Both the West Virginia House of Delegates and the state Senate have passed a bill that would direct the state's minority affairs office to create an anti-poverty initiative in one area of the state, that supporters have said will be the West Side of Charleston.
The bill (HB2724), introduced on behalf of Gov. Jim Justice, directs the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority affairs to establish a "community-based pilot demonstration project, for the duration of four years, to develop a model to promote public health through comprehensive community development in communities across West Virginia."
The Senate unanimously approved the bill Friday afternoon, after the House approved it by an 88-8 vote on March 25. The bill now goes to the governor for his signature.
Bill White, executive director of the office, has said he wants the pilot project to be on Charleston's West Side.
The pilot project would operate out of "a centrally located building owned by a local nonprofit organization to coordinate services for members of the community" and be "overseen by a collaborative of local nonprofit organizations" who would "leverage existing resources." Its objective would be "to create a template to address poverty, substance abuse and other social determinants of health; to improve community and populations' health; to improve labor force participation; and to support economic development through comprehensive community development in rural, suburban and urban communities across West Virginia."
The Rev. Matthew Watts said that the bill is a result of three years of work by the West Virginia State Conference of NAACP Branches, the local NAACP and the Tuesday Morning Group, as well as several early supporters in the community and Legislature.
"It really kind of shows what can happen when just everyday common citizens choose to get involved and really try to influence the political process," Watts said.
The minority affairs office already is charged with reviewing research on policies that disproportionately affect minority populations, applying for and awarding grants, and making recommendations to the governor and Legislature.
White has said that numerous agencies already are working on anti-poverty initiatives on the West Side, and that his office would encourage collaboration.
Supporters are not asking for more funding for the office. Its budget currently is about $150,000, but it also has the ability to raise money. Besides White, the office has one other employee.
The bill is based on a 2015 bill that previously passed both legislative bodies but was vetoed by former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. In his veto letter, Tomblin said the agency "lacks sufficient financial resources, human resources and time to devote itself to the considerable local undertaking outlined in this bill." Tomblin also said the bill's "focus on minority issues should not be local; it should be general and statewide." The office had a different director at the time.
"We are cautiously excited," Watts said. "We'll be a little more pleased when the governor's signature actually gets on the bill."
Rick Martin, president of the chapter and a member of the Tuesday Morning Group, thanked the Legislature and governor.
"I'm excited about the opportunities this legislation provides to develop a template to address poverty, substance abuse and other social determinants of health affecting many of our communities across WV," he said. "I'm further excited about the West Side of Charleston being identified as the initial target area."
According to a preliminary Marshall University report prepared by The Center for Community Growth and Development in the College of Business, about 77 percent of West Side residents had a high school degree in 2014, compared to 90.1 percent in Charleston as a whole. The median income of the West Side was $25,825, compared to $47,582 in all of Charleston. About 32 percent of West Side families lived below the poverty level. Black people make up 22.7 percent of the West Side population, compared to 8.1 percent in all of Charleston, according to the report, provided by Watts.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.