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Statewide Homeless Survey Bill Advances

SB 239 would have behavioral health providers, treatment specialists, statewide government leaders and community stakeholders assess a breakdown of homeless demographics.

A bill continues to advance that mandates a statewide homeless survey, intended to see if West Virginia’s health and human services facilities are being overtapped.

Senate Bill 239 would have behavioral health providers, treatment specialists, statewide government leaders and community stakeholders assess a breakdown of homeless demographics.

On Tuesday, the House Committee on the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse passed the bill and sent it on to the House Health Committee.

The study would determine where homelessness is most concentrated around the state, if policies cause homeless relocation to certain areas and who is coming in from other states using West Virginia services.

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, believes the survey will assess public health root causes.

“A lot of it has to do with mental illness and substance use disorder, and I would be willing to bet that it’s not the services that are provided,” Puskin said.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, has said that better understanding the state’s unhoused population is important to ensure the best use of the state’s resources.

“The study is basically just to know where the homeless folks are in West Virginia, why they are migrating from one part of the state to the other and how many of these homeless people are from out of state,” Azinger said. “We’re getting tons of out-of-state people that come to West Virginia, to the drug rehab places, because we have a lot of beds in one county: Cabell, but also, because we have benefits. We give away all kinds of freebies, and the word gets out on the street, cross-country, ‘Hey go to West Virginia.’ And that’s what’s happening. We want to truncate that, staunch the bleeding, put a stop to it, and make it reasonable. We’re not kicking anybody out of beds, we don’t want to do that, we want people that want help to get help.”

The homeless survey is due to be completed by July 1, 2024.

Senate Starts Week By Passing A Dozen Bills

It was a busy day for the Senate as they passed a dozen bills, ranging from issues of schools to healthcare and substance use.

It was a busy day for the Senate as they passed a dozen bills, ranging from issues of schools to health care and substance use.

First up was Senate Bill 51, which would require an impact statement in certain instances of a school closing or consolidation. School closure and consolidation have been pervasive in the state as the population continues to decline. According to the 2020 Census, West Virginia lost 3.2 percent of its population since 2010.

Senate Bill 258, which would eliminate a $10,000 cap on rent-to-own agreements in the state, was the only bill that did not pass unanimously.

“Currently in the law, it says that there cannot be a rent-to-own contract related to consumer goods which has a cash value, fair market value of more than $10,000. This bill, if it passes, will remove that cap completely,” said Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan. “Consumers and rent to own businesses will be free to enter into whatever contract they like regardless of the amount of value consumer goods which is the subject of the contract.”

Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, and Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, both voted against the bill but did not provide comment on the floor.

Senate Bill 282 creates the West Virginia Guardian Program. The program would allow county boards of education to contract with honorably discharged law enforcement officers to provide public safety and/or security on public school grounds and buildings.

With all the federal money coming into the state, Senate Bill 439 aims to help one state department complete its projects more easily.

“This is a pretty uncomplicated, easy bill. All it does is streamline the process for the DEP to bid and award contracts.” said Sen. Randy Smith, R-Tucker. “With all the federal money coming in, they’re afraid they’re not gonna get all the bids out for mine reclamation and some other projects. The Department of Highways is already doing this and it’s working well for them.”

The Senate also passed:

Senate Bill 248, clarifying when excess funds accumulated by boards are to be transferred to General Revenue Fund
Senate Bill 270, adding exemption to permit requirement for cremation for research for institution arranging the final disposition of a decedent who donated his or her body to science
Senate Bill 271, modifying approval process requirements for First Responders Honor Board
Senate Bill 283, updating the language of the Military Incentive Program, which provides a tax credit to employers in the state for hiring certain members of a class of veterans, to include all veterans

Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, addresses the Senate on Monday Jan. 30, 2023. *Credit Will Price/WV Legislative Photography*

One Senator, Four Bills

One-third of the bills in front of the Senate on third reading Monday were sponsored by Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood. He said the bill’s aim was to address a chronic issue in the state.

“Three of the four bills that were on third reading today, deal with the homeless/drug crisis that is especially affecting two or three counties, that being Wood County, Cabell County, maybe you can say Kanawha County, maybe one or two others,” Azinger said.

“In Wood County we have four percent of the population and 25 percent of the beds, and we could potentially have double that if Ohio Valley College is purchased by these folks that have these drug rehab places. These bills are trying to constrict. The issues that we have in Wood County with homeless camps, with crime, as you can imagine, break ins and burglary, it’s just off the charts.”

Senate Bill 239 would require the Commissioner of the Bureau for Behavioral Health to engage community stakeholders in a study of homeless demographic information throughout West Virginia, due by July 1, 2024. Azinger said better understanding the state’s unhoused population is important to ensure the best use of the state’s resources.

“We’re getting tons of out-of-state people that come to West Virginia, to the drug rehab places, because we have a lot of beds in one county, Cabell, but also, because we have benefits. We give away, you know, all kinds of freebies, and the word gets out on the street, cross-country, ‘Hey go to West Virginia.’ And that’s what’s happening. We want to truncate that, staunch the bleeding, put a stop to it, and make it reasonable. We’re not kicking anybody out of beds, we don’t want to do that, we want people that want help to get help.”

Senate Bill 243 would require the institutions giving people that help with substance use issues to also provide transportation after treatment has ended. The mandate for transportation is broad-reaching, as the bill requires, “a means of transportation back to the individual’s state of birth, a state in which they have previously lived, or a state where they have a family support structure” be provided. Azinger said there is no funding for the requirement by design.

“Just send these folks back to where they have family, to a state that they’re from, or someplace where they have connections and relationships and a history there,” he said. “We’re just making the drug rehab places have some skin in the game. Let them pay the price back for the bus ticket. Parkersburg paid $24,000 in bus tickets last year. So that’s $24,000 that, in my opinion, the City of Parkersburg shouldn’t have to pay.”

He also stated that the requirement serves two purposes: getting those individuals fresh out of substance use treatment back to their support system, and out of West Virginia.

Azinger also sponsored Senate Bill 241, which shifts the responsibility of investigating and enforcing of, the Patient Brokering Act, as well as Senate Bill 251, which requires the display of the official U.S. motto, “In God We Trust” in all state schools.

“Our country was built on God,” Azinger said. “Our America was birthed by the Great Awakening, religious revivals in the early 1700s was the impetus, was a birthright of the American Revolution. That’s always how we have operated. So why did we take it out? What’s happened since we’ve taken it out? Well, a lot of bad things have happened since we’ve taken it out, so let’s start bringing God back into the schools.”

Completed Legislative Action

Two more bills passed through the legislative process and are now on their way to Gov. Jim Justice for his signature.

Senate Bill 143 is titled Relating to Adopt-A-Stream Program. The bill would establish an Adopt-a-Stream program to promote the cleaning of the state’s waterways, similar to the Adopt-a-Highway program.

Senate Bill 231 transfers administration of West Virginia Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Funds Program to Department of Economic Development.

Both bills originated in the Senate but were amended by the House and returned to the Senate for final approval.

Manchin Seeks To Raise Awareness Of State’s 9,500 Homeless Students

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is leading a bipartisan effort in Washington, D.C. to designate this November as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month.

There are more than 9,500 students experiencing homelessness in West Virginia.

Last school year, one in every four kids in Clay County was homeless, making it the highest rate in the state, according to data from the state education department.

These are kids who, under the federal definition, lack a permanent place to sleep, which includes kids living in cars or encampments and those who are in unstable sheltered conditions, like crashing on a friend’s couch.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is leading a bipartisan effort in Washington, D.C. to designate this November as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month. He introduced the resolution Thursday alongside U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME.

The resolution is supported by several groups, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the National Association of School Psychologists.

“Every child deserves to have a roof over their head and a warm, safe place to sleep at night,” Manchin said. “Ending homelessness among children and youth continues to be one of my top priorities, and it is more important than ever that we work together to address this heartbreaking issue.”

Since 2019, Manchin has announced millions of dollars in federal funding to address student homelessness in West Virginia.

Winter Storm Highlights Housing Issues In Morgantown

Meteorologists are predicting anywhere from one to seven inches of snow and wintry mix across the state tonight and into Saturday. The storm is a stark reminder of the dangers unhoused West Virginians face even as the region inches into Spring.

Community members in Morgantown have been gathering coats, sleeping bags and heaters for those who will be on the streets during the big storm.

Folks can get out of the cold and stay in the city’s warming shelter. But with space for just 28 people, housing advocates like Morgantown city council member Brian Butcher say it’s not enough to meet the community’s needs during this type of weather event.

“It’s heartwarming, and it’s amazing the level of support that people can get throughout our community,” Butcher said. “That level of support should not be required. In my opinion, we should have a structure upon which we could get people in housing during the winter, you know, even just a temporary shelter.”

Butcher spoke as part of a forum on warming shelters and winter resources hosted by the League of Women Voters of Morgantown and Monongalia County Thursday night, during which advocates discussed needed improvements in the city and state’s response to housing issues.

Executive director of Milan Puskar Health Right Laura Jones said that a single shelter is inadequate. Some people may not want to use a particular shelter for a variety of reasons.

“Those folks are always out there, there are always people that have difficulty with the rules or with the structure of the shelter,” Jones said. “It would be even better if we had an alternate space for people who don’t feel comfortable going to the current shelter.”

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s Friday night and continue to drop into the low teens Sunday morning.

Counting West Virginia's Homeless Brings New Challenges In Pandemic

Caseworkers who work directly with West Virginia’s homeless population conducted the annual point-in-time count last week, measuring the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on one of the coldest nights of the year.

“Most people who are going to be sheltered are sheltered during the last ten days of January,” said Matt Hedrick, who coordinates the count for the West Virginia Coalition to End Homeless. “The people we find on the street… have nowhere else to go.”

The count measures people either staying in shelters or on the street. And it has been adapted to keep volunteers and clients safe from transmitting COVID-19.

Instead of sending out teams of volunteers to conduct the street count, Hedrick will rely on an existing database of those experiencing homelessness and receiving services.

While the results of this year’s count won’t be known for a couple of months, he has some expectations.

“There are a lot of people entering the system who have never been in it in terms of the homeless service system, and that are newly experiencing homelessness,” said Hedrick, “That’s kind of what we’re anticipating.”

Researchers say the point-in-time count is the best data available but even in a normal year comes with a lot of caveats.

Many people who are experiencing homelessness don’t want to be counted,” said Daniel Brisson, executive director of the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research at the University of Denver. “Or don’t want to be seen, don’t want to be known, don’t want to be found, don’t want to talk to other people.”

He says there are many predictions that homelessness has increased during the pandemic but he honestly doesn’t know what the count will show.

“We know the point-in-time is not a perfect tool,” said Brisson. “Whether the tool can capture homelessness in this new environment is still to be seen,”

Brisson says it’s important to listen to people on the ground because the data might be inaccurate.

Lisa Badia, the executive director of the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless, said she’s seen something like this recession before.

“The last time we saw a real increase of people who were experiencing a housing crisis for the first time resulting inevitably or imminently, homelessness would have been back at the early onset of the fracking industry,” said Badia, who has worked with this population for 27 years.

As fracking companies relocated workers into the Northern Panhandle, rent prices increased by 58% between 2011 and 2014.

After rent went up, the number of first-time homeless families increased by 300% between 2015 and 2016, according to data from the Greater Wheeling Coalition for the Homeless.

Over the same period, the number of families headed by a single father who became homeless for the first time increased by 600%.

Since the pandemic began, she said there’s been an increase in the number of people who need financial assistance to help pay rent.

As people are becoming homeless in the Northern Panhandle, many for the first time, that sustained need has strained Badia’s staff.

She has seen her entire direct staff change over the course of the pandemic. Long-time workers, some of whom had been with her for 19 years, have gotten burned out.

“I do believe this will be similar, although certainly, we’ve never undergone a pandemic,” said Badia. “That’s a whole different level of fatigue.”

Us & Them: Shelter From The Virus

The coronavirus has changed everything. People around the globe have spent nearly a year sheltering at home, adhering to restrictions and requirements to avoid the contagious COVID-19.

Imagine what that experience is like for someone who’s homeless. If your only option for a warm bed is a group shelter, will you take it – or will you stay on the street? Across the country, shelters meet public health requirements to make congregate housing as safe as possible.

On this Us & Them episode, we look at the challenge people face when deciding how to shelter from the virus.

This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and the West Virginia Humanities Council.

Subscribe to Us & Them on Apple Podcasts, NPR One, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and beyond. You also can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio — tune in on the fourth Thursday of every month at 8 p.m., with an encore presentation on the following Saturday at 3 p.m.