It was the only shelter south of Charleston and now it’s closed.
The state cut the funding for shelters in general, and decided that Pine Haven did not need funding.
Raleigh County Community Action Chair Danielle Stewart shared how it’s been a long, uphill battle.
According to Stewart, the lack of concern for the unhoused was evident as the state cut Pine Haven’s funding to a quarter of what it once was.
“Spent two years talking with at the time Governor Justice. And we spent time talking with our legislators,” Stewart said. “We’ve talked to the city. We’ve talked to the county. You know, in the end, our elected politicians all said, we don’t care. We’re okay with homeless people on the street.”
The Raleigh County Community Action Chair says our politicians talk a good talk, but that’s all that it is.
“Governor Morrissey is all about tax cuts. And now that we have the tax cuts, these are the results of that. As a Christian community, we pride ourselves on taking care of the homeless. Yet you’re not actually seeing that from the politicians.”
Unbeknownst to many, Pine Haven closed at the end of May 2025, and RCCA spent from May to June finding placement for all those individuals who were there. Stewart says part of the issue is getting the documentation that they need (social security cards and birth certificates).
“That take could be two weeks, could be two months to get that stuff in,” said Stewart. For those that had the documents they’d been working on, we were able to get them into housing. Other individuals, I believe they went to Charleston, I’d have to check.”
Stewart’s concern is what happens when the weather turns cold again…
“We have a large number of people on the streets. They’re going to break into abandoned buildings,” the RCCA Chair said. “Fire department every year they have these unexplored main fires and abandoned buildings, but it’s people trying to stay warm.”
From RCCA’s perspective, they will continue on with their housing programs and do what they can do.
“Particular facility, the state gave to the city a few years ago. And so now it’ll be up to the city to decide what they want to do with it,” said Stewart. “I believe there’s a clause that if the city doesn’t run a shelter or doesn’t use it, it goes back to the state. But I do not know that for a fact.”
