The West Virginia Community Development Hub (The Hub) is excited to announce that it will serve as the host organization for the Southern West Virginia Community Network as a part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Partners Network (RPN). The Hub will convene partners across twelve counties in West Virginia to address infrastructure, economic, workforce, and housing development in rural communities with support and guidance from the USDA.
The Southern West Virginia Community Network has been selected as one of 22 rural regions nationwide to take part in the network. RPN is an all-of-government program that partners with rural communities to help them access resources and funding to create local jobs, build infrastructure, and support long-term economic stability on their own terms. As an RPN Community Network, the regional network will receive on-the-ground, full-time support from federal staff assigned to provide technical assistance tailored to the communities’ unique needs and priorities. These staff members will be people who live and work in the rural communities they serve, allowing them to develop partnerships with local leaders to promote growth and prosperity for rural families and local communities.
A list of committed local partners includes:
- Region 1 Planning and Development Council
- Region 2 Planning and Development Council
- Region 4 Planning and Development Council
- Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
- Mingo County Redevelopment Authority
- New River Gorge Regional Development Authority
- Wyoming County Economic Development Authority
- Logan County Economic Development Authority
- Bluefield Economic Development Authority
- Coalfield Development
- Alliance for Economic Development for Southern West Virginia
- City of Gilbert
- Williamson Board of Parks and Recreation
- Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation
- Alliance for Economic Development for Southern West Virginia
- Williamson Housing Authority
- West Virginia State University
Additional partners will be invited to join the Southern West Virginia network as our work with the RPN takes shape.
“I am excited for such a strong group of experts to have the resources and support needed to navigate federal programs, to identify community lead initiatives, and to drive further investment into West Virginia Communities,” says Stephanie Tyree, Executive Director of the WV Community Development Hub. “With this support and the dedication of our network members, we will continue to build resources and partnerships to benefit rural communities in practical ways.”
Additionally, RPN includes an all-of-government strategy supported by more than 20 federal agencies and commissions, working closely together with each other, rural communities, and existing programs and policies. The Rural Prosperity Council, co-led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and USDA, advises the RPN program and escalates information learned through the program for policy consideration at the national level. A team of Rural Desk Officers representing each participating federal entity supports the RPN program and the selected Community Networks.
RPN was launched in April 2022 in partnership with 14 rural and Tribal community networks in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico. With the current announcement, RPN is expanding to community networks in Alaska, Nevada, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Additional community networks are expected to be added in 2023.
The Hub is excited and eager to partner with organizations from across Mingo, Wayne, Lincoln, Boone, Logan, Wyoming, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, and Fayette counties to ensure that rural communities have every opportunity to succeed. These partners are critical to advancing projects within their communities that make our rural places wonderful places to live and work.
We can’t wait to see the amazing work that is going to happen in these communities during the program. For more information about the Southern WV Community Network, or if you are interested in joining, contact Stephanie Tyree: s.tyree@wvhub.org