Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia will hold a series of events in Harrisonburg and Roanoke on Thursday and Friday to celebrate federal funding for infrastructure improvements, and discuss mental health, immigration, affordable housing and other Virginia priorities.
Kaine will join Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed on Thursday to celebrate more than $14 million in federal funding to convert a lane of U.S. 11 to a two-way separated bicycle area between the intersections of Main Street and Noll Drive, and Grattan and Liberty streets. Awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) grant program, the roadway improvement is made possible by funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
After a press conference, Kaine will host a roundtable with Strength In Peers, the Community Counseling Center, First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence, the Collins Center, and the Boys and Girls Club of Harrisonburg and Rockingham—organizations that received funding from the American Rescue Plan. The organizations will share with Kaine how the funding has been used to expand access to mental health care. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, Kaine is focused on increasing access to mental health and substance use treatment.
Friday will take Kaine to Roanoke where he will meet with English learners and citizenship students to hear about their experiences and discuss concerns. He will also attend a naturalization ceremony. More than 12 percent of Virginia’s population is foreign-born. Kaine will host another roundtable in Roanoke, but with a focus on affordable housing. A former fair housing attorney, Kaine supports expansion of access to affordable housing and assistance for first-generation homebuyers. He announced over $98 million in federal funding in March for affordable housing across Virginia, including in the Roanoke area.
Share
Rebecca Barnabi
