Visiting groups aid SWV housing effort

Jul. 6—Organizations from outside the area have been working to help give more life to homes in southern West Virginia again this summer.

Matt Ross is the mission weeks director for Christian Endeavor, and he said that organization helped rehab — and in one scenario, build — homes last week at eight different locales, including Oak Hill, Kincaid, Page, Mount Hope and Beckley. A contingent of 70 people, primarily youth and young adults forming a multi-denominational collaboration, toiled during the week at the various sites. That included about 30 who were onsite last Thursday as two new houses are being constructed by Southern Appalachian Labor School near the Page Head Start center.

The four Christian Endeavor groups working in West Virginia hailed from Pennsylvania churches.

Ross, who started his job with CE last August, said Thursday he's unsure how long the organization has been coming to the Mountain State to provide summer support for the housing situation. "From my Facebook memories, I was down here as a participant 13 years ago," he said.

While the group features mainly youth and young adults, adults also make the trip to supervise the younger set with their skills. This past week, the CE contingent lodged at Hilltop Baptist Center. Days included work details and nights included a program, and there was also time set aside for recreational activities such as a visit to a local water park, Ross explained.

Ross said Christian Endeavor works closely with SALS to make the week go smoothly. "SALS lines up the projects for us and gets the materials for us," he said. "We have work coordinators that will run and get supplies for us (to save time onsite)."

The two houses at Page were already under roof when CE arrived in West Virginia, Ross said. CE crews worked last week alongside SALS representatives in several facets. "The deck was partially on, they're putting in windows, they're putting up siding, they're planning to start the deck on the upper house later today ... Anything and everything," Ross said.

The houses are part of the SALS CoalField Housing Project located on property donated by Fayette County Schools at the location of the former Black school in Page.

The two new Page houses are being inspected and are under permit, said Dr. John David, the volunteer director of SALS.

While helping area residents improve their living situation, Ross said Christian Endeavor's efforts are also crucial to helping youngsters mature and stay on a solid path through life. "For Christian Endeavor, our role is to empower youth in ministry. For too long, we've seen that youth are not seen as important, and by the wayside. So we believe that youth are able to be empowered and have skills and can help. ... One of the pieces for Christian Endeavor is service, so this is a tangible way for the youth to be able to serve alongside of others in the community and for Christ."

The Pennsylvania delegation departed the state Saturday to return home. "We're here only a week this year," Ross noted. Looking around the area, he added, "We could be here all summer, we could be here all year."

For more on Christian Endeavor, visit www.ceworks.faith/.

Christian Endeavor isn't the only organization helping strengthen structures in the region this summer via Southern Appalachian Labor School. David said 230 (214 volunteers and 16 staff) individuals with Group WorkCamps rehabbed houses in the Kanawha Valley from Marmet to Gauley Bridge last week. They were broken up into 36 crews, he noted. Some 25 houses/families were served or completed, with a total of 6,420 hours worked.

Group WorkCamps represented 14 churches from throughout the United States.

"This is our 38th time that SALS has worked with them (GWC)," said David. Some years featured multiple weeks.

Funding was provided by the Kanawha County Commission, Benedum Foundation, Truist Foundation and Southern Appalachian Labor School.

David also offered thanks to Kanawha County Schools for allowing the volunteers to reside at East Bank Middle School.

He said GWC plans to return to the Upper Kanawha Valley in 2024.

Another organization, Humanitarian XP, is in the midst of a 9-week cycle of bringing in 16 volunteers weekly to help refurbish local houses. Its final week in the area will be July 29 to Aug. 5.

According to Ralph Shockey Jr., who is with the SALS VISTA program, some of HXP's work last week included bracing up a porch, putting new steps and erecting a wheelchair ramp on a local house. "These guys have been amazing," he said of the HXP crew. "They do all the work; I just teach."

David said the annual influx of volunteers is crucial to making a dent in the "hundreds" of requests for housing assistance currently on file with SALS for projects such as wheelchair ramps, porches, walk-in bathrooms and showers and other improvements in houses, many which are old coal camp houses that aren't up to standards.

"I think this (the yearly housing work) does make a difference," said David. "I'm not aware that there are very many projects similar to what we're doing in the state."

Looking ahead, SALS is implementing — via an EDA grant — a program called AdultBuild, which is geared toward coal miners in transition, people coming out of recovery and people coming out of prison. They will be given credentials authorized through the Home Builders' Institute in Washington, D.C. There are eight to 10 individuals currently in the process of being accepted for the 2-year program, David said. They have to be accepted by both SALS and the Workforce Development Board in Beckley.

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