End Homelessness in West Virginia
What We're Up Against
What we’re facing is the truth that housing is also basic health care. It’s a necessity for physical distancing that protects not just essential workers and businesses, but all of us.
The challenge in rural areas like West Virginia is the vast inequity that exists, county-by-county, as well as the difficulty in overcoming prejudice, fighting negative stereotypes of “hillbillies” and others, and other long-standing myths about homelessness and its root causes.
Our Plan
We support a state-level “right to shelter” and the federal homes guarantee. West Virginians need a variety of housing options in order to live with dignity.
Act with all possible speed to provide housing including:
- the development and rehabilitation of abandoned buildings,
- the creation of tiny home villages,
- housing for displaced youth and young adults,
- senior villages,
- veterans homes,
- and more.
- Help homeless citizens obtain appropriate services, such as:
- job search assistance,
- resume writing,
- SNAP,
- health care,
- counseling,
- veterans benefits.
- Assist homeless people in accessing the identification they need to become employed, access housing and services, and more.
- Create a cost exemption so that shelters, drug recovery programs and other service agencies are able to waive the cost of obtaining identification for their clients.
- Work to shift Medicaid dollars towards programs that prioritize housing as a means for helping people with underlying health conditions gain stability.
- Provide rental assistance for low-income people in the state.
- Explore ways to expand affordable housing options for college/vocational students, with the long-term goal of eventually providing a housing guarantee.
- Enforce fair housing standards, stop price gouging, and advance tenants rights.
No one politician or slate of candidates can win this plan alone. We need you.
If you have an idea for how to make this plan stronger, or if you would like to lend a hand to win it, contact our co-chair Stephen Smith at stephen@wvcantwait.com.