Us & Them

West Virginia continues to lose young people. In the past five years, the state's population has dropped by nearly 1.5 percent — the largest decline in the nation. Only two of the state's 55 counties saw population growth, and demographic projections from West Virginia University anticipate further population loss in the years ahead.

In the second of two Us & Them episodes exploring young West Virginians considering their future, host Trey Kay talks with those looking beyond the state's borders — along with some who remain deeply conflicted about leaving.

In some cases, Kay talks with people who don’t see a way to follow their chosen career path in West Virginia. Others are looking for greater social, cultural or political diversity. And some love the state deeply but question whether the infrastructure, opportunities and communities they will need are available to them.

Their choices raise a larger question: What would it take for West Virginia to convince its young people they are needed here?

For this episode of Us & Them, it’s time for another Dinner Party. Host Trey Kay brings together a group of West Virginians from both sides of the political aisle to break the number one rule of entertaining: they talk politics. Over a potluck meal, the guests share their views on some of the issues shaping the conversation ahead of the midterm elections, with the hope of understanding their differences a little better and perhaps even finding some common ground. This gathering took place in Charleston just a few weeks before the election and brought together a mix of Dinner Party veterans and first-time guests. It is the first of three Us & Them Dinner Parties planned across West Virginia this fall, with another gathering in Huntington before Election Day and a third in Morgantown just after the votes are cast.

While Americans disagree about many things when it comes to politics, elections and domestic and global affairs, most agree that a robust economy is essential for a strong nation. In recent months, nearly all U.S. states have shown economic growth, except West Virginia, and it’s not just losing jobs, it’s losing young people. In this first of two Us & Them episodes, host Trey Kay talks with a number of young adults from the Mountain State about whether they will stay put or find their future elsewhere. This episode focuses on those who want to stay in West Virginia, or are leaning toward building their lives here, even as they wrestle with whether the state can offer the opportunities they need. In a state where the death rate exceeds the birth rate and the workforce participation rate is the nation’s lowest, there are efforts to retain population. But some say the state needs to do something else to become more competitive.

There are so many young people in the U.S. who are not in school, working or training for work, that there’s a name for it. They are ‘disconnected youth,’ and while West Virginia’s rate has dropped in recent years, it’s still one of the highest in the nation. Just under 12%, or 24,000, young people are in this category, and they can be tough to track down because there’s a stigma attached to this status. However, some programs are trying to bridge the gap - to connect with young people and help them train for a job and a career. On this Us & Them episode, we’ll find out why some young people get stuck and the things Mountain State leaders say could help this next generation.

Housing is becoming less affordable for many people. As a result, more cities and towns grapple with growing homeless populations. Hundreds of cities across the nation now have laws that prohibit camping on public property to discourage encampments and illegal activity. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay moderates a community conversation in Morgantown about that city’s approach to housing. Morgantown is one of five West Virginia cities with a public camping ban. Local advocates say there are twice as many homeless people as there are shelter beds available. This year, lawmakers did not have the votes to pass a statewide camping ban, but some leaders say that’s a better approach than patchwork local measures. 

Many West Virginians have trouble with their teeth. In fact, there’s a big gap between the folks who can reliably access an affordable dentist and those who can’t. That’s no surprise when half the state’s counties have fewer than six dentists. National rankings consistently put West Virginia at or near the bottom in overall oral health care and a state report shows that by third grade, 56% of children show signs of tooth decay. Twelve percent of older adults have had all their teeth extracted. But as Us & Them host Trey Kay learns in this award-winning encore episode, there are new approaches that aim to change some old habits.  

This year, West Virginia lawmakers made significant changes to drug and alcohol treatment programs funded by Medicaid, which many people use. The new legislation ties Medicaid payments to patient outcomes rather than the number of patients served.

The Mountain State has the nation's highest overdose rates, and overdose death rates among Black residents exceed those of any other group. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay learns how Medicaid funding supports organizations working in recovery and what that work looks like on the ground.

This episode of Us & Them, recently honored with a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, is presented with support from The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

Daniel Johnston, a visual artist and singer-songwriter from West Virginia made his mark in the indie music scene of the1980s. His raw and unpolished style earned him a label as an outsider artist, and a place in the state’s Music Hall of Fame. Johnston recorded his best-known songs on cassette in his parents’ basement in Hancock County. Songwriters saw past the lo-fi production values and musicians like Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain championed his work. Johnston was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s, and as his fame grew, his mental health struggles increased. He died in 2019 at age 58, leaving hundreds of songs and drawings. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay talks with family members, musicians and others about Daniel’s life and legacy.

Hundreds of thousands of kids rely on America’s foster care system. West Virginia has the highest rate of foster care placements of any state - four times the national average. Foster care is most often needed because of parental substance use, mental health challenges, poverty and neglect. Six-thousand Mountain State kids are in foster care, but there’s a shortage of licensed foster homes and residential facilities and that’s why nearly 400 kids live in out-of-state institutions. On this Us & Them, an encore episode finds more than half of all states have seen their number of licensed foster homes drop, some by as much as 60 percent because many new foster parents don’t stay in the system for long. 

While official foster care cases are tracked and overseen by state agencies, many types of so-called kinship care are not official or included in state data.