Homelessness

On this West Virginia Morning, we explore the complexities of housing, homelessness, and community. A group called “Humans of Morgantown” is using art created by unhoused citizens to bring a humanizing perspective to the discussion.

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

On this West Virginia Morning, we hear about the recent count of those experiencing homelessness in Morgantown. Also, in this show, West Virginia lawmakers are calling for changes to West Virginia’s Child Abuse Hotline, and the state Senate passed a bill related to cameras in special education classrooms.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia is packed with stories from across central Appalachia, featuring creative people who are finding ways to address a wide-range of problems. We’ll hear how urban farmers in Pittsburgh are helping fight food insecurity, and how two musicians in North Carolina are finding help for people in addiction.

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.”

On this West Virginia Morning, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in more homeless West Virginians. But just how many? We explore this question. Also, we have the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic in West Virginia, and we hear how the pandemic has affected the life and work of Us & Them host Trey Kay.

People around the world have spent nearly a year sheltering at home to avoid a global pandemic. For those who are homeless, the challenge of COVID-19 isn’t even on their list. What’s on their mind is “Am I gonna eat?” For this episode, the Us & Them team talks to homeless West Virginians about the challenge of sheltering from the virus.

On this West Virginia Morning, coronavirus cases and deaths continue to rise. We bring you an update on the virus spread in the state, and we hear the latest about disbanded encampments of homeless populations in the Northern Panhandle.

In early October, the City of Wheeling disbanded four encampments occupied by residents currently experiencing homelessness. The decision to disband camps during a pandemic was controversial, and advocates warned there could also be unintended consequences.

On this West Virginia Morning, equity is a recurring theme. We hear the latest on the dismantling of homeless encampments in the Northern Panhandle,…