ST. LOUIS — Three bills intended to overhaul St. Louis' response to homelessness have been withdrawn from consideration as advocates of the proposed legislation head back to the drawing board.
7th Ward Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, who sponsored Bills 126, 127 and 128, said in a public statement Monday that the bills' withdrawal would make way for "brand new bills" following more input from within both city hall and the community.
The now-withdrawn bills proposed new rules for the decommissioning of homeless encampments, the establishment of "safe camping areas," and the reform of plat and petition requirements to make it easier to open unhoused shelters in the city.
Sonnier said the new bills would be introduced "in the near future" following further community conversations and feedback from the mayor's office and other city departments. The city's Planning Commission was working to incorporate community feedback into its legislation that it would first approve through its public engagement process, she said.
"This type of engagement, dialogue, and collaboration [is] necessary to ensure that the legislation ultimately passed addresses these issues and can serve the most people," Sonnier said.
Public hearings on the proposed bills that had been scheduled for Tuesday were canceled.
"To the housing advocates and unhoused service providers who are frustrated and heartbroken, I want you to know that I hear you, I see you, and change is coming," Sonnier said. "To my fellow St. Louis neighbors who are frustrated and know that something needs to be done, I see you and hear you too."
Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge supported the efforts saying the Alderwoman may break the bills apart and pass them piece by piece.
"I think by breaking it apart and really digesting piece by piece we can really have some constructive conversation with members, community members, advocates on how to finally get this done and get it passed to the finish line," Aldridge said.
Deb Cottin with Peter and Paul Community Services, which shelters many of the homeless, says the whole community has to come together to get this done.
"Everybody who calls 211 knows there aren't enough beds. So in that sense, it is dire, that we get something that we can all agree on that takes care of the larger community and takes care of our most vulnerable," Cottin said.
A woman named Sahnika said she's stayed at various tent camps from time to time including in front of city hall and the old courts building but they're running out of options and time before winter sets in.
"We're all struggling and we're limited to where we can go. I had a death in a family which caused severe depression and it took its toll on me. I've been dealing with it on and off and it caused me to lose my job," Shanika said.
