The Rev. Matthew Watts' vision of clearinghouse for trouble West Side youth, and their families, moved a lot closer toward reality Wednesday after Charleston Urban Renewal Authority Board members provided a $201,001 grant.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Rev. Matthew Watts' vision of a clearinghouse for troubled West Side youth and their families moved a lot closer toward reality Wednesday after Charleston Urban Renewal Authority board members provided more than $200,000 for the project.
Watts, director of the Hope Community Development Corp., asked CURA members for money to rehabilitate a former warehouse at 1039 Central Ave., two doors down from Copley's Garage. A preacher on Sundays, Watts tapped his oratorical skills to turn skeptical board members into believers.
The 9,500-square-foot building will serve several functions, Watts said: a day center for youths referred by judges in a new program of the state Division of Juvenile Services, an alternative education center for kids suspended from school, with teachers from Kanawha County schools; a work force development center offering classes in computer skills and building and construction trades, a homeownership initiative center and a community recreation/fitness center.
Wednesday, Aug. 13, - The Rev. Matthew Watts, director of the Hope Community Development Corp., hopes to transform this former warehouse on Central Avenue into the Hope Youth Development Center by the end of the year.
The building was acquired through a $270,000 gift from the previous owner and a $90,000 loan from the state Housing Development Fund - enough to pay off the old loan, Watts said. The former owner is also donating a parking lot across the street, and the owners of an adjacent lot are giving their property as additional parking space, he said.
CURA member Dallas Staples moved to approve the grant request. But instead of seconding the motion, other members had questions. What kind of training will you offer? Who else have you asked for funding? How is this different from the Schoenbaum Center?
"The difference is philosophy," Watts said. "Ours is an integrated system. They run programs. We look at it holistically. We try to hold people accountable for what they do.
"We believe the future of Charleston is on the West Side. It's a problem area, but we also see the potential. We think it can be a model community."
The Rev. Mel Hoover offered his support. "I know this is the kind of program that can turn a community around," he said. "It's the kind of program that has the trust of kids. You take gang members and make them construction managers.
"I don't think people here realize the amount of good work that is being done. This is much more than just a building. We're committed to turning the West Side around. If we can't have a safe West Side, we're not going to draw people here [to Charleston]. You're at the center of it. You have the opportunity to make something happen."
CURA members ended up approving the $201,004 grant unanimously.
Later, at the Central Avenue building, Watts said the project he calls the Hope Youth Development Center provides the rare opportunity, "For a grass-roots organization to develop the model to actually change the community.
"We don't think we're the solution. We're a tool. The parents need to fix the problem."
He thanked CURA members for their support. "Today was a monumental meeting, because of what happened in that meeting. They saw the potential and legitimized what we're doing."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Rev. Matthew Watts' vision of a clearinghouse for troubled West Side youth and their families moved a lot closer toward reality Wednesday after Charleston Urban Renewal Authority board members provided more than $200,000 for the project.
Watts, director of the Hope Community Development Corp., asked CURA members for money to rehabilitate a former warehouse at 1039 Central Ave., two doors down from Copley's Garage. A preacher on Sundays, Watts tapped his oratorical skills to turn skeptical board members into believers.
The 9,500-square-foot building will serve several functions, Watts said: a day center for youths referred by judges in a new program of the state Division of Juvenile Services, an alternative education center for kids suspended from school, with teachers from Kanawha County schools; a work force development center offering classes in computer skills and building and construction trades, a homeownership initiative center and a community recreation/fitness center.
The building was acquired through a $270,000 gift from the previous owner and a $90,000 loan from the state Housing Development Fund - enough to pay off the old loan, Watts said. The former owner is also donating a parking lot across the street, and the owners of an adjacent lot are giving their property as additional parking space, he said.
CURA member Dallas Staples moved to approve the grant request. But instead of seconding the motion, other members had questions. What kind of training will you offer? Who else have you asked for funding? How is this different from the Schoenbaum Center?
"The difference is philosophy," Watts said. "Ours is an integrated system. They run programs. We look at it holistically. We try to hold people accountable for what they do.
"We believe the future of Charleston is on the West Side. It's a problem area, but we also see the potential. We think it can be a model community."
The Rev. Mel Hoover offered his support. "I know this is the kind of program that can turn a community around," he said. "It's the kind of program that has the trust of kids. You take gang members and make them construction managers.
"I don't think people here realize the amount of good work that is being done. This is much more than just a building. We're committed to turning the West Side around. If we can't have a safe West Side, we're not going to draw people here [to Charleston]. You're at the center of it. You have the opportunity to make something happen."
CURA members ended up approving the $201,004 grant unanimously.
Later, at the Central Avenue building, Watts said the project he calls the Hope Youth Development Center provides the rare opportunity, "For a grass-roots organization to develop the model to actually change the community.
"We don't think we're the solution. We're a tool. The parents need to fix the problem."
He thanked CURA members for their support. "Today was a monumental meeting, because of what happened in that meeting. They saw the potential and legitimized what we're doing."
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