‘I’ve Got Nothing Here’, Advocates For Homeless Folks Grapple With Limited Resources In Southern Coalfields

In a little church, nestled in the middle of the town of Logan sits Nighbert Methodist Church. Inside residents who are experiencing homelessness or food insecurity line up for a free meal, and a care package full of groceries. 

The church hosts these events multiple days a week. 

Outside the rain is picking up. The event organizers let folks know about a flood warning. Floods can be deadly for people sleeping along the creeks and rivers that scribble through the county. 

“Listen, listen, we are going to start getting flood warnings. Don’t fall asleep in the flood zone,” said Marty Dolin, one of the organizers. 

Violet, whose name was changed to protect her identity, is one of the attendees who will need to heed this warning. She lives, for the most part, outside. 

“I stay wherever I can. I’ve stayed in abandoned buildings, under bridges, in the open night air,” Violet said. 

She said she experienced a divorce and unemployment.

“Just things happen, I couldn’t maintain everything,” Violet said.  

She also struggled with addiction. Logan County was part of the nation’s epicenter for the opioid epidemic. 

“I’ve had a long line of history with, you know, substance abuse and such things,” Violet said. 

In Logan, Violet and others say it’s hard to shake the stigma. She said, in a small town, it’s hard to get past being once a criminal, or a once addict. 

“I’ll never be more than that, no matter what I do, I’ll never be more than that,” she said. 

Aside from the churches and a few nonprofits there isn’t a lot of help in breaking the cycle. 

Last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed for camping bans aimed at homeless communities. Those bans are going into effect across the state, and a statewide ban has been introduced.

There isn’t a homeless shelter within an hour’s drive of Logan. This is the case for nearly all of southern West Virginia, where most communities are a couple hours from a shelter. 

And the City of Logan recently passed a camping ban, that prohibits camping on public property. 

Ben Hannah and Kristy Preece, outreach workers with the Coalition to End Homelessness said people with nowhere to go, really have nowhere to go now. 

“Your quickest way for a warm bed if you’re homeless,” Hannah said.  

“— is rehab,” said Preece.  

“— Or jail. That’s the only way around here,” Hannah said. 

Working in rural southern West Virginia also leaves him with very limited resources. He often provides transportation to people and gives people rides to available shelter throughout the region. 

“’I’ve taken people to a shelter in Pike while I’ve taken people to a shelter in Beckley. I’m taking people to a shelter in Huntington, Charleston. I’ve even met people from Parkersburg and did a hand off with them to get them up there,” Hannah said. “ I have nothing here, nothing.” 

Affordable housing is in short supply here too. Especially units with living standards that qualify them for housing vouchers. Rent can be expensive. The average yearly income here is $28,762 per year. Rent for a one-bedroom can be upwards of $800 per month. 

Some families seek temporary shelter in hotel rooms.  

At a hotel in Chapmanville, Hannah and Preece are checking in with clients, a family of six. 

The coalition is paying for their hotel room until they can get the family into more stable housing. 

Hannah gave the couple an update on their prospects. 

“The affordable housing that we have around here is just basically non-existent. Yeah, there’s only so many places you can go, and we’ve almost exhausted all of them. But, I mean, I have faith that we’ll find one for you guys,” Hannah said. 

Hannah said there’s one extra problem for the family. 

“But then we got the issue. We’ve got four daughters and two parents, so it has to be a bigger unit. Yeah,” Hannah said. 

The couple has never had an eviction, nor do they have a criminal record. Hannah said those qualifications should make it easier for the family to get into a place if they can find one. 

But they still haven’t been able to find housing for the family. Hannah said with the recent floods, it’s going to be even harder.