, community leaders and university stakeholders to identify the first series of projects. Over the past two years, the Phoenix Project has built a model partnership between Petersburg, Virginia and a consortium of nine higher education institutions that has engaged over 350 students, faculty, staff and alumni with fifty-five nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies to provide $2.5 million worth of labor to complete more than 150 capacity building economic and community development projects. Here is a representative list of projects completed and pending in our three major partnerships.

In early 2007, the Phoenix Project conducted a planning process with support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to determine the community’s top four priorities for higher education involvement. As a result of that process, the Phoenix Project now focuses it’s partner’s resources on implementing the Army-Community Heritage Partnership to improve relations between nearby Fort Lee and Petersburg; improving the public schools; responding to youth needs identified in the 2006 SAVY youth needs assessment; and supporting redevelopment of neighborhood infrastructure by supporting organizations such as LISC. While we do not limit projects to these four areas, we do give them priority.

Resources

"The challenges that face Petersburg are daunting, yet the Phoenix Project has the potential to have a transformative effect on Petersburg and play an important role in creating a more prosperous, equitable future for all community members. As an organization principally concerned with the welfare of low and middle income people, we are pleased to find the Phoenix Project dedicated to economic and community development projects that serve a wide range of Petersburg residents. The Phoenix Project’s commitment to engaging community members and organizations in the identification, prioritization, implementation and evaluation of projects allows the community to determine its own future; by empowering residents and mobilizing resources, the Phoenix Project facilitates its realization." - —Rev. Robert T. Diggs, Sr., Tabernacle Baptist Church

Reports and Studies

Exchanging information across institutions and organizations working in Petersburg is crucial to the success of our efforts. Please email us if you have additional information to add to this page.

Army-Community Heritage Partnerships Program

The Phoenix Project is supporting the work of Petersburg residents and members of the Fort Lee community to redevelop Petersburg's historic downtown, enhance regional heritage tourism efforts, and capture some of the direct and indirect positive impacts of the BRAC-ordered expansion of Fort Lee.

Fort Lee-Petersburg Assessment Visit Report (October 2006)

Survey of Members of the Fort Lee Community Regarding Opinions of Downtown Petersburg (March 2007)

Presentation Delivered to Task Force Chairs and ACHP Leadership by Phoenix Project Students on March 13, 2007

Fort Lee-Petersburg Heritage Tourism Report (August 2007)

Route 36 Corridor Urban Design Visit (August 2008)-- Please note this link will take you to our File Sharing site, where you can download the report (the report is approx. 10MB)

 

Supported Alternatives for Our Valued Youth (SAVY)

The Phoenix Project is working with faculty and students to assist the SAVY Solutions Committee in implementing recommendations that resulted from the 2006 Youth Needs Assessment.

Presentation delivered to City Council by Asst. City Manager Eric Campbell

Full SAVY Youth Needs Assessment Report

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

The Phoenix Project works to support LISC’s community development efforts in Petersburg neighborhoods.

Petersburg Community Development

Petersburg Community Development Plan - This is a very large file and may take several minutes to load.

 

Petersburg City Government

The Petersburg City Council has formulated its 2020 Vision Plan. Read in PDF format or PowerPoint.

A list of city owned properties has been compiled and is available for download as an Excel file here (last updated 5/07).

Petersburg Public Schools

Petersburg Public Schools

Petersburg Public Schools Corrective Action Plan

Petersburg Public Schools School Division Efficiency Review