Coalfield Development is a community-based organization that provides quality and affordable homes, creates quality jobs, and generates opportunities for low-income families in southern West Virginia. We wholly or partially own a family of employment-based social enterprises designed to diversify the regional economy to be less dependent on coal. By “employment-based,” we mean enterprises that exist for the purpose of advancing the well-being of their employees, which we do primarily through our personal and academic development programming.

Before enrolling in graduate school, I led a service trip to Mingo County, West Virginia. As we worked at replacing a roof for a dilapidated home, two young men walked toward us. They were shirtless in the humid heat of July. Tool belts were slung over their shoulders. They asked if we had work. I explained we were volunteers, and they continued on their way. But that image never left me. It angered me to think that young people who are motivated, who want to work, cannot do so because of where they live.

For generations, the entire southern West Virginia economy has been dependent on coal. Because of coal’s rapid decline, West Virginia now has the nation’s highest unemployment rate and its lowest labor participation rate. More people die of drug overdoses in West Virginia than in any other state. Our natural landscape is decimated by mountain-top-removal mining. Because of out-migration, our beautiful historic buildings, the cultural anchors of our communities, are decaying. Hopelessness has settled over the landscape like the black blanket of dust that settles after a coal train passes.

Reversing generational cycles of poverty is extremely difficult work. It takes a holistic approach, and one organization could never provide all of the support needed for success. So we partner with key county entities, municipalities, economic development authorities, and housing authorities. Other partners include Unlimited Futures (for financial skills and professional development), social work agencies (for family programs), and the Heritage Farm Museum and Village (for personal reflection and leadership). Perhaps most importantly, we partner with private-sector employers.

Andrew is a crew member from our first on-the-job training crew hired in 2012. When he came to us, Andrew had just been laid off from a mining-related industry. He was couch-surfing from house to house. At age 21, he was about to have his second daughter. Today, Andrew is a proud graduate of our program. He has earned his Associate’s Degree in Applied Science. He is a new homeowner. He works full-time for a local cabinetmaker. His daughters are thriving in pre-school. When Andrew graduated from community college, his daughter put on his graduation hat and said, “Daddy, I want to walk across the stage one day.”