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Valley Health Systems and the City of Huntington hosted an informational meeting Monday morning to give community members and faith leaders a look into the facility ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œat ground zeroÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� and offer them the opportunity to participate or share ideas, said Dr. Matthew Christiansen, vice president of health affairs and chief medical officer of Valley Health.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe know that this takes an entire community,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Christiansen said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a problem thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not specific to one organization, one neighborhood or one city even ... unless we join hands and really work together. ThatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s really how we fix the problem.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Christiansen said itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s important to Valley Health that the faith community and other organizations are involved.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œFaith is really about hope,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Christiansen said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s really what we want to inspire here ... that there is hope for a better future and a better life, not only for the people that weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re trying to serve but also for particular areas of Huntington that might have been downtrodden in the past or areas or for a city at large that, you know, that this can be a stepping off point for bigger and better things.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

How faith leaders will contribute is not completely thought out, he said. The first step is getting them involved; the next steps will be to see where the groups fit in best. Mostly, Christiansen said Valley Health wants people to participate and be involved.

Rory Chapman, executive director of FaithHealth Appalachia and a pastor at Redemption Church in Huntington, said he often ministers to people experiencing homelessness around the summer and winter months. The location of the church, two blocks away from the Huntington City Mission, often brings in unsheltered people when the MissionÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s low-barrier shelter closes for the night. Chapman said they are happy to have them, and provide coffee or heat as well as the option to sit in a service if they want.

The church is happy to help The HubÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s clients in anyway that it can, he said.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt will definitely enable us to more strategically minister than someone just showing up at our doorstep,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Chapman said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe can come to them.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Chapman said having the faith-based community involved in The Hub is vital to educate the advocates.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œPeople want the faith communities on their side,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Chapman said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThey want the faith communities to be able to speak positively because in a lot of neighborhoods, especially in Huntington, the faith communities are sort of the voices for the community in a lot of ways.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Chapman said historically, most social services such as hospitals, orphanages or food pantries trace their history back to a church or a group of churches. In Cabell County there are 13 food pantries, 11 of which are in faith communities, he said.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s our nature; itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s what we do,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Chapman said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe are commanded by Jesus to serve the court, to help the needy, so thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s why we do what we do. YouÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got people who advocate for you who are the voices of the neighborhood and secondly who are going to help meet these needs beyond just what the health care partners and everything can do.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

The Hub is a partnership between the city, Valley Health, the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, Prestera Health Services, Harmony House and Marshall Health Network.

The Hub will provide wraparound services for people experiencing homelessness and address their social determinants of health. The Hub will meet people where they are while also addressing their housing needs and or address their substance use needs, said Christiansen.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe goal of this program is really to put itself out of business in the sense of we want to reduce the number of unhoused people as rapidly and as effectively as possible,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Christiansen said.

Oftentimes housing is the first step of creating some stability in someoneÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s life, he said.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œPeople are in these circumstances because of really hard things that theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve had to endure, whether itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s addiction, whether itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s mental health issues, whether itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s domestic violence, and so we know that we have to address those things at their core in order to get them housed and get them into a more sustainable self directing life,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Christiansen said.

A longtime Huntington resident, Mayor Patrick Farrell said heÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s seen people experiencing homelessness suffer on the streets. Coming in as mayor this year, he got advice and education from homeless services professionals and health professionals in how to find solutions.

Farrell said he recognized all the good work from Huntington organizations but noticed they worked in silos. He pointed to places that have effective solutions to homelessness across the country bring their resources together.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe need all stakeholders coming to the table,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Farrell said after the meeting. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHealth care and faith leaders are all part of that solution.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Farrell said the cityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s role in the project is being the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œchief convener.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Lisa Zappia, CEO of Prestera, said the organization is happy to partner with the city and others on The Hub.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI strongly believe in partnerships,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Zappia said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI think that when we put everybody together that are willing to come in and provide services for folks, it takes all of us. This is a complex issue, and when weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re talking about complex needs, it means that it takes a lot of partners to work with those complex needs.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Prestera does integrative health, physical health and behavioral and mental health services, she said. It has programs to help people get housed and stay housed.

Zappia said some people have barriers to being housed because of mental health issues or addiction issues, which oftentimes play off each other and need to be addressed at the same time. She said Prestera is prepared to provide the services needed for The Hub.

The Hub is still on track to be operating by winter.