West Virginia

NLIHC has estimated a need for no less than $100 billion in emergency rental assistance and broke down the need and cost for each state (download Excel spreadsheet). 

In response to COVID-19 and its economic fallout, many cities and states are creating or expanding rental assistance programs to support individuals and families impacted by the pandemic, and NLIHC is tracking in-depth information on these programs.  

You can use the interactive map and searchable database to find state and local emergency rental assistance programs near you. You can also see the latest news on rental assistance programs through the state-by-state news tracker. Note that this is not a comprehensive list of all rental assistance programs as we continue to update frequently. If you are aware of a program not included in our database, please contact [email protected]. 

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

Across the country, homeless service providers are struggling to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to follow public health guidelines and help ensure people’s safety, some shelters are being forced to reduce services, restrict admittance, or close entirely. The loss of these critical resources puts people experiencing homelessness at even higher risk of illness. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of shelter closings.

Below is a list of shelters that have had to majorly alter services or completely close:

Advocates report that a domestic violence shelter in the southern part of the state closed and relocated clients.

West Virginians in need of assistance can still apply for aid through the Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program. While the emergency rental assistance funds will run out, the West Virginia Housing Development Fund is working to create a permanent system of eviction diversion and emergency assistance to support West Virginians.

Updated on May 23, 2022

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Housing Development Fund announced the launch of the Mountaineer Rental Assistance Program, which will be funded through the Treasury Department’s emergency rental assistance program.

Updated on January 15, 2021

Legal Aid of West Virginia reports seeing a dramatic increase in the number of housing cases this year compared to last year, and the Kanawha Valley Collective, an organization that seeks to prevent homelessness, has been receiving calls about eviction daily.

Updated on September 22, 2020

Advocates in West Virginia believe that COVID-19 has brought communities together to address housing instability and homelessness. The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, an NLIHC state partner, has focused on meeting the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness amid the pandemic and on the longer-term solutions that have been in place long before COVID-19.

West Virginia will be awarded $7.1 million in Emergency Solutions Grants - Coronavirus (ESG-CV) to prepare and respond to COVID-19 among individuals experiencing homelessness. The city of Huntington will also receive $559,361 in ESG-CV funds.

Updated on June 12, 2020.

The West Virginia Community Action Partnership (WVCAP) received an additional $1,118,403 from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs to spend on housing services for veterans. The funding will help WVCAP address the needs of veterans experiencing homelessness and help them to obtain permanent housing.

Across West Virginia, advocates are mobilizing to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness amid the pandemic. The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, an NLIHC state partner, has been leading efforts to ensure that shelters have the supplies needed to protect their residents and to keep people living in encampments safe. Advocates hope that the crisis will shine a light on the state’s homelessness crisis and encourage communities to pursue long-term solutions.

The West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness has partnered with the United Way of Marion and Taylor Counties to move people experiencing homelessness into homes during the pandemic.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) is considering filing a lawsuit after the City of Wheeling cleared a homeless encampment. The ACLU-WV asked the city to stop dispersing encampments and develop housing options for those who have been displaced.

Federal, state, and local eviction moratoriums are rapidly expiring and the CARES Act supplemental unemployment benefits will end soon; at that time, millions of low-income renters will be at risk of losing their homes. The NLIHC estimates at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance is needed to keep low-income renters stably housed during and after the pandemic. This tracker links to news reports of the growing evictions crisis in various cities and states. Check NLIHC's cumulative list of eviction updates.

Deadlines for non-emergency actions suspended until May 15; courts can resume in-person proceedings May 18. Eviction hearings are being conducted remotely and in person. 

Updated: July 31

In the third week of July, 1 in 5 adults in West Virginia reported they had missed their previous housing payment or had little confidence they would make their next one on time, according to a weekly survey conducted by the Census. In the same survey, 36,554renters reported they had not paid their previous rental payment.

Updated: July 29

Utility shut-offs resumed on July 1. According to a weekly survey by the Census, 29% of adults in the state either missed their last housing payment or have little/no confidence of being able to make next month’s housing payment.

Updated: July 16