Day shelter could help solve the vagrancy problem in Beckley, Council member says

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Beckley mayor Ryan Neal and other newly installed city officials said on Monday, July 1, 2024, that addressing a vagrancy problem in downtown Beckley is a priority for city officials.

Beckley Common Council Ward 1 representative Natalie Coots, who is one of four newly-elected members of Council, said part of the solution could be establishing a “day shelter” in Beckley for those who have insecure housing.

A growing number of people carrying bags are visible in downtown Beckley, which reportedly deters some from visiting businesses there.

Coots said officials in other cities, including Huntington, have set up day shelters which provides people with lockers for storing personal items and other services.

“They’ve given them a place to be during the day,” she said. “They’ve given them food. They are able to get documents replaced, like birth certificates, ID cards, things like that, and they also require them to look for work.”

Some homeless people in Beckley have stated they are unable to sleep at night, because they are afraid of predators.

Coots and others have said tent encampments are now established in wooded outskirts of the city.

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