CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
West Virginia National Guard’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, issues the following update on RISE West Virginia's case management status:
Work continues through the cold temperatures on the two stick-built home reconstruction projects underway through the RISE West Virginia program.
Crews with Appalachia Service Project (ASP) completed hanging drywall this week inside one of those homes, which is being built in Nicholas County. Once weather conditions improve, these crews will work to install a new septic system on the property in preparation for the final inspection process.
Another stick-built reconstruction project in Kanawha County also continued, as crews with ASP finished hanging vinyl siding and completed the interior framing of the new home being built in Charleston. When weather conditions improve on this site, crews will work to install plumbing, electrical wiring, and an HVAC system before moving on to install drywall.
With the federal government back open and operating at full capacity, we are once again able to draw down all funds allocated to the RISE WV program. This week, officials from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) advised program officials that, at this time, they anticipate that all obligated funds through the CDBG-DR grant will continue to be available throughout any potential future shutdowns.
The number of completed cases remains at 44 this week, while the number of outstanding homeowner cases remains at 405. A breakdown of the nature of those cases is as follows: 170 cases require total reconstruction, 153 cases require some form of rehabilitation, and 82 cases require new mobile home unit replacement.
WV VOAD's case management team has started the process of contacting all rental property owners who have applied for assistance through the RISE WV program to begin the documentation process for these projects. We anticipate being able to contact all rental applicants with active cases within the next several weeks.
WV VOAD's team also continues to connect with all homeowners in the RISE WV program, as case managers placed 262 calls to clients this week, with an additional 50 calls per day, on average, coming into the office.
We remain active in the process of identifying families who are living in the worst conditions. We encourage our partners in the media and general public to let us know if they identify people who are in severe need of assistance so we may follow up and help prioritize cases.
Any families who feel they still have any unmet needs or who are looking for an update on their case are urged to contact the new VOAD office over the phone at 304-553-0927 or through email at DisasterRecovery@wv.gov. A hotline is also available for anyone needing to report fraud with regard to the RISE West Virginia program at 1-866-WVWATCH (1-866-989-2824).