ST. LOUIS — Unhoused communities are scattered throughout the City of St. Louis, among communities across the United States.
Some who are living in St. Louis are living in tents along the Riverfront area by Laclede's Landing. Three encampments were under I-44 from Cole Street to south of Washington Avenue.
Beyond that, there are some tents set up near the river at the intersection of River Des Peres Boulevard and Gravois Avenue in south St. Louis.
Keith Fairchild is the president of the Boulevard Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association and has been wanting this issue fixed for a year.
He said the encampments have grown in the last three weeks.
"Something needs to be done. We had numerous tents behind Steak N Shake, we had incidents with trash and fire over there with people behind the tents. We receive complaints daily from our members. We have over 1,200 members," Fairchild says.
He says from trash to theft, this is a growing problem.
"We have a lot of needles being found around here," he says.
Monday morning, protestors and advocates at St. Louis City Hall demanded change too.
Earlier Monday, they saw one community evicted near Interstate 44.
A spokesperson from the city says two out of the three areas under I-44 were cleared but there was only one person there. They offered housing but the person declined it, a spokesperson said.
Ramona Curtis, founder of Unhoused STL, says they need support.
"If you are going to evict a whole community, we are demanding support services. When we have a tent encampment, we can support it with a hand washing station, showers, bathrooms, and dumpsters. We can provide more shelter beds, we can make housing affordable," she said.
Both the association leaders and protestors say that they want better solutions, rather than moving the problem to another neighborhood.
"We want them to get the proper help and to not relocate to another area where this will continue to exist and deteriorate," Fairchild shares.
On Monday, St. Louis leaders held a safety briefing.
A commander for the central patrol division says they are working to try and fix this issue.
Major Renee Kriesmann says, "It’s a public safety issue and a health issue. What we really want is everybody to get what they need. We are working hard and diligently with our city partners at the department to try to house unhoused individuals to find them a safe space."
St. Louis Alderman Tom Oldenburg is also trying to create resolutions by introducing a bill.
The bill reads:
The proposed bill would prohibit tents or similar shelters regardless of the materials in their construction or whether temporary or permanent, within public rights or way or in a manner that would impede the use or maintenance or a public right of way. The bill defines “public right of way” as: Any portion of a street, alley, sidewalk, pedestrian or bicycle path, easement, body of water, drainage works such as River Des Peres, and any other property that is owned, controlled, or maintained by the City of St. Louis.
Missouri Department of Transportation also released a statement about safety.
They said MoDOT has safety concerns about unhoused camps living under bridges due to potential fires and their ability to do regular safety inspections.
A spokesperson for the mayor's office sent this statement Friday for support that's being given:
Safety for individuals and the Riverfront area is top priority - numerous calls for service and poor health conditions regarding the area have created safety and health concerns for individuals on-site as well as the surrounding community. The City has posted a notice of closure for these reasons.
For months, Department of Human Services (DHS) outreach staff have been working with current unhoused residents at the Riverfront encampment and connecting individuals to services. While the City has the shelter beds available for those 15 - 20 current residents, DHS is looking to enhance non-congregate shelter bed options ahead of closure for those who want, need, and will accept shelter.
The City of St. Louis will pause closing the Riverfront encampment until non-congregate options are secured. The I-44 locations identified by the Missouri Department of Transportation as safety hazards will still close on May 2, 2022. DHS continues to connect with unhoused residents at River Des Peres as well to see what resources and services they need to transition into safe shelter spaces.
The St. Patrick's Center in downtown St. Louis said they are ready to work.
"St. Patrick Center believes that every St. Louisan deserves a safe place to live," CEO Anthony D'Agostino said a statement. "In preparation for the disbanding of encampments on the Riverfront, we are working with the City of St. Louis to connect any of our unhoused neighbors to alternative housing solutions. While we are focusing on the needs of each impacted individual, we are also working with partners to create systemic changes that will help end homelessness in our community."
St. Patrick's Center helps combat homelessness with dozens of programs and wrap-around services.