MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A new committee is forming in Morgantown to look at new ways to help homeless people, specifically those living in the encampment in the lower Greenmont area. The committee will include social service organizations, city council members, local law enforcement and possibly members of the encampment.
Currently, about 20 people are living in the camp near Decker’s Creek and have been since February. In that six month period there have been 44 reported overdoses and the use of NARCAN.
“This committee will identify ways to increase capacity,”Morgantown mayor Ron Dulaney said,”So we have enough housing units to make concrete offers to everyone in the encampment.”
Reports indicate the relations between camp advocates and previous committee members broke down when the camp was ordered to move in July. Dulaney expects this committee to pick up where the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, Bartlett Housing Solutions and elected leaders left off.
When the camp was disbanded in July advocates released the following statement:
They have issued the following demand to the City of Morgantown:
“We the residents of Diamond Village demand that the City of Morgantown designate a piece of public property which we can stay on and continue our community without judgement or subjection, until a permanent solution can be found. This solution must come from a working group which includes representation and voting power from people living in Diamond Village.”
Until this demand is met, they, allies, and supporters are camped on public property owned by the City of Morgantown directly adjacent to their former site.
This is an easy demand to meet. All they want is space to simply exist in as they work towards housing and stability. The City of Morgantown must listen.
We will be here until they do.
“I don’t think is about enabling at all,”Dulaney said,”I think this is about trying to move people to an independent state.”
In the last year, complaints about open drug use and inappropriate behavior have increased from downtown business owners and residents leading officials to launch multiple efforts to address and mitigate the problems.
“The opportunity we have here is to try to work together in this attempt and to try to come some kind of consensus that is based on best practices,”Dulaney said,”And those are best practices from housing, best practices for wrap-around services and best practices for policing.”
Chief program officer for the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, Rachel Cohen said they had been at the camp conducting assessments at least two days per week and placed several camp members in permanent housing during the first few months. Cohen says as camp members were placed in housing options more homeless people bypassed the established in-take system and repopulated the area. That information has determined that all members of the encampment are seeking permanent housing options.
“I think that’s where it’s going to get tricky, what do you do with those folks?,”Dulaney said,”They don’t want a roof over their head, they’re perfectly fine camping and then I think the question is- Is this the appropriate place to do it or is there a more appropriate place to do it, and try to make that case.”
Dulaney says finding and implementing a solution will be a community effort.
“We really want to approach this as inclusive as possible and build as much consensus as possible to move forward,”Dulaney said.