Every child deserves a safe, secure, sanitary place to lie their head every night when they go to bed. But, as Spectrum Outreach Services pointed out in a recent county commission meeting, that is not the case for every child in Lawrence County. In South Point alone, the group pointed out, over 60 children call motel rooms home. These are often in rooms that are, at best, unsanitary. At worst, they are downright dangerous. Fire hazards and bed bugs abound, according to Spectrum, along with mice, roaches, and creeping mold.

As is often the case with neglect and poverty, the problems these children live with usually go hand-in-hand with a parent’s addiction problem. But, like with drugs themselves, as long as there is a demand for cheap living, there will be those who will take advantage of that desperation and exploit it for their own benefit.

As one motel owner told Spectrum, he “doesn’t care about anything that’s going on there as long as he’s making ‘cash money’” from the problem.

While that owner may not want to sell to a group like Spectrum as long as he’s making “cash money”, one thing that can be done is for the county to hold the owner’s to account for code violations, and force them to clean up their properties or suffer stiff penalties.

Country Hearth, according to Spectrum, had 26 violations when inspected by the state fire marshal. When they returned for a follow up inspection five months later, only five of those issues had been addressed.

This is simply unacceptable. Lawrence County must hold its landlords and rental property owners to a higher standard than this. The LEDC has taken a step forward in addressing these issues with their recent purchase of the Grandview Inn and plans to demolish damaged structures while maintaining and repairing the rest. But the LEDC cannot do this all alone, and they shouldn’t have to.

It will take the community as a whole to tackle our drug problems, and this includes the problems associated with housing, both during and after recovery. We wholeheartedly support the goals of Spectrum in attempting to address the impact of the drug problems on those most hurt by it; the children of addicts. Fixing their housing problem isn’t a panacea to the issues we face, but it’s a start, and we commend those dedicated to making a safe and stable home a reality for our county’s children.