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Huntington invests $600,000 in rescue plan funds for new low-barrier shelter for the unhoused [1]
['Daniel Burbank', 'Https', 'Www.Facebook.Com Eyewitnessnewscharleston']
Date: 2024-03
City officials have announced $600,000 of American Rescue Plan money will be used to help build a new, low-barrier shelter for the unhoused in Huntington.
Portsmouth resident Angela Watkins said she has been unhoused for almost two years and tries to stay optimistic.
"It's like a big slumber party. You just don't know who's coming over to slumber," Watkins said.
She was one of the dozens who came through the doors at the Huntington's temporary low-barrier shelter, next to the city mission on Wednesday.
A low-barrier shelter lock's up people's belongings and active drug users are allowed inside, but not their drugs.
"We want to make it as easy as possible to come in here and sleep. Make no mistake, we're certainly not a spot where people can come and do drugs," Huntington City Mission executive director Mitchell Webb said.
Huntington District 3 Councilwoman Tia Rumbaugh said her funding idea was born to give the unhoused access to public restrooms.
"There was a little bit of concern I had because we were doing an incredible amount of physical investment, which is important, but I also wanted to know where was the charity?" Rumbaugh said.
The mayor and city council agreed, gifting the first $100,000 Tuesday and another $500,000 promised from the broadband allocation towards the new low barrier shelter. It'll have bathroom and laundry facilities.
Eyewitness News talked to several local businesses in the area who said they were too anxious to go on camera, worried it would ruin their business, citing pictures of needles on the sidewalks and trash in their parking lots.
For now, the temporary shelter at the Huntington City Mission chapel is giving more than two dozen a roof over their head.
Rumbaugh said they hoped to break ground soon but added the new shelter won't be open in time for this winter.
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[1] Url:
https://wchstv.com/news/local/huntington-city-invests-600000-in-rescue-plan-funds-for-new-low-barrier-shelter-for-the-unhoused
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