Nearly 50 community members and faith-based leaders gathered at the future site of Huntington’s Low Barrier Shelter, known as the HUB, to explore the space and discuss ways to support the unhoused population. Valley Health is taking a leading role in the project’s construction and is working alongside mission-aligned organizations—including Marshall Health Network, Prestera, Harmony House, OVP, and the Cabell-Huntington Health Department—to create a unified system of care.
Attendees heard from Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell, Valley Health President & CEO Dr. Mathew Weimer, Dr. Sydnee McElroy of Valley Health, and Executive Director of FaithHealth Appalachia Rory Chapman.
“It’s about human dignity. It’s about the fact that every person deserves access to good health,” said Dr. Mathew Weimer. “What we do at Valley Health primarily is only a piece of getting people to good health. It’s all those basic needs and so much more, mental health… a comprehensive approach. And that comes down to human dignity and neighbors taking care of neighbors.”
Rory Chapman also noted, “The city is aching for the kind of wholeness that only comes when we will roll up our sleeves and get involved. That’s why today matters. The HUB is not just a building and it will not just have beds or meals. It’s a living breathing sign of what happens when the city refuses to let the most vulnerable be forgotten.”
Chapman urged faith leaders to get involved through clothing and food drives, and to have a presence at the HUB to help clients heal.
Renovations at the facility are currently underway, with the goal of providing overnight housing by November, as the cold weather approaches. The project’s subsequent phases will integrate clinical and wrap-around services, culminating in a comprehensive 24/7 service model alongside Harmony House.
For organizations interested in getting involved, please reach out via email to Brett Wellman at bwellman@valleyhealth.org or visit us at valleyhealth.org.