3 days ago
Morgantown announces alternative sentencing program for camping ban
A homeless camping ban will go into effect in Morgantown, on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Voters rejected repealing the camping ban ordinance in April. (Getty Images)
As an ordinance aimed at prohibiting homeless people from sleeping on public property goes into effect in Morgantown, the city announced Tuesday an alternative sentencing program for enforcing the camping ban.
Morgantown's camping ban goes into effect Thursday, 30 days after the city's residents voted 986 to 905 against repealing the ordinance during its election April 29.
According to a news release Tuesday from the city, beginning June 4, the city is launching the sentencing program with Valley Healthcare Systems, a provider of mental health, substance use treatment, housing services and case management.
Valley Healthcare Systems will be contracted through the city to 'conduct assessments and guide individuals toward support systems that address housing instability and offer recovery options,' the city said in a news release.
The organization will help define the requirements of completing the alternative sentencing program under the ordinance, the city said.
'City staff and administration are committed to enforcing all local provisions, laws, and ordinances with fairness and objectivity,' Brad Riffe, the city's public relations and communications director, said in the news release. 'Our responsibility is to apply these regulations as written, ensuring accountability while always acting in the best interest of the entire community. We will always strive to balance compliance with compassion and any strategy we follow will reflect a model that offers consideration to all citizens.'
The alternative sentencing program will be similar to the West Virginia Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, a diversion program for low-level offenses that are often related to substance use or mental health issues that allows offenders to get treatment or recovery services, the news release said.
'We're proud to partner with the City of Morgantown to help develop meaningful alternatives for individuals cited under the new ordinance or anyone for that matter,' Steve Bennett, director of the LEAD program and crisis services for Valley HealthCare Systems, said in the news release. 'By connecting people to housing, treatment, and long-term support, especially those struggling with substance use disorders, we can reduce repeated offenses, improve public safety, and offer individuals a real path toward stability and recovery.'
Bennett did not immediately return an email seeking more information.
According to the ordinance, people who violate the ban are first given a warning and information about shelter, second violations are subject to up to a $200 fine, and a third violation within 12 months may result in a fine of up to $500 or 30 days in jail along with information about available shelter and alternative sentencing options.
Morgantown City Council originally passed the ordinance in September. The Morgantown Coalition for Housing Action successfully petitioned the city council to reconsider the ordinance by repealing it or putting it on the ballot for voters to decide. Council members chose the latter, and city voters upheld the ban.
Proponents of the law have said homeless people sleeping in public areas is a health and safety issue.
Opponents of the ordinance have pointed out that the city does not have enough emergency housing beds for the 100 homeless people that were counted in Monongalia County during the 2024 point in time count, and that the camping ban does not address the cause of homelessness.
Morgantown is one of dozens of cities around the country that have implemented camping bans after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a similar ban in Grants Pass, Oregon last summer.
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