LWVMM - Homelessness Awareness
Homelessness in West Virginia
The number of homeless people in West Virginia increased approximately 25% from 2023 to 2024.
HUD 2024 Report, released in December 2024, based upon a point-in-time count, established that the number of homeless people in West Virginia increased approximately 25% from 2023 to 2024. This shows that West Virginia followed the national trend, with a significant increase in homelessness.
In West Virginia, according to the point-in-time count on January 2024, 1,779 people were without homes. This was up from 1,460 people in 2023. However, individuals in their 70s and 80s, people with chronic illnesses, and amputees appeared for the first time in the 2024 count.
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A state commission report in 2023 found that between 2018 and 2023, generally, 3,624 people in West Virginia experienced homelessness.
Although West Virginia is a small state with a declining population, the factors that drive homelessness in the Mountain State are the same as those throughout the country — available and affordable housing crisis, inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, loss of funding that was available during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the persistent effects of systemic racism. However, immigration and natural disasters had little effect on homelessness in West Virginia compared to other areas.
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The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, the Balance of State Continuum of Care, and, in some instances, the United Way coordinate the yearly homeless count in West Virginia. A data management specialist of the West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness shared more specific factors that contributed to an increase in homelessness in West Virginia:
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the end of funding meant to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic
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lack of affordable housing
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very limited rental markets in rural areas.
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older housing in some towns and cities cannot pass HUD inspections
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only emergency shelter in Central West Virginia closed
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some local governments taking harsh positions against homelessness.
Camping Bans
Morgantown*, Clarksburg, Bluefield, Princeton, and Wheeling have passed camping bans. Advocates say camping bans do nothing to help the issue: they only makes it worse by requiring people to pay fines they can't afford, possible incarceration — which is a big expense to the city — and creating a criminal record that impedes a person's ability to secure employment and housing.
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Supporters of the ban argue that camps are a public health and safety issue.
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The U.S. Supreme Court upheld such a ban in a case from Grants Pass, Oregon. President Donald Trump proposes relocating homeless people to “large areas of land with access to doctors, social workers, psychiatrist and drug rehabilitation.”
*The Morgantown camping ban is on the April 2025 ballot for residents to vote on.