Pine Haven shelter to close even with growing need

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – For the unhoused, Pine Haven is the only shelter across 11 counties in the southern part of the Mountain State… and it is going to close on February 28 due to funding cuts.

According to Director Mike Horn, their yearly $490,000 allotment was drastically diminished to $125,000, leaving shelter staff and residents reeling.

When the thermometer must read 15 degrees before we even open a warming center, Gabriel Covington says closing the shelter is a bad idea and will create more instability in our community.

“I think people who have a home or are in a better situation don’t see the probability of them ending up there,” added the community activist.  “We never see that (if) we’re doing good. We need some humility in this situation because it could be anyone.”

There are veterans on the streets and successful folks of all kinds who lost everything due to unfortunate circumstances. We have a housing crisis in West Virginia.

“We need to destigmatize unhoused people and stop making it an unhuman issue, stop making it ‘they’re this, that, the other — they put themself in this situation,'” Covington said. “The thing that bothers me with all my heart is the ‘stop panhandling’ signs; they don’t want to be out there.”

The City of Beckley has turned a blind eye to those with substance abuse and housing issues who just need a leg up, according to the community activist.

“Anyone who looked at this for a few years now could tell this was going to happen,” he said. “Do you not think we should have taken some preventative measures? I mean, we vote for these people. We vote for them to tell us; don’t wait three months to tell us and then a week later the shelter’s going to close.”

When it comes to those in positions of power — Covington wonders if they’ve been out of their safe zones, as he calls it.

“Not just when election years come. Have you been out talking to these people? Some unhoused people just need resources,” he said. “The community resources are very — not there.”

Horn says this is very sad for the people they serve (currently 30).

“Who depends on us and won’t have that anymore, especially in this cold weather. Our goal is to rehouse them depending on housing inventory.”

With this closure, Covington is afraid there will be more unjust arrests.

“Because there will be a lot of people sitting on stoops and places, we have so much empty housing, especially in Beckley,” he said. “Or if we have extra money somewhere, shouldn’t we be helping people.”

Lives are on the line if the shelter closes, according to Covington.

“Getting help at DHHR is hard,” said the community activist. “And a lot of families pick putting food on the table or getting medicine. So, anyone could be homeless.”

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