New Vision Village building homes for young men aging out of foster care

PHILIPPI, W.Va. (WBOY) — New Vision Village has begun phase one of its project to build 24 tiny homes for young men aging out of the foster care system. Now it needs volunteers.

The tiny homes will provide housing for young men aging out of foster care while also providing a sense of community care and support. Officials said they need volunteers to help with construction, framing, painting, siding, roofing and building walls and trusses.

Director of New Vision Village Ruston Seaman hopes the project will help to ease one of America’s biggest issues.

“Homelessness in our nation is a big problem. People want to know, where do homeless people come from? 70 percent of the homeless people in one of the villages like this I met in Missouri had been in the foster care system. When they age out now, they’ve lost their family and they’re kind of on their own,” Seaman said.

“So, 18 to 25 is that critical window when if you can get stable, get a job, start your life working, you’ll do better. But if that period of time if you struggle, you might get arrested, get addicted, you might get all kinds of bad things. Then our society pays for generations.”

New Vision Village has secured funds for materials for the project from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and MVB bank of Morgantown.

The volunteers and staff of New Vision are looking into all options to let as many people of all ages contribute to the development of the New Vision Village project . Staff stated that food and materials are provided and if you have questions about the project or want to volunteer, you can call New Vision at 304-669-2191.

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