Police and service providers in Charles Town outline limits of enforcement and gaps in shelter services

Charles Town hosted a think-tank meeting on the city’s rising street-homelessness concerns, where police, the newly assigned police social worker and Jefferson County Community Ministries (JCCM) reviewed enforcement limits, service gaps and plans to open a permanent emergency shelter.

Misty, the Charlestown Police Department social worker, told participants she has been building partnerships with the Martinsburg Initiative and the Jefferson Berkeley Alliance but said county resources are minimal and many detox and treatment services are voluntary — “we can’t force them to go to detox unless they’re being jailed,” she said.

Why it matters: City officials and service providers described a system stretched thin. Police say many nuisance behaviors are misdemeanors that require officers to observe the act or obtain video evidence before filing charges; social-service staff say there is insufficient shelter and treatment capacity for people with substance-use and mental-health needs. The combination, they said, leaves frequent public contact but few enforceable or treatment-based pathways out of homelessness.

Keith, director of Jefferson County Community Ministries, delivered the nonprofit’s annual report and pressed the city for financial support. He said JCCM’s client visits grew from about 3,000 to roughly 6,000 per year and listed recent outcomes: 9 clients obtained permanent housing, 7 received rental-assistance payments, 38 were helped with utility-shutoff notices, 42 received help obtaining identification and 22 found employment. Keith urged the council to disperse substance-use funds the city is holding to organizations that provide services.

JCCM’s current overnight shelter holds 18 adults (and can take up to 20 in an emergency), the group said, and day-program space is limited to those enrolled in the shelter program. Casey Perdue, who oversees the 24-hour shelter operations, described daily programs — breakfast, classes and case management — for the 18 clients who can be inside during the day and noted that many more people come for food or medical services but cannot remain in the day room because of space constraints.

On construction and approvals: Keith said JCCM has contracts in place for a permanent emergency shelter at Racetrack Street, and that water-line work is under contract, but the build cannot start until the Charleston fire marshal approves plans. He estimated the shelter could be operational “before the first of the year,” but added that weather, material availability and staffing all affect timing.

Community proposals and limits: Margaret Kersey, a local church member and volunteer, proposed expanding daytime options (a coffee-shop model and a recovery resource center) and offered to pursue grants. Roxy Basel of the regional coalition suggested a larger regional drop-in center to consolidate wraparound services. Participants repeatedly flagged staffing and volunteer limits as a practical barrier: churches and nonprofits report few volunteers and insufficient funding to staff additional daytime capacity.

Enforcement and public-facing options: Police reiterated that simple presence on sidewalks or benches is often not an arrestable offense under the loitering ordinance unless accompanied by a secondary violation (public intoxication, urination, drug use, aggressive panhandling). Law enforcement recommended clearer outreach to business owners about private-property rights, trespass procedures and when to call police; one participant proposed quick fact sheets or in-house training with local merchants.

Other operational items discussed included limited restroom access downtown (some suggested reintroducing a porta-potty but raised concerns about vandalism and misuse), transportation barriers that hamper clients’ ability to take jobs, and the county’s lack of permanent supportive housing units.

The meeting ended without a formal vote. Next steps discussed included outreach to Charleston’s fire-marshal office to check plan-review status, staff follow-up on potential city funding dispersal and coordinating community training for business owners on how to report nuisances and trespassing.

Ending note: Organizers said they would continue cross-agency discussions and pursue grant funding and volunteer recruitment while awaiting regulatory approvals for the new shelter.