Updated at 5:00 p.m. on March 9
An encampment under the Laclede’s Landing Pavilion that had been where more than 15 people who are experiencing homelessness lived was disbanded Friday.
With the threat of eviction looming, most people apparently left the night before.
In a statement this morning, the City of St. Louis said 19 unhoused individuals from the encampment accepted and transitioned into housing with resources as of Thursday.
However, some residents were still unsure of where the city is planning to house them. Justin Jones, one of the individuals who called the encampment home, asked officials for a clear response on what kind of housing he would live in.
"The only answer I got was it's a housing facility. That was the most in detailed description of what the city was offering," he said.
Advocates, like Jenniqual Johnson, who were helping the residents pack their belongings saw dump trucks and bulldozers at the encampment area as an act of aggression and disrespect.
"What other day would you see four cars from the police department just parked on the riverfront? What other days would you see two bulldozers and six dump trucks lined up on the street," she asked. "The city had all winter to clear this encampment and help these people, so why now?"
The people had made a close-knit family, said Dillion Compton, who’s been living in Missouri for four years. “You know, most of us work. We have 9-5 jobs. Some of us just can't get our power bill or rent paid or are sick,” Compton said.
The residents at the pavilion stayed close to each other, in a tight circle, to keep warm on Thursday. One man was hesitant to stay at a shelter because he works outside some shelters’ intake hours.
A woman who was packing her belongings in black garbage bags was worried about them getting thrown away.
Compton said people had been living there for a long time in peace. “We don't steal, we don't do any of that. We’re just trying to live,” he said.
Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office posted the 10-day eviction notice last week. Most residents didn’t hear about the notice until Friday.
“I don’t stay down here, but I used to. I used to be homeless. So I’m big on the people down here," said former resident Marquis Porter. "This is my family and I just think they are getting treated very unfair."
He said the eviction notice is disrespectful to the residents living at Laclede’s Landing.
Trina Scott, who has lived at the pavilion off and on for three years, said this isn’t enough time for most residents to figure out what’s next. “The city had a year to clean this place, but they also had a year to put people into housing,” she said.
Scott worries about her friends with mental health and drug abuse issues. She wonders where they will go after Friday.
“I know one thing they can’t take from me, the memories I made here and the people I’m close with,” Scott said.
Nick Dunne, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said the city will use American Rescue Plan Act funds to help permanently house residents of the encampment, but the process is not immediate.
“The ultimate goal is to get people into permanent housing. But we have to address underlying needs first,” Dunne said. “Some people need to get out of a domestic abuse situation or need more health and wellness support.”
Dunne said it will take time to assess those needs and create a pipeline where people who are experiencing homelessness can have a permanent place to live.
But Scott believes the city could be doing more to help the residents of the encampment, especially her friends who are struggling.
“We’ve not had any help down here except for outreach," Scott said. "And there’s a few church groups that come and I thank you guys to the fullest, but the help that they need is not around."
