West Virginia

  • State Data Overview

    Across West Virginia, there is a shortage of rental homes affordable and available to extremely low income households (ELI), whose incomes are at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income (AMI). Many of these households are severely cost burdened, spending more than half of their income on housing. Severely cost burdened poor households are more likely than other renters to sacrifice other necessities like healthy food and healthcare to pay the rent, and to experience unstable housing situations like evictions.

    K
    e
    y
    F
    a
    c
    t
    s
    63,660
    Or
    34%
    Renter households that are extremely low income
    -30,069
    Shortage of rental homes affordable and available for extremely low income renters
    $27,750
    Average income limit for 4-person extremely low income household
    $38,405
    Annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD's Fair Market Rent.
    66%
    Percent of extremely low income renter households with severe cost burden
  • State Level Partners

    NLIHC Housing Advocacy Organizer

    Billy Cerullo

    202.662.1530 x219 | [email protected]

    State Partners

    West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness

    P.O. Box 4697

    Bridgeport, WV 26330

    P 304-842-9522

    www.wvceh.org

    Zach Brown, Executive Director

    [email protected]

    Lauren Frederick, Policy Development Officer

    [email protected]

    Paige Looney, Housing Policy Specialist

    [email protected]

    Become an NLIHC State Partner

    NLIHC’s affiliation with our state coalition partners is central to our advocacy efforts. Although our partners' involvement varies, they are all housing and homeless advocacy organizations engaged at the state and federal level. Many are traditional coalitions with a range of members; others are local organizations that serve more informally as NLIHC's point of contact.

    Inquire about becoming a state partner by contacting [email protected]

    Become a Member
  • Housing Trust Fund
    HTF Implementation Information

    NLIHC continues working with leaders in each state and the District of Columbia who will mobilize advocates in support of HTF allocation plans that benefit ELI renters to the greatest extent possible. Please contact the point person coordinating with NLIHC in your state (below) to find out about the public participation process and how you can be involved. Email Gabby Ross with any questions.

    NHTF logo
    Current Year HTF Allocation
    NLIHC Point Person for HTF Advocacy

    Zach Brown

    Executive Director

    West Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness

    304-842-9522

    [email protected]

    State Designated Entity:

    Erica L. Boggess

    Executive Director

    West Virginia Housing Development Fund

    304-391-8637

    [email protected]

    Official Directly Involved with HTF Implementation:

    Cathy Colby

    Senior Manager, HOME & HTF Programs

    304-391-8663

    [email protected]


    State Entity Webpage

    West Virginia Housing Development Fund


    NHTF-specific page

    National Housing Trust Fund Program

    HTF Fund Commitments

  • Resources
    Resources

    Housing Profiles

    State Housing Profile

    State Housing Profile: West Virginia (PDF) (JPG)

    Congressional District Housing Profile

    Congressional District Profile: West Virginia (PDF)

    Research and Data

    National Housing Preservation Database

    The National Housing Preservation Database is an address-level inventory of federally assisted rental housing in the United States.

    Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing

    Out of Reach documents the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing. In West Virginia and Nationwide

    The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes

    The Gap represents data on the affordable housing supply and housing cost burdens at the national, state, and metropolitan levels. In West Virginia and Nationwide

  • Take Action
    Urge Congress to Enact Historic Housing Investments!
    Urge Congress to Pass a Budget with Increased Investments in Affordable Homes
  • COVID-19 Resources
    COVID-19 Resources

    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.

    Charleston

    A Charleston-based resource center for homeless individuals reported a 25% increase in their caseload since March, with many individuals and families facing homelessness for the first time. 

    June 5

    Updated: July 16

    COVID-19 Resources Other

    National Media

    What to Know About Housing and Rent During the COVID-19 Emergency? https://tinyurl.com/y74ox85d

    Arbor Realty Trust launched an innovative $2 million rental assistance program to help thousands of tenants and families significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Arbor is contributing $1 million to the program and participating borrowers will match Arbor's advances to its tenants in need to help fill the rent gap during the hard-hit months of May and June. Together, the partnership program will provide $2 million in relief. https://tinyurl.com/y9r6x9vb