Affordable Housing Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Chair Caning And A Housing Fight, Inside Appalachia

This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. Also, corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a bite out of mobile home parks. They’re raising rents and letting repairs slide. And, as the Mountain Valley Pipeline nears completion, people who live near it say government officials are ignoring their concerns about pollution.

This week, we visit the Seeing Hand Association. They bring together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning.

Corporate greed has been gobbling up newspapers for years. Now, some of those same companies are taking a bite out of mobile home parks. They’re raising rents and letting repairs slide.

And, as the Mountain Valley Pipeline nears completion, people who live near it say government officials are ignoring their concerns about pollution.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Seeing Hand Fixes More Than Chairs

Employees restore caned chairs at the Seeing Hand workshop in Wheeling, West Virginia.

*Photo Credit: Clara Haizlett/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

A lot of folks in Appalachia grew up with caned chairs in the house. Maybe your parents or grandparents had a set in the kitchen, but you don’t see the old caned chairs as much as you used to. Cane breaks down and needs to be replaced. Few people know where to go to fix their chairs. So, a lot of them are discarded or thrown away. But they don’t have to be.

At a workshop in Wheeling, WV, a community of skilled workers repair old chairs and show that not everything that looks broken has to be thrown out. Folkways reporter Clara Haizlett brought us the story.

Quilting In The New, Traditional Way

Shane Foster pictured with a quilt made by his great-grandmother.

*Photo Credit: Liz Pahl/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Passing on traditional knowledge happens in different ways. Shane Foster is an optometrist in Ohio and an avid quilter. Quilting had been in his family for generations, but to learn this traditional craft, Foster chose a way that’s a little less traditional.

From 2022, Folkways Reporter Liz Pahl has this story.

David Vs. Goliath At A Mobile Home Park

After a new owner took control of a mobile home park in Mercer County, West Virginia, the rents went up, and it seemed like less was done to take care of problems. One resident started looking into exactly who this new owner was.

Mason Adams brought us the story.

West Virginia Flood Concerns

The floods of 2016 devastated several counties and it has taken seven years for them to be mostly returned to normal.

*Photo Credit: Kara Lofton/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Flooding has always been a threat in Appalachia, but over the past few decades, severe floods have become more frequent.

Curtis Tate spoke with Nicolas Zegre, an associate professor of forest hydrology at West Virginia University, about why West Virginia is so prone to flooding.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by John Blissard, John Inghram, Tim Bing, Gerry Milnes, Mary Hott, and Tyler Childers.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

HUD Sends $12.3 Million For W.Va. Affordable Housing

The U.S. Senate allocated more than $12.3 million to affordable housing projects in West Virginia, taking part in an effort to support individuals experiencing homelessness across the state.

With a new slate of funding, federal lawmakers hope to address homelessness by strengthening affordable housing options in states like West Virginia.

The U.S. Senate allocated a new $12,368,832 to West Virginia housing authorities through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This money will go toward 28 organizations supporting housing access across the state.

The largest amount of funding will be granted to the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness in Bridgeport, with a total of more than $2.5 million.

HUD regularly invests in community housing organizations across the country, and last year granted housing authorities in West Virginia $17.6 million to modernize public housing projects.

In a press release Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., expressed his support for the new funding, and for housing projects in West Virginia at large.

“Every West Virginian deserves a roof over their head and a warm, safe place to sleep at night,” Manchin said. “I’m pleased HUD is investing more than $12.3 million into these important organizations that support West Virginians who are in need.”

The following housing authorities will receive portions of the new funding:

West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness: $2,662,938
Huntington West Virginia Housing Authority: $1,599,853
Raleigh County Community Action Association: $1,020,211
Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless: $774,441
Telamon Corporation / Renewal Project: $579,389
Huntington City Mission: $573,735
Clarksburg Housing Authority: $467,839
Task on Domestic Violence, HOPE: $453,942
Covenant House, Charleston: $414,557
YWCA Charleston: $364,510
Bartlett House, Morgantown: $364,163
Kanawha Valley Collective: $336,945
Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley: $274,300
Branches-Domestic Violence Shelter of Huntington: $268,154
Randolph County Housing Authority: $260,564
Mountain CAP of WV, Kanawha County: $254,566
Hagerstown Goodwill Industries: $235,151
Eastern Regional Family Resource Network, Moorefield: $210,038
Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, Morgantown: $209,741
Charleston-Kanawha Housing Authority: $202,992
Shenandoah Women’s Center, Martinsburg: $121,233
Family Crisis Intervention Center, Wood County: $117,798
Young Women’s Christian Association of Wheeling: $111,726
North Central WV Community Action: $111,072
Prestera Center for Mental Health Services, Barboursville: $105,000
Catholic Charities West Virginia, Wheeling: $87,003
Southwestern Community Action Council, Huntington: $76,275
City of Wheeling: $50,000

Justice Proposes $50 Million Budget For Affordable Housing

Announced Thursday, Justice’s proposal would provide $50 million of state surplus funds for the construction of single and multi-unit houses across West Virginia.

A budget proposal from Gov. Jim Justice aims to ensure that workers and their families can find affordable housing.

Announced Thursday, Justice’s proposal would provide $50 million of state surplus funds for the construction of single and multi-unit houses across West Virginia.

“We’re constantly wanting people to come to West Virginia,” Justice said.

By expanding affordable housing options, Justice hopes to make moving to the state easier. “We need to devote ourselves to trying to stimulate and bring more and more and more folks,” he said.

Rising rental costs and persistent economic depression has placed stress on housing markets across West Virginia. In recent years, millions of dollars in federal funding has aimed to improve the state’s affordable housing options.

Erica Boggess, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, said Thursday that the added funding would mark an important step toward bolstering housing accessibility in the state.

“We’re very pleased and excited that the governor has proposed this funding to help with this important initiative,” she said.

With additional funding from the state, housing officials are hopeful for more accessible options ahead. “Housing is truly a component of economic development, and it’s the foundation that makes our communities thrive,” Boggess said.

How Labor Shortages Affect Housing And Us & Them Takes Us To East Palestine, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginians have struggled to find affordable housing for years. The pandemic made things worse as demand increased. A lack of available housing inventory – or land on which to build – is exacerbated by a shortage of laborers and skilled tradesmen to build the houses.

On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginians have struggled to find affordable housing for years. The pandemic made things worse as demand increased. A lack of available housing inventory – or land on which to build – is exacerbated by a shortage of laborers and skilled tradesmen to build the houses.

Caroline MacGregor continues our radio series “Help Wanted: Understanding West Virginia’s Labor Force” with a look at how a shortage of workers is affecting the housing industry.

Also, in this show, workers continue to excavate contaminated material from the site of a train derailment earlier this year in East Palestine, Ohio. The accident just across the state border, sent toxic chemicals into the air, soil and water. Several government agencies are on the scene to coordinate the response.

In a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears from residents who say they don’t know who to trust. Some worry about delays and misinformation while others think things are going as well as they can. We listen to an excerpt.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning