Clay and Calhoun counties are represented by one of West Virginia’s most powerful lawmakers. They’re still struggling

John Bigger, of Chloe, said there’s one major attraction in Calhoun County – the park that draws stargazers from all over.

But Bigger, who works on pipelines, has to leave the county to go to surrounding states for work.

“We have one of the best stargazing places in the country because there’s no outside light sources around here,” he said. “Because there’s nothing here.”

Their area may be a tourist destination. But residents in Calhoun County and neighboring Clay frequently have to leave for work. Others can’t get to addiction treatment or homeless shelters in surrounding counties because they lack transportation.

Bigger is in awe of all the entertainment and activities for younger people in the lit-up areas he travels to for work. But in his area, he sees people getting caught up in petty crime instead.

“We’re a product of our environment,” he said. “People do stuff around here because it’s just about all there is to do – get in trouble.”

Residents in Calhoun and Clay counties, which are part of the West Virginia Legislature’s House District 62, said their communities lack major employers and good-paying jobs. Representatives of agencies that help people in poverty also said they have trouble meeting the area’s needs.

There are a good number of small businesses in both counties, places like florists and repair shops, and there are also chain stores like pharmacies and gas stations that advertise that they’re hiring. But these are mainly in county seats, and some closed after flooding last August that rose over three feet high and damaged homes and businesses.

Some small business owners said Del. Roger Hanshaw, who represents the area, is a regular patron.

As the Speaker of the House of Delegates, Hanshaw holds a powerful position he can use to help his neighbors.

“It’s about JOBS,” his campaign Facebook proclaims .

But Clay County remains one of 11 counties in the state where about one in five people have lived in poverty for three decades or longer.

A spokesperson for Hanshaw said he was not available for an interview or to respond to written questions because of work travel. On a campaign website , he lists his focus areas as gun rights, fighting for unborn children, preserving extraction industry jobs and economic growth and diversification.

His goals include providing “an environment for infrastructure, broadband and transportation.”

“As a conservative Republican, I know that West Virginia’s future is best served with strong conservative policies,” the website states. “In the legislature, I work every day to make sure my children’s future is in good hands.”

Laura McGinnis, who is running against Hanshaw in the Republican primary after an unsuccessful run against him in 2022, said she and her husband have to share a vehicle. Like many in their community, he travels to Charleston for work. She sells greeting cards and cares for their horse, pony and donkey.

In an interview, McGinnis said she would work to reduce government overreach – citing COVID-19 regulations as an example – to bring more jobs and business to the area.

“I’m not a knight in shining armor with fancy plans,” she said. “I’m just a girl, who wants to be the difference that my neighbors, family, and I want to see.”

Another Republican running to represent the district, Justin Bordas, was charged with fleeing and assaulting a police officer in March. He didn’t respond to requests for comment. A circuit court clerk said he had not yet pleaded guilty or not guilty and the case has not yet gone before a circuit judge.

At a recent community drug take-back day in Grantsville, the county seat of Calhoun County, people brought unused prescription medications, such as painkillers, that are sometimes used by people with substance use disorder.

In front of the courthouse and along the town’s main drag, health care providers and representatives of social service agencies set up booths.

About one in five people in Calhoun County live in poverty, defined as a family of four making less than about $30,000, according to the U.S. Census. Social service agency leaders at drug take-back day see first-hand that many of their neighbors are financially struggling, and that much of the problem is related to the addiction epidemic.

There is some help. Calhoun County’s Family Support Center offers addiction recovery support groups. Four HUD rentals are located above the main office, but other low-income apartments in the area have long waiting lists.

Tina Persinger, the center’s director, said they provide food to people who lack enough money to purchase their own. They offer an on-site food pantry, and they also deliver for people who aren’t within walking distance.

She said many of her clients have lost hope. They self-medicate by turning to drugs.

Persinger said addiction treatment and recovery services are also lacking in the area.

On Thursdays, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Parkersburg sends a bus to set up behind the courthouse, where a recovery specialist offers mental health visits via telehealth and provides naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.

But there are no long-term recovery programs where people with substance use disorder learn to live sober lives.

An advocate for victims of domestic violence, Lori Fleagle, was there too. But her agency’s main office is an hour away in Parkersburg.

Most of the help for the low-income that does exist is in Grantsville, the county seat. There is some public transportation, but not to the far reaches of the county or outside the county.

Persinger said that when people are ready to enter a recovery residence, they need that help now. If they can’t get a ride, they might change their mind.

About an hour south of Grantsville, but still another 45 minutes from Charleston, Kathy Taylor owns a used furniture store in Clay. After the 2016 flood, people lost much of their furniture. She opened the used furniture store to help.

She said many of her customers rely on about $900 per month in disability benefits.

As she worked last week, selling furniture, as well as knick-knacks, used clothes and floral wall-hangings, an older woman with dementia stopped to socialize with Taylor. She said older, lonely people stop in to chat frequently.

She also co-owns a business that provides in-home help to seniors. But she’s having trouble finding the 25 more in-home workers she wants to hire. About one in five people over 65 in Clay County have disabilities that make it harder to live independently.

Many times, workers confide to her that they’re better off using state benefits like Medicaid and food stamps than working.

That’s even though she offers gas money, raises and bonuses.

Often, that’s because they are single and they can’t pay for child care. And as a former single mom herself, she doesn’t fault them for that.

Hanshaw said at the beginning of the recent legislative session that alleviating child care costs would be a priority, but lawmakers didn’t pass any bills to make child care more affordable. Hanshaw recently said through a spokesperson that he is “not prepared yet to commit to how much and how the state will allocate child care funding in the future.”

As a lifelong resident of Clay County who has worked in various industries over 50 years, Taylor said it’s hard to find reliable workers.

Part of that is due to addiction. She said sometimes employees’ boyfriends are addicted to drugs and don’t help with the kids.

She said that like in Grantsville, there is little help for addiction in Clay, and no public transportation to recovery residences and treatment centers in other counties.

“This town is so affected with drugs, just like everybody else’s town,” she said. “And it’s just the only hope that we have is by believing it will get better.”

Clay and Calhoun counties are represented by one of West Virginia’s most powerful lawmakers. They’re still struggling appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight , West Virginia's civic newsroom.