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West Virginia Department of Human Services expands Transitional Living for Vulnerable Youth program

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West Virginia Department of Human Services expands Transitional Living for Vulnerable Youth program


The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) has announced an expansion of its Transitional Living for Vulnerable Youth (TLVY) program, designed to support West Virginia’s vulnerable youth aged 17 to 21 as they transition from foster care and residential mental health treatment to independent living.

The TLVY program offers group homes with ongoing support and individualized care based on trauma-informed principles to ensure support is tailored to the unique needs of each youth. This program opened on September 1, 2023, with three providers – Golden Girl Group Home in Ceredo, Stepping Stones in Lavalette, and Stepping Stone in Fairmont – offering a total of 22 beds. As of July 1, 2024, the program has expanded to five providers with the additions of Burlington United Methodist Family Services Family Services, Inc. in Keyser and Youth Services System, Inc. Tuel Center in New Martinsville, bringing the total number of beds up to 49. Plans for an additional eight-bed facility are currently underway.

“Expanding the TLVY program is a critical step in providing West Virginia’s vulnerable youth with the tools and support they need to succeed independently,” said Cammie Chapman, DoHS Deputy Secretary of Children and Adult Services. “We are committed to helping these young adults build a strong foundation for their future and become thriving members of our community.”

The TLVY program is specifically designed for youth who lack family placement resources and need support and supervision to develop essential independent living skills and establish permanent connections. This approach is ideal for youth who have experienced disruptions in foster or adoptive care placements and have specific social functioning needs that can be managed through outpatient community-based services. The program also provides non-treatment residential settings for youth in foster care who may have completed residential mental health treatment and are now equipped to engage with community-based mental health services.

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TLVY programs help vulnerable youth gain valuable real-life experience and develop skills necessary for successful community living. Focus areas include personal care, budgeting, accessing physical and mental health services, using public transportation, and obtaining public assistance. Additionally, TLVY supports educational linkage, job preparation, driver’s license attainment, and the development or reconnection with positive, supportive adult relationships.

To view and apply for careers that support West Virginia’s youth, visit dhhr.wv.gov/Pages/Career-Opportunities.aspx.



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Register now: West Virginia’s largest yard sale grows with more Webster County sellers for 2026

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Register now: West Virginia’s largest yard sale grows with more Webster County sellers for 2026


Community Bulletin

WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Center for Women’s Health has opened its 2026 prenatal and pregnancy classes — including Spinning Babies, breastfeeding basics and Lamaze — for expecting Upshur County families, with Lamaze offered in person or online. Read more →

This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners

BUCKHANNON – The West Virginia Largest Yard Sale is getting even larger, with more participants from Webster County this year.

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Cadence Ringer, executive director of the Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the 2026 West Virginia Largest Yard Sale will take place Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8. Registration for sellers is now open through July 26 at 11:30 p.m. Registration can be found on the Upshur County Visitor Center’s Facebook page.

“It’s been going wonderfully. As of last Wednesday, we had 30 applicants, and they keep coming in by the day. They are slowly trickling in right now, but I know we’ll have a big burst of them right before the deadline to register,” Ringer said. “The date set for the map to go live is July 31. I like to prepare for it a week in advance, to give people enough time to map out their own plan for their shopping that weekend.”

The map showing where all the sellers will be located will be available digitally this year on the Upshur County Visitor’s Bureau website. The map will also include brief descriptions of the items each yard sale will offer.

“On our registration form, I have asked them to list at least five things they’re going to be selling. Once I get them on the map, there’s an option for me to add details, so if they click on the actual location of the yard sale and read the details at the bottom, it’ll give them an idea of what that yard sale will be offering,” Ringer said. “There won’t be any photos or anything, but people can at least get an idea of what each seller will have.”

The yard sale has expanded over the year, from Upshur to Lewis and now to Webster County.

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“We decided last year to add Webster County to this and to try and get them going,” Ringer said, but the numbers were low. “This year, we have had quite a few from Webster County, so I’m excited to actually get it spreading into that area as well.”

She said people who go out to shop are all looking for something different, but you can always find a little bit of everything.

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“There are people looking for a lot of clothes. That’s what a lot of people prepare for the upcoming school year by going yard saling,” Ringer said. “I’m a yard saler myself, so I go looking for those hidden treasures, and I really think that’s what this is about — finding things they don’t make anymore, or antiques of some sort, some decorations. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so that’s what it’s about: just finding the treasure.”

Ringer said the event also brings in visitors from outside the area and encourages them to shop and eat at local businesses in Buckhannon.

“I think the most important thing to highlight is that this is a collaboration between the three counties — it drives our economy,” Ringer said. “I know some people see it as annoying that traffic is going on, or that there’s a bunch of people around, but it also gives families the opportunity to buy things secondhand and to prepare for the upcoming school year. Maybe some families can’t afford to purchase new things. It also drives the economic boost for our restaurants and other locations downtown.”



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Photos show first pieces of West Virginia’s America250 Wheel arriving at state capitol

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Photos show first pieces of West Virginia’s America250 Wheel arriving at state capitol


The first pieces of the America250 Wheel that is set to be a focal point of West Virginia’s Capital City Celebration arrived Thursday morning. Once constructed, the wheel is expected to be the world’s tallest portable Ferris Wheel at 230 feet tall. It will feature 45 gondolas and offer views up to 14 miles from the top. (WCHS)



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Morrisey announces more than $700,000 to support rural domestic violence and sexual assault victims

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Morrisey announces more than 0,000 to support rural domestic violence and sexual assault victims


Community Bulletin

WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Center for Women’s Health has opened its 2026 prenatal and pregnancy classes — including Spinning Babies, breastfeeding basics and Lamaze — for expecting Upshur County families, with Lamaze offered in person or online. Read more →

This story brought to you paywall-free, courtesy of the My Buckhannon team and our community partners

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey today announced $701,410 in grant funding to strengthen services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in rural communities across West Virginia.

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“Every West Virginian deserves to live free from violence and abuse, regardless of where they call home,” said Morrisey. “These grants help ensure victims in our rural communities have access to advocacy, shelter, crisis intervention, and other critical services when they need them most. Supporting victims and holding offenders accountable remains an important priority for our administration.”

The funding, provided through the West Virginia Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program, will help organizations expand victim advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, court accompaniment, community outreach and coordinated local response efforts in rural areas throughout the state.

The grants are administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.

Recipients include:

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. — $186,670: Funding will continue services provided by co-located advocates serving victims of domestic violence in rural communities across West Virginia.

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Women’s Aid in Crisis, Inc. — $150,612: Funding will support advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, referrals and court accompaniment for victims in Barbour, Randolph and Tucker counties.

Family Refuge Center — $136,897: Funding will provide victim advocacy, crisis intervention, housing assistance, referrals and court accompaniment for survivors in Greenbrier County.

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Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center — $132,283: Funding will support a Rural Domestic Violence Specialist serving the Eastern Panhandle through victim advocacy, housing assistance, community referrals and coordinated response efforts.

Branches Domestic Violence Shelter (Huntington) — $94,948: Funding will support a Domestic Violence Specialist serving Mason County by providing victim advocacy, referrals to community resources, housing assistance and coordination with local response teams.



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