MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The current make up of Morgantown City Council is about two months old and at least one member is sharing ideas to address affordable housing and an inadequate number of shelter beds.
Councilman Mark Downs acknowledged the most recent Point in Time (PIT) count revealed 150 people in the Monongalia County area experiencing homelessness. While the current number of shelter and emergency shelter beds is less than 50, previous efforts to add to the total have not materialized.
“We’ve got an issue that has been well-documented by the Point in Time (PIT) count and the number of available beds we have to us,” Downs said. “There’s work that we have to dig in and do, and we’re getting ready to do it.”
Much of the neighborhoods and decades-old housing stock present few rebuilding or redevelopment opportunities. Some apartments and limited housing developments that are in the county have been added, but efforts to add to the existing housing inventory have not been in the quantities needed to effectively deal with demand.
“Housing stock inside the city hasn’t really changed that much in the last decade,” Downs said. “There’s been a project here and there, but South Park is South Park, Greenmont is Greenmont and Woodburn is Woodburn.”
The social service hub on Scott Avenue, Hazel’s House of Hope, is in the former site of the Ramada Inn. Much of the building is unused and could be refitted for shelter beds expediently with willing partners, possibly a public-private partnership that has been historically effective in dealing with similar issues.
“It’s just critical that we work together to finish that out and bring those beds to bear,” Downs said. “If we finish those out, the second and third floors, I’m told there’s 50-plus beds there.”
A future meeting is planned with commissioners in Monongalia County that could open up resources or partnership opportunities to address housing issues.
“We’ve got new relationships that are emerging with the county commission, and we have a joint meeting we’re trying to put together, and I’m optimistic that together we’re going to be able to solve some of these things,” Downs said.
The East End Village development will consist of the construction of mixed-use development properties that will take over the area where 58 old houses formerly stood along Richwood Avenue. The new properties are projected to include over 300 market-rate apartments and other housing options (condos, townhomes) that will sit over retail suites and be interspersed with standalone components such as a grocery store, a hotel, and other amenities, all located a short walk from downtown Morgantown.
“We’ve demolished some dilapidated housing, and there was a good job done to put together the land to do that,” Downs said. “We’re looking at lower Greenmont potentially for a project like that.”