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Two familiar faces are back in the Essex Village Community , though in many ways they never really left.



The Rev. Joe Ellison Jr. , and his wife, Kendra , recently reopened their Essex Village Ministries – a three-pronged organization that includes a community outreach center, a church and a "childlife" center – in a new location on Laburnum Avenue just across from Essex Village near Richmond International Raceway. The couple previously operated the center for years within Essex Village, a subsidized apartment complex, but left when the community's ownership group changed.



Following a year of renovations to the new building (supplemented in part by Blake Management Company, Rainbow Restoration, Meadowood Church of God and the New Deliverance Evangelical Church), the Ellisons say they're excited to be back doing what they believe God has called them to do – work to improve what once was one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the county.



"When we got started," Joe Ellison says, "nobody wanted to come into Essex Village. We could have easily folded our tent and left."



But they stayed, and conditions gradually improved. The neighborhood was one of the earliest targets of Henrico County's community policing program, which seeks to immerse an officer within a specific community to serve as a go-to contact for residents, property managers and business owners alike. Richmond International Raceway officials also have taken a vested interest in the community, which sits just across Richmond-Henrico Turnpike from the track.



The combined efforts have made Essex Village a safer place, but many problems still exist.



The region is still one of the poorest in Henrico (average income levels among adult residents is less than $10,000 annually, Ellison says), one in which single-parent households are the norm more than the exception and in which some young children already have seen friends or classmates buried. Ellison himself has performed more than 20 funerals in recent years and quietly warns that without proactive efforts to curb increased gang activity, that number will continue to rise.



Ellison and his wife hope to institute a program similar to Attorney General Bob McDonnell 's proactive Gang Reduction Intervention Program (GRIP) as part of their new, larger center.



"Whether we want to accept it or not, they're here," Ellison says of the gangs that target youngsters in the community. "The kids, they won't come [talk] to the police, but they will come to us. I talk to these kids every day, and they're being recruited. There are a lot of kids out here who are hurting. Their dreams are going to be shattered."



The center will house a full-time daycare program for children, as well as before-school and after-school programs. Kendra Ellison will oversee the center, with the assistance of two full-time and two-part time employees as well as 27 volunteers and other professionals who will come to share their expertise on various issues. A full-time youth pastor will be added in the spring. The couple has made a concerted effort to ensure that the center features a diverse group of employees and volunteers and hopes that the children and adults who attend will mirror that diversity.



"I want our daycare to reflect the community," Joe Ellison says.



The Ellisons also hope to provide monthly food donations to children through the Central Virginia Food Bank, with whom they've already partnered to provide hot food each evening to daycare students.



To help improve the lives of adults, the center will offer a 12-week job training program, specifically targeting single-parent mothers. It will be held for two hours each weekday evening and designed to assist participants with everything from preparing resumes to interviewing successfully to dressing appropriately and learning to use computers. Those who complete the program will receive a new dress and a computer, Ellison says. There also will be opportunities for participants to earn their GEDs.



By removing themselves from Essex Village, the Ellisons hope they'll also be able to have a wider-reaching impact on other nearby neighborhoods, including Delmont and Lincoln Manor, while still serving their core community.



No Longer Alone

Ellison and his wife no longer feel alone in the region, thanks to the efforts of several other organizations. Just a few steps away from their new location in the Delmont neighborhood, the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond already has invested several years in the children of that neighborhood – providing everything from day care to summer programs to afterschool mentoring for dozens of children. The Richmond Outreach Center (ROC) on Chamberlayne Avenue in the city provides similar care for at-risk children. Both seek to offer children well-rounded educations and adult guidance along with religious teachings.



Last year, Henrico County began its new Police Athletic League (PAL) program, with a specific emphasis on serving children in the Essex Village region.



Ellison rejoices in the fact that area children now have a number of organizations working for their best interests.



"Anything that happens in the community, I've always felt responsible – whether it's good or bad," he says. "But this is a group effort. It's about the people and the community working together."



Though Ellison praises the way county officials have assisted the community and his own efforts in recent years, he says he won't depend upon government assistance.



"I don't rely on the government because I believe the churches have a responsibility," he says.



Ellison hopes to build his center in the mold of the example set by developer Royce Mulholland just a few miles away. Mulholland purchased the dilapidated subsidized housing community formerly known as the Brook Ridge Apartments near Henrico High School and spent $8 million to renovate each apartment and build a new community center and other amenities. He also partnered with a number of government and community organizations to empower residents by offering on-site job training, health care, recreation and other activities.



Ellison calls the transformation of the complex – now called The Noelle at Brook Hill – "the future of the housing project." He hopes others will follow suit and invest similarly in low-income communities.



During his own journey toward the future, Ellison has faced several public challenges in recent years, first fighting charges of sexual battery and taking indecent liberties with a minor – which were dropped in January 2005 – and then resigning as chaplain for the Richmond City Jail in 2006, several months after accepting the post. He now serves as the executive director for a pastors group in the Family Foundation.



But for Ellison, the past is just that. Today, he feels he's back where he belongs.



"God called us to this community, and we could never shake it," he says. "We miss the children. When one of these children comes in and gives me a hug, it just makes my day."

For in-depth coverage of Henrico County, pick up a copy of Henrico's hometown newspaper - the Henrico Citizen - at Ukrop's, Kroger, Wawa or any Henrico public library, or call (804) 262-1700 to subscribe.