The Council of the Southern Mountains, a community action agency established in 1964, strives to help low-income individuals and families, disabled  and senior citizens achieve economic and social self-sufficiency in southern West Virginia, especially McDowell County.  

The Council is a 501 c (3) nonprofit corporation governed by a volunteer tripartite Board of Directors. The Board is composed of individual from three areas: 1) low-income and minority, 2) elected officials and 3) community representatives. The agency serves people in the southern part of West Virginia with emphasis on McDowell County, an economically distressed area experiencing high unemployment and social disparities.

The Council of the Southern Mountains presently provides services for individuals and families to help them achieve self-sufficiency. The Council also provides programs for unemployed and underemployed individuals, high school drop-outs, unwed parents, parolees and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients as high need individuals that need CSM assistance in gaining meaningful community services that provide all measures of citizenship and dignity. CSM provides job training and other services for these individuals and strives to keep the agency functioning at a level that will provide meaningful interventions for the people targeted for help.

The Council of Southern Mountains currently offers Title XIX MR/DD Waiver services and Aged and Disabled Waiver services to McDowell and Mercer counties as funded by Medicaid.  These services includes transportation and self-help training for disabled citizens as well as in-home assistance.  AsMcDowellCountyhas the highest percentage of senior citizens and people with disabilities, these programs are vital to meet their needs.  The Aged and Disabled Program especially is aimed at keeping people in their homes and avoiding expensive nursing home placements.

The following are the present sources of funding to the agency:

The agency operates the following services:  the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG which served over 3,000 families this past year through food pantries, transportation, seasonal food allocations, clothing,  services to the elderly and disabled, energy assistance and housing referrals. The agency operates the Foster Grandparent Program with 60 volunteers serving over 250 special needs children in four southern West Virginia counties along with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program that has over 800 volunteers serving disabled veterans, Neighborhood Watch Groups and a call-in program for people that have no family and are termed shut-ins.  This is one of the most vital and effective programs in the agency. Further, a Weatherization Assistance Program operates to  insulate and air seal homes for low income families to reduce their energy bills so their meager resources can be stretched to try and meet their overall needs. Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents has been  a statewide program helping children in this circumstance as they statistically will be jailed at a seventy percent rate without intervention due to their parents’ incarcerations. 
A major initiative is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program operated by CSBG staff.  This service last year served over 460 families with over one million dollars in tax returns juist in McDowell County.  An IRS representative named the agency free service program one of the top three in West Virginia. 

The Youth Exposure Series which provides cultural experiences for economically distressed adolescent so they will be nearer to a level “playing field” with their school peers. Also, the agency operates the Title XIX Waiver Program, Right From The Start and Aged and Disabled Waiver Program for the high percentage of disabled and seniors in this area. 

In order to meet the physical and medical needs of areas residents, CSM opened Fitness and Wellness Center in December of 2013. The WV State Department of Health and Human Resources has released data showing McDowell County was likely the least healthy county in West Virginia.  The county ranks first in the percentage of residents with diabetes, high cholesterol, arthritis, asthma, obesity, and lack of health insurance.  Medicare and Medicaid resources are the sole insurance for many residents and therefore are absolutely necessary and vital to citizens’ quality of life.  The adult obesity rate forMcDowellCountyis 30.4%.  The percentage of adults without health insurance is 35.2%.  A modern, state-of-the-art fitness/wellness center is a start in combating these statistics.  Finally, the agency has built two new homes for income eligible individuals in the county that are modern and economically sustainable.  

The agency’s Mission Statement, which has stood for half a century, is: “The Council of the Southern Mountains strives to provide quality services and opportunities to help people achieve the dignity of self sufficiency.  As a result, the Council of Southern Mountains provides quality programs and makes a difference in the County.  To meet the needs of the changing society and the population shift, the agency continues to strive to fill in the gaps to meet the needs ofMcDowellCountycitizens through direct services and referrals to other agencies.  The agency motto of: “Bringing Opportunities Within Reach” has never been more appropriate as multiple factors are negatively affecting our community.   The Council staff and Board will forever strive to positive outcomes to those seeking the dignity of self-sufficiency. 

Regina Sanders distributing gifts and refreshments at Christmas. 

 For further information about the Council of the Southern Mountains, call the Welch office at 304-436-6800 or the Bluefield office at 304-327-5305.

Address: 

148 McDowell Street

Welch, WV  24801

Telephone: 304-436-6800 Fax: 304-436-6803 

CSM is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Service Provider and does not discriminate for any reason.