CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS) — House Bill 2434 attempts to crack down on persons who illegally live on properties, whether they are homes or businesses, often known as squatting.
The law would include more efficient enforcement mechanisms, as well as criminal and civil liability provisions that would benefit property owners.
“I think this is something we’ve seen across the country,” Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, said.
It also defines squatters as someone who occupies a dwelling or structure without a rental agreement or permission from the owner or renter. Stuart insists that the matter must be handled immediately.
“We want to address this issue here in West Virginia before it becomes a serious problem,” added the politician. “It’s a very reasonable bill.”
According to the West Virginia Department of Human Services, there will be over 1,400 homeless West Virginians in 2023. Stuart stated that he understands the gravity of the situation.
“I believe it is a commonsense bill. I am particularly sensitive to the issue of homelessness in West Virginia and around the country.
We want to make sure there’s enough support in place to enable them get a leg up so they can move forward productively and perhaps improve their situation,” he said. “The wrong answer to this is to say, ‘Hey, find an empty house, move in it, and we’ll force the owners to try to find some long-lengthy legal process to kick you out of your own home.'”
Traci Strickland works as a director for the Kanawha Valley Collective, a group dedicated to ending homelessness. Strickland stated that, while she agrees that squatting is abhorrent, the measure does not address the issue.
“It’s just a bill without a solution,” Strickland explained. “No, people shouldn’t sleep in abandoned houses, but where’s the solution side to that?”
Strickland runs homeless shelters throughout the county and says that while they do their best to accommodate everyone, additional space is needed.
“The answer here locally and in lots of places with shelters around the state isn’t just go to the shelter, because our shelters are full,” she told me. “We turned over nine beds at the shelter yesterday, which is a lot. We normally receive one or two. However, those beds were already full by previous night.”
