Prep Work Starts For Homeless Exempt Site In East Wheeling
Trending
Read the statement from homeless service providers to the City of Wheeling here. 2024.1.23 Service Provider Statement
WHEELING - Volunteers could be seen Wednesday morning cleaning around the outskirts of the East Wheeling parking lot that will become the exempted site for homeless individuals in the city. They picked up trash, raked out mulch and moved dumpsters so that those needing a place to stay or put their belongings had a safe spot.
Meanwhile, the city's homeless service providers reiterated in a letter to the City of Wheeling that the lot - a leased space across from the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center - was a temporary fix and not a good spot for a permanent managed camp that is allowed in the new city ordinance prohibiting camping on public spaces. Those providers wanted to keep the dialogue going and the ideas flowing to find a better solution for that managed camp.
The plan, according to Catholic Charities Center Coordinator Derek Lantz, is to house between 20 and 25 people on the lot, though he said that number could grow.
"Right now, we have some neighbors cleaning up any loose trash, just helping with the overall cleanliness of the place," he said. "We need to section off the area where they're able to put their tents."
The idea, Lantz said, was to use the lined parking spaces as areas for people to set up their tents. Portable toilets provided by the city will stand in one corner. Dumpsters will stand near the site's 18th Street entrance. The area around the parking spaces will remain clear for people and vehicles to get around.
"In the next couple of days, we're hoping to get folks in," Lantz said.
The exempted space came to be following negotiations between the city, homeless service providers and the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, which had filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Wheeling to stop it from enacting the camping ban. Last November, Wheeling City Council voted 5-2 to create an ordinance banning camping on public property, a move that drew voluminous objections from homeless service providers.
In a statement dated Tuesday from homeless service providers to Wheeling city officials, those providers reaffirmed their position that the 18th Street property was an exempted space, not a managed camp and more work needs done to find a permanent solution.
"These agencies reaffirm the American Public Health Association's argument that recent and proposed camp 'sweeps' are merely a cosmetic fix and are antithetical to connecting unhoused people to needed services and ultimately housing," the statement read. "The agencies would be happy to facilitate discussions around effective solutions."
Catholic Charities West Virginia CEO Mark Phillips said the most recent statement came about because homeless service providers wanted to make certain the city understood their position.
"We just wanted to make sure that the city was clear that our position was that this was an exemption, this wasn't a managed camp," he said. "That would take a little more time. We're willing to talk about it but we think there are only so many things we can do right now."
The city agreed to postpone the further clearing of homeless camps until Jan. 29. One camp near the Nelson Jordan Center had already been cleared.
The statement added that there is no "formal agreement" between the city and any agency, but there are some general agreements between the city and providers. The city will provide dumpsters and pick up trash from the site multiple times per week. The Neighborhood Center will stock needed supplies like garbage bags and work gloves. Providers will work with residents to encourage cleanliness at the site.
A central location on the site will be established for sharps storage, and will be installed and maintained by the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department. Project HOPE will conduct regular rounds at the site and the city will provide portable toilets.
One thing homeless service agencies won't do would agree to be responsible for removing any individual from the exempted encampment, the statement continued. Phillips said the likely plan would be to call Wheeling Police if there were any issues, but added he would like to work with the city so that, if someone is called to the camp, some kind of homeless outreach case manager would accompany them.
"Some of the officers are really good and have had great training in working with people in a mental health crisis or with substance abuse disorder," Phillips said. "But some haven't worked with that population as much. So the more help we can provide to de-escalate things, the better it is."
The agencies also maintained their concerns with the area's location, primarily its proximity to the Laughlin Memorial Chapel, which housed numerous children's programs.
In the end, the statement concluded, the service agencies continued to ask for a suspension of the enforcement of the camping ban "until a responsible plan is established."
"We would be happy to facilitate a discussion between service providers, City staff, and City Council to reach an amicable resolution that provides legal, coordinated locations for our neighbors experiencing homelessness," the statement read.
Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron could not be reached for comment as of Wednesday evening.