Council reopens push for permanent shelter and medical-respite options amid capacity losses

MORGANTOWN — Councilors debated options for a permanent, year-round shelter and permanent supportive housing as local capacity has declined and the city faces uncertainty about warming-shelter sites and funding.

Members said a permanent full-time shelter should be tied to meaningful exits into housing and not treated as a long-term placement. One councilor said the city's recent camping ban emphasizes where people cannot sleep without providing an alternative. Council noted the loss of about 30 beds at West Run and said current shelter capacity appears to be in the mid-forties, while point-in-time counts vary.

The council discussed medical-respite as a promising model and a potential partnership area with hospital systems; medical respite would offer short-term care after hospital discharge to prevent adverse outcomes. A councilor recalled a prior task force (2010) and urged revisiting its playbook: "The success of this entire plan rests upon the creation of a central organization," a councilor said, summarizing the prior plan’s central recommendation.

Members emphasized that coordination is the central challenge: past task forces and case-conferencing efforts reduced homelessness when staffed and funded, but participation and dedicated staff have since dwindled. Councilors urged re-circulating the old plan and considering a staffed central coordinator, regional funding opportunities (including ARC), and partnerships with nonprofits and hospitals to build sustainable capacity.