Richmond Regional Housing Framework

Challenge: Similar to many communities around the country, the Greater Richmond region in Central Virginia was facing a growing housing crisis. Yet, awareness and urgency to act was lagging. The Partnership for Housing Affordability (PHA) recognized the need to galvanize support around this issue and provide tangible solutions. The result was the Richmond Regional Housing Framework, a report that addressed the region’s shared housing challenges and provided dozens of regional and hyper-local solutions.

Solution: Gray Ryan Communications developed and implemented a strategic media relations campaign to create buzz and enhance visibility for the Framework’s launch. As PHA planned a launch event in January 2020, GRC coordinated an embargoed media plan that included editorial meetings with influential editors and reporters as well as embargoed outreach for the Framework. This strategy in December 2019 and early January 2020 ensured that news outlets were prepared to report on the Framework and had the necessary context to run in-depth stories. Additionally, the campaign leveraged diverse voices for editorial meetings and a simultaneous op-ed campaign.

Bottom Line: The Richmond Regional Housing Framework has been a gamechanger for the region. The Framework has helped guide crucial policy changes to support more housing and greater affordability. The Framework’s successful and highly visible launch became the foundation for this impact by establishing housing needs as a top local issue. Gray Ryan Communications secured 15 media placements around the launch, including local print, digital, radio, and TV. These efforts set the regional conversation among policy and business leaders when the Framework was released.