The event, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, will include breakfast and lunch served to the homeless as well as distribution of coats, socks and other winter items. It has been scheduled to lead into National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which will take place from Saturday, Nov. 12, to Sunday, Nov. 20.
“We hope to educate the MU community and raise awareness about homelessness in the Huntington area,” said Matt Hayes, executive director of the association. “It’s no secret that addiction—either to drugs or alcohol—plays an important role in many of these stories. As Marshall increases its commitment to addressing the opioid crisis through an interdisciplinary effort by the schools of medicine and pharmacy, we are doing our part as well.”
Missy Clagg Browning, an employee of Marshall’s Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine who is assisting with the planning, said that volunteers are still needed Nov. 5. “As a volunteer, I’ve found that our Marshall and Huntington families want to actively participate in meeting the needs of those who are homeless and/or struggling with addiction,” she said. “ ‘Herd for the Homeless’ provides an opportunity to meet and serve these oftentimes ‘invisible’ neighbors,” she said. “The outpouring of support for this project is indicative of the community’s compassion, and the belief that as Sons and Daughters of Marshall, we are called to serve.”
In addition to Trinity Episcopal serving as host, donations have been received from WoodmenLife and Snyder’s, as well as INTO Marshall, Marshall Health, Source4, the Barboursville Rotary Club and private donations. Churches and other groups are sponsoring coat drives and collecting or donating gloves, socks and peanut butter to give away at the event.
The coats and winter items that aren’t distributed the day of the event will be divided among the event’s partnering agencies, which include the Huntington City Mission, Harmony House and Cridlin Food and Clothing Pantry. The peanut butter will be donated to stock the Facing Hunger Foodbank.
For more information and for a listing of local drop-off locations for coats and other donations, visit the event page on Facebook by searching for “Herd for the Homeless” or contact Browning via Facebook or at clagg11@marshall.edu.
Stories of Homelessness courtesy of Harmony House, one of the partners of “Herd for the Homeless”
Chuck Blake
Age: 49
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Six years ago, 49-year-old Chuck Blake thought his life was back on track. Despite a felony conviction, he started his own demolition business in Ohio. But addiction cost him everything: his business, his marriage, his home.
Blake ended up living on the banks of the Ohio River, and although he has a love of camping and the outdoors, he says it was drug addiction that made him not care about being homeless.
In 2015, Blake’s path began to change. He met a group of Harmony House clients who told him about the programs and services offered and the help he could receive. Now, more than a year later, Blake is clean, housed in the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless’s Nelson Apartments in West Huntington and working in landscaping and security for the organization.
“I’m thankful (for Harmony House),” Blake said. “I could be out there dying. I view Harmony House as a great place to help people who want to be helped.”
Fred Vaughn
Age: 37
Salt Rock, West Virginia, native Fred Vaughn started an ugly battle with alcohol addiction in his late teens, leading him to lose some very precious possessions by the time he was 26. Alcohol ruined the relationship he had with his young son’s mother and resulted in a felony conviction. But even a light sentence of probation and the day report center was taken away.
“The judge said I was not a danger to society,” the 37-year-old recalled. “He said I was a danger to myself, and he felt the Department of Corrections was the only way to do some soul searching.”
Five and a half years later, Vaughn emerged a changed man. He got married, got a job, bought a truck and moved into an apartment in Ashland. Then the truck broke down and was more than he could afford to fix. He couldn’t get to work in time taking the bus from Ashland to Barboursville, so he lost his job, and the apartment wasn’t far behind.
He and his wife stayed at the City Mission, where the tracking card led him to Harmony House, where he met Marissa Clark with Rapid Rehousing/Green Team and Beth Smith with Jobs First. Vaughn was hired to work for Green Team – the downtown Huntington beautification team managed by the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless for individuals looking to build work experience.
Eight weeks later, Vaughn was housed and ready to transition from Green Team to a full-time restaurant job in Huntington.
“Being a part of Green Team, keeping (plants) alive, it was keeping me alive,” Vaughn said of the six-month watering program. “That’s Harmony House, my water, keeping me alive.”
Sarah Watson
Age: 35
Sarah Watson can be found at Harmony House three days a week in the donation room. But she’s not there to get clothing items. She helps operate the room.
“When I was homeless, someone was in the donation room to give me clothes,” the 35-year-old Huntington native said. “It’s important to give back for the next person who needs clothes.”
Watson blames her homelessness – off and on for about three years – on addiction. She said drinking became more of a priority than having a place to live, and more important than being a mom. Watson has two children, 14 and 10, whom she hasn’t seen for more than two years. It’s a sensitive subject for her to talk about, but she doesn’t shy away from telling her story because it’s all too common in Huntington and for those experiencing homelessness.
“We’re not bad people trying to be good,” he said. “We’re sick people trying to get well. And I was sick.”
She said Harmony House and its staff played a critical role in her seeking recovery help and in her getting housed earlier this year.
“This is the first place I came to when I was ready for help,” she said. “Rapid Rehousing helped me get into my apartment and they went above and beyond for me.”
Watson remains focused on being successful every single day, living for God and trying to help people. But one upcoming date is important for her – Nov. 29. It will be her one-year sobriety anniversary.