West Side of Charleston
COMMUNITY CASE STUDY

in the West Side of Charleston, community leaders lean on expertise from residents

Part of the West Virginia capital city, the West Side of Charleston has been a historically Black community for more than a century. During the first half of the 20th century, the West Side of Charleston was a thriving Black community.  It was in the second half of the 20th century that things started to change and the West Side of Charleston started to face its decline. To learn more about the history of the West Side community, visit 100 Days in Appalachia. 

Knowing what the West Side of Charleston once represented for Black culture and business development, current residents want to bring their community back. With a focus on what residents and visitors want to see happen, a dedicated and growing group of individuals are looking to make things better.

“I saw that we needed changes over here. The West Side is basically dying,” said Bishop Robert Haley, the founder of A More Excellent Way Life Center Church and Accelerate WV community team member. “We have people and businesses leaving the city. I grew up here on the West Side and seemed like there was so much going on when I was a kid. You have to realize that that was 50-something years ago and yet this was a thriving community.”

West Side of Charleston hosts an Accelerate WV cohort 1 group session
West Side of Charleston hosts an Accelerate WV cohort 1 group session
Members of the West Side of Charleston Accelerate WV community team engage with community members at West Side Health Fair.
Members of the West Side of Charleston Accelerate WV community team engage with community members at West Side Health Fair.

Part of the West Virginia capital city, the West Side of Charleston has been a historically Black community for more than a century. During the first half of the 20th century, the West Side of Charleston was a thriving Black community.  It was in the second half of the 20th century that things started to change and the West Side of Charleston started to face its decline.

Knowing what the West Side of Charleston once represented for Black culture and business, current residents want to bring their community back. With a focus on what residents and visitors want to see happen, a dedicated and growing group of individuals are looking to make things better.

“I saw that we needed changes over here. The West Side is basically dying,” said Bishop Robert Haley, the founder of A More Excellent Way Life Center Church and Accelerate WV community team member. “We have people and businesses leaving the city. I grew up here on the West Side and seemed like there was so much going on when I was a kid. You have to realize that that was 50-something years ago and yet this was a thriving community.”

Rural Community Building Best Practices

West Virginia communities of all sizes are engaging in innovative work. Many of these communities exemplify our Rural Community Building Best Practices, guideposts identified through evidence-based research processes. By looking to these communities as models, we can work together to replicate small wins and major successes.

The community of the West Side of Charleston

  • Maintaining and growing volunteerism & civic engagement
  • Building a common vision and executing a plan
  • Centering inclusivity, collaboration, and communication

Maintaining and growing volunteerism & civic engagement

One of the most important components of community development work is community engagement and volunteerism. This can manifest in so many different ways because it really depends on what kind of work is happening and how communities need to be engaged. For the West Side of Charleston core team members, getting the community of residents and visitors to offer feedback was crucial in moving the work forward.


“Believe it or not, the people that are in the neighborhood know what the neighborhood needs,” said Bishop Haley. “They may not have the financial or educational resources to make those things happen. There are a lot of things that are comparably the same as the rest of the city but because we are minorities, because we have a different type of culture, it’s different. I always say that I hate the savior mentality of you are coming in to save us.”

We just want fair access to everything and if we can get that, watch and see what we can do.

Bishop Robery Haley

Creating a plan for a community without the community’s input can feel exclusionary. Change, as Bishop Haley acknowledges, causes hurt to some people because it is hard to see things change. However, getting buy-in and opening communication with the community can ease some of these worries and frustrations. For Accelerate WV team members, being able to go into the community and survey them about what they want has been a helpful component of their work.

Working closely with the community is surfacing new initiatives, classes, and ‘wants’ from community members. Speaking directly with the people who live, work, and play in the West Side of Charleston, the volunteers working for the community have guidance. The inclusion of community members is also giving the community-at-large more sense of pride and ownership in how the West Side of Charleston is developing.

Building a common vision and executing a plan

The dedicated team of community members in the West Side is focused on one thing: bettering the community. To do this, a group of volunteers have been in dialogue with each other to envision how working together can create a common vision for the work.

While creating a vision and plan is an important step in the work, they also understand the importance of executing the plan. For the core community members involved, the Accelerate WV program is giving the team the chance to do the work. Studying what needs to be done can only get you so far in your community development program. Stepping up and doing the work is what it is all about.

“Coming together with one mind and actually discussing things and trying to make things happen really excited us,” said Bishop Haley. “That has not happened. Growing up, I remember vividly a former governor wanted to do a study on the West Side and they have been studying it ever since. [The Accelerate WV] group that is actually putting a foot to the metal and making things happen.”

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Centering inclusivity, collaboration, and communication

The West Side of Charleston understood early on that they needed to bring more people to the table to create transformative change for the community. This meant creating an atmosphere of collaboration and robust communication. For years, several organizations from different specialties have worked in the West Side of Charleston, but they were working in silos. To make the community stronger, the team has strategically brought more people into the conversation.

“In terms of working with Jennifer Pharr, Bishop Haley, Family Care, and WV Health Right, it has made it a lot easier in terms of collaboration,” Orlando Craighead, executive director of Kanawha Coalition for Community Health Improvement. “People see a bigger need to push forward.”

You have to find common ground and find the people who are doing what needs to be done.

Orlando Craighead

Breaking down communication barriers and having larger conversations has been a success for the West Side of Charleston. As more organizations have realized the need to work collaboratively to serve the community, the West Side of Charleston has benefited. Over the course of this long-term work, Craighead pointed out the West Virginia Health Network’s “Food is Medicine” program as a success of collaborating for the betterment of the community. The program, also known as FARMacy, is bringing healthy food education and access to places that struggle to access these kinds of foods.

“If we can get people to do more collaboration and realize that we are all doing the same thing, there’s no reason that we can’t come together and start serving bigger populations of people,” said Craighead. “We are getting to that point because you are getting people out of the mentality of ‘this is how it was always done.’ We have to rethink how we do things.”

The collaboration and communication shine as examples of the work happening in the West Side of Charleston. During the fourth annual West Side Health Fair in 2024 held at Magic Island, organizations and resource providers gathered to give residents a look at what is available to them.

Craighead recalled that many of the vendors at this year’s health fair said they learned about who is doing work in the community as well. The gathering intended for the community to learn about resources also served as a way for organizations to connect and network. This opportunityhelped to facilitate new partnerships among people working for the same goal. Opening the lines of communication and inviting a collaborative environment is proving to give the West Side of Charleston a greater understanding of what the community needs and who is best suited to help fill those needs.

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Partner Feature:

Our work is made possible thanks to incredible partnerships with other community development organizations across the state. From local economic development authorities (EDAs) to state level nonprofits working to uplift communities, all of our partners are crucial in making West Virginia the best it can possibly be by working together.One partner that made our work truly profound this year is Coalfield Development. For years, Coalfield Development has worked to rebuild Appalachian communities by inspiring the courage to grow, activating the creativity to innovate, and cultivating communities of opportunity in central Appalachia.We are proud to be part of Coalfield Development’s ACT Now Coalition, a broad network of organizations working hand-in-hand to uplift communities throughout Southern West Virginia. The ACT Now Coalition is infusing more than $63 million into programs to help communities using business development, building revitalization, and so much more.The Hub is leading the Community and Business Resilience Initiative as part of the larger ACT Now Coalition to bring other partners with us to build up community and business resilience in the Coalition’s footprint.“For decades, we’ve known the economy of southern West Virginia needs diversification. Some progress has been made on this goal, but not nearly enough,” Brandon Dennison, CEO of Coalfield Development, said about the ACT Now Coalition. “ACT Now constitutes a tangible opportunity to take a major leap forward in this generational challenge to become a vibrant, growing, diversified economy. In the wake of continued coal-job losses, nothing could be more important for our region.”Our partnership with Coalfield Development is giving us a chance to take our work to new communities and to build upon our years of experience. Working alongside Coalfield Development in this large undertaking to bring $63.8 million to communities in Southern West Virginia is validation that the work happening to uplift West Virginia communities continues to grow.

Community Feature:

The Hub works alongside communities across West Virginia coaching community teams as they come together to make transformative changes in their towns. In 2022, one town stands out for its continued work and unwavering commitment to making its community a place where people want to live, work, play, and visit.Petersburg, located in Grant County at the northernmost point of the Mon Forest, is filled with community members who want to make their town a destination. Not only have businesses opened, and stayed open, the town has transformed the way they present to the world through rebranding and outdoor recreational development.As part of the HubCAP IV program, Petersburg utilized its technical assistance to push forward with projects to bring transformative change to its community. Part of the work Petersburg worked towards was creating plans to pave a hike and bike trail that runs along the Petersburg dike. The proposed trail will run approximately three miles along the Petersburg dike and will include multiple entrances for walkers and bikers. The group secured a $25,000 grant from Senator Hamilton, which was matched locally by the City of Petersburg, the County Commission, and the Board of Education, each adding an equal share to bring the total to $50,000.This year, Petersburg witnessed a major upgrade to one of the town’s most iconic and historic structures: The Hermitage Inn. The hotel, which dates back to 1841, has been renovated and once again welcomes guests to stay the night and have a nice dinner in the restaurant.The Hermitage Inn is the first project initiated and completed as part of the Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program. Seeing the old hotel returned to its majesty has been an incredible development for Petersburg adding another jewel to the downtown area.Seeing Hub communities come together to create transformative change thrills us. Community members are the subject matter experts on what their towns need. Our commitment to accompaniment and walking alongside communities as they do the hard work guides us in our work. Celebrating their victories with them gives us a moment to uplift those making the work happen.

DEI Journey:

Since 2018, The Hub has been working diligently to bring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our work. For years, the organization has been working internally to expand on one of our core values: “We believe diversity creates strength.”We believe that now is a time when we must work from the ground up to commit to long-term efforts to build power through leadership development, programmatic strategies, and partnerships that commit to building power and advancing racial equity.Looking back at our organizational history, we acknowledge that our work in rural communities with populations of less than 15,000 has not reached a diverse cross-section of people in West Virginia. Because of this, we began to ask, “Who isn’t here?” when examining our involvement in communities. The social unrest in 2020 led us to examine our role in white supremacy, ableism, classism, and gender discrimination, and the ways we have perpetuated unjust systems in our communities and across West Virginia.Since 2020, our equity journey has included a staff racial equity learning series, making internal commitments to increasing our hiring and retainment of diverse staff including creating full-time Racial Equity Fellowship and VISTA positions, committing to increased coaching for rural communities of color across the state, and tackling the inherent challenges of advancing equity across the community development field within a highly rural, majority white state where Black and brown leadership has been historically marginalized and under-invested.Our belief in the power of local people to see the value and the potential of their place, and of each other, is at the core of our belief in the potential we have to build power in West Virginia to advance racial equity, inclusion, and accessibility while disrupting systems that have historically excluded some communities.We are committed to engaging in conversations to uplift communities and leaders of color to move from talk to action on why race matters in West Virginia as we work to disrupt these systems. We will support investment in Black-led organizations and rural Black leadership. And we are committed to driving public and private investments into these spaces, both organizational and geographic.

Grafton

A core team led by Unleash Tygart, Inc participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.

Huntington

Core teams led by Thundercloud, Inc. and the City of Huntington participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support community development projects located in Opportunity Zones.

Charleston

A core team led by Crawford Holdings, LLC participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.

White Sulphur Springs

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.

Petersburg

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.

Marlinton

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.

Franklin

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.

Elkins

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies. 

A core team led by Woodlands Development Group also participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.

Cowen

Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies. Read their community case study.

Parsons

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.

New Martinsville

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.

Monticello Neighborhood of Clarksburg

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Watch their community documentary.

Meadow River Valley Region

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.

Lewis County

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.

Kingwood

Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.

Smithers

Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.

Montgomery

Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.

Message from our Executive Leadership Team

It has been a year of abundant opportunities and partnerships across the state, and a year that has pushed all of us to work harder, faster, and smarter – together.At The Hub, we say that “the work works when you put in the work.” This means that our approach to community-based development, and individual leadership development, really does transform local communities, especially when we all work together for the same goal, and stay committed to working together for the long haul.In 2023, we continued to be amazed at the local leadership, drive and innovation we saw in communities throughout the state that are building locally-driven development from the ground up. Our network of community leaders, partners and opportunities keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing in 2024!

We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone for being part of the larger Hub community as we reflect on this year’s deep impact in West Virginia communities through our work. We are thrilled to have champions who believe in our mission that every community in West Virginia can achieve economic growth when they are supported with the tools and training they need to lead and spark positive change.

We believe strongly in the fact that putting in the work yourself to improve your neighborhood, your town, and our state is where true transformational change happens. With strategic partners and thought leaders like you in the work with us, we continue to be able to walk alongside community teams as they do the work to uplift their communities.Thank you to all of the community teams and leaders who are brave enough to keep showing up every day, and putting in thousands of hours of volunteer time to support your communities and the entire state. Your determination in the face of difficult work and far-off successes is something to applaud yourself for – and to celebrate.Whether you’re volunteering on the ground in your community, sharing our stories of hope with your friends and neighbors, or attending a virtual event with The Hub, your participation in our work is what keeps it going. Thank you for all your work and support this past year, and we are excited to continue in the work with you in 2024!In Continued Accompaniment,

– WV Community Development Hub
Executive Leadership Team

Stephanie Tyree

Executive Director

Amanda Workman Scott

Director of Community Engagement

Katie Loudin

Director of Strategic Development