ST. LOUIS – Leaders from Missouri and Illinois are teaming up to end homelessness for veterans by Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day.
St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger and other government leaders held a press conference Monday morning at Soldiers Memorial.
The initiative organized by the St. Louis Area Regional Commission on Homelessness, includes representatives from the City of St. Louis and Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles and Warren along with Illinois counties of Madison and St. Clair.
“Fighting homelessness has been a priority of our administration,” County Executive Stenger said. “No veteran who has served our country deserves to live on the street.”
The commission will use the ‘Built for Zero’ model to help homeless veterans. The model, coordinated by the group Community Solutions, will use real-time data to identify and engage homeless veterans in the St. Louis area, and coordinate leadership from the governmental, private and philanthropic sectors in this effort.
‘Built for Zero’ has a proven record of success. Since 2015, the program has found housing for more than 96,000 people across the United States, including more than 60,000 veterans.
“Development of a regional system can help ensure that veteran homelessness is a rare and brief occurrence,” County Executive Stenger said. “And lessons learned in this effort can be brought to bear in resolving homelessness on a broader scale.”
Between the city of St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles and Warren counties in Missouri, and Madison and St. Clair counties across the river, there are more than 3 million people. Out of all those people, thousands are homeless veterans.
Robert Gibson has been homeless for the last 4 years.
"Well, put your feet in our shoes for one day and you'll understand," said Gibson.
He's not a veteran, but he and Joe Lone say some of their neighbors are.
"There's just been so much that they've gone through with their PTSD," said Joe Lone.
Now, with a little help from the federal government, leaders from all over the metro area are coming together to provide homes for veterans. But they're on a quick timeline, giving themselves just nine months to get it done.
"There is compassion in this world but there just ain't enough of it," explained Gibson.
Gibson and others in the camp here are skeptical but hope the plan gives their veteran friends some help so they're not left out in the cold.
"When we see it we'll believe it, talk is cheap," added Gibson.