By Daisy Gibbons, WV News
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Federal and state officials and community members gathered in Philippi to break ground Friday for the New Vision Village.
The village will provide a place to live, a source of employment and a sense of purpose for young people who are aging out of foster care, officials said.
“New Vision Village is committed to supporting transitioning young people entering the world of work and responsibility, helping them to make positive next steps in that journey,” said Ruston Seaman, CEO and president of New Vision Renewable Energy, the Barbour County nonprofit behind the project.
The Appalachian Regional Commission has supported the village through grant funding.
“We are giving hope and sense of purpose to young people,” Gayle Manchin, ARC’s federal co-chair, said at the groundbreaking. “We are giving value to their lives and helping them understand what a value they are to this community. This community will endure by building that vision in young people.”
The village will include 24 tiny homes for people ages 18-24, Seaman said.
“As a supportive community, we believe assisting at-risk young men at this critical stage of life development will have positive long-term benefits for individuals and society. Our blueprint plan calls for a village of 24 units on 7 acres of land in the Chestnut Ridge Community of Barbour County, the operations headquarters for New Vision, a nonprofit 501©(3) organization,” he said.
When completed, the village will have 12 older residents with life experience who will serve as mentors, according to Seaman.
