CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston Mayor Amy Schuler Goodwin is reassuring the public that a recent spike in homelessness is “not the new normal.”
During a Monday appearance on “580 Live” heard on MetroNews affiliate 580-WCHS, the mayor said while the problem has been frustrating, she’s committed to removing encampments from the street and helping the people staying in them find permanent housing.
“It’s not that we’ve lost our compassion. We’ve lost our patience,” Goodwin said. “I’ve lost my patience as well. There is a right way and a wrong way to do something and I think we’re doing it the right way.”
The renewed push comes a month after the Charleston Police Department posted notice signs at two areas where people have been living for months: under the Virginia Street bridge over the Elk River and behind the Kanawha City AutoZone location.
Laws require a 14 day notice be given if a person has been living on public property for more than 30 days. Officers are able to give a 48 hour notice if someone has lived in an area for seven to 30 days. If a homeless person is on private property, he or she can be removed immediately.
When police approach homeless individuals, they always bring social workers to connect them with social services.
“It’s more than just someone being unsheltered,” Goodwin said. “It’s drug addition, mental illness, depression. As we begin to address the monumental problem, it does take time.”
Goodwin said a number of organizations in addition to their Coordinated Addiction Response Effort (CARE) office are working to get people into drug recovery.
“It’s not just the city,” she said. “We have the Kanawha Valley Collective, the Covenant House, the United Way, Mountain Mission, Manna Meal. We have lots of agencies are focused on this.”