Wheeling council approves opioid-settlement funding for temporary shelter with progress benchmarks

Wheeling

Wheeling City Council voted unanimously to authorize a portion of West Virginia opioid-settlement funds to assist the Life Hub and the Salvation Army in providing temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness, approving an amendment that requires accountability benchmarks and phased payments.

The measure, read into the record as an ordinance to allocate opioid-settlement funds for temporary housing, was amended on the floor to allocate $75,000 to the providers, to be disbursed in three $25,000 checks contingent on documented progress. Council members asked for proof that residents placed at the facilities had begun the process of obtaining identification documents and housing applications before subsequent disbursements.

City Manager Mister Harrim told the council the exemption area (the camp) is scheduled to close on Dec. 1, a deadline that framed the timing of the council's decision. Council members raised concerns about ensuring the money drives housing outcomes rather than simply extending shelter operations.

Lisa Leach, shelter director at the Life Hub, told the council the shelter enrolls every incoming person in the HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) with a waiver and maintains files documenting housing applications. "We are a nighttime emergency shelter. We are not a permanent shelter," Leach said. "We are all about getting people into housing and making things better for them." She described MOUs for obtaining birth certificates, staff transportation to Social Security offices, and a partnership with behavioral health providers for clinical needs.

Council debate centered on measurable benchmarks. One council member proposed disbursing the $75,000 in three installments tied to progress reports; vice mayor Klevinakis moved the amendment and Councilor Forngate seconded. The amendment passed by voice vote. The council then voted to approve the amended ordinance; the clerk recorded the vote as unanimous.

The ordinance as amended requires periodic reports from the Life Hub demonstrating the benchmarks the council discussed, including documentation that a specified share of residents have begun applications for IDs and housing vouchers. Council members said they would withhold later payments if the Life Hub's reporting did not show progress.

The council also heard operational detail from Leach: the Life Hub has 51 beds (37 male beds, 10 female beds and 4 specialty beds), reported daily bed availability, and said it had served roughly 650 different individuals since opening in the reporting period. Leach cautioned the council that the facility had a six-month facilities-use agreement with the Salvation Army and that the opioid funds were intended to help cover part of operating costs, including rent, utilities and insurance.

The measure concludes with the council directing staff to finalize the agreement language and to disburse funds according to the amendment's conditions; the council did not set a longer-term funding commitment in this vote.

What's next: Staff will prepare the funding agreement and a reporting schedule that the Life Hub must meet for each tranche; the ordinance takes effect as approved and the city will issue payments when the Life Hub provides the required documentation.