OCEANA, WV – Today, Gov. Jim Justice awarded a $250,000 check to fund several upgrades to the building that will house nonprofit organization One Voice’s new community-based recovery facility in Oceana.
“Nothing makes me more proud than to be with you in Oceana, presenting this check for such a great cause in such a great community,” Gov. Justice said.
One Voice Inc. is a charity that supports individuals and families struggling with substance use disorder and other life controlling issues in communities in Wyoming County and all across West Virginia.
“When I was young, I would come to Oceana in the summer with family and friends for months on end,” Gov. Justice said. “There’s no way it could’ve been any better. But then we fell on some really, really tough times. We were dealt some tough cards from the standpoint of our coal industry and then, all of a sudden, before you know it, drugs started crawling into our lives more and more until they impacted every single one of us in some way.”
The new One Voice facility is part of the pilot project Gov. Justice previously announced for Wyoming County, which partnered West Virginia DHHR’s Office of Drug Control Policy and Marshall University to find innovative ways to combat substance abuse disorder in West Virginia’s most vulnerable communities.
“We needed to do something, that’s all there is to it,” Gov. Justice said. “Will this be the be-all and end-all answer? Probably not on it’s own. But this is an important piece of the puzzle that will really help.”
Gov. Justice presented the ceremonial check to One Voice Executive Director Debra Davis, who established the nonprofit in 2005.
“We are thankful that the Governor has given us this opportunity,” Davis said. “This building will be a community resource for hope. We have treatment operations set up all across the state, but with this facility we want to focus on recovery and aftercare.
“We also want this to be a hub for families to gather,” Davis continued. “That’s one of the things, through the years, that substance use has destroyed in our town: the families. We want this place to be a place where families can come and eat together, or drink coffee together, or grab lunch or dinner together. We’ll have a courtyard on the side of the building so that we can showcase local talent. So this is more of a gathering place for people that want to focus on family and loving each other again.”
Oceana Mayor Tom Evans also attended the event along with other local leaders, One Voice staff and volunteers, and West Virginia Commerce Secretary Ed Gaunch.
The funding is being provided through the West Virginia Development Office’s Coalfield Development Fund.
“Governor Justice came to me and said ‘let’s get this project complete,’” Sec. Gaunch said. “So we started turning over every rock we could to make it happen. I’m so proud that we’re here today and I’m so proud to work for a Governor who doesn’t just talk, but gets things done.”
“This is a special day for the city of Oceana,” Mayor Evans said. “This is a wonderful facility here in our town. We’re very proud to have it and we’re also appreciative of our Governor. He’s been very supportive in this project.”
The facility will house a new conference and training center, as well as a new business: the One Cup Café, which will provide catering services for the community.
The facility will also serve as a center for recovery services, providing office space for local and state organizations that work with people in recovery, including working alongside staff from Gov. Justice’s Jobs & Hope West Virginia program.
