Homeless Services

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Metro East city took action to curb what police and officials view as a worsening problem.

The Midwest Newsroom and its partners found that homeless students eligible for enrollment, transportation and academic support in most rural school districts are not getting these services because the districts are undercounting students without stable housing and not applying for available funds.

Bill sponsor Alisha Sonnier says that housing is a human right and that the city has a responsibility to help people transition to permanent housing.

Forestry and Streets Divisions workers, with help from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and advocates, dismantled, bagged and tagged a smattering of tents and belongings left from the encampment late Tuesday evening.

St. Louis officials early Tuesday morning called off an attempt to disband an encampment of people who have been sleeping in tents outside Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office window at City Hall for months.

The $1 million grant, from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Day 1 Families Fund, is the largest in Gateway 180’s history.

St. Louis earmarked millions from the American Rescue Plan Act for homeless services. But after two deep freezes in as many years, the city is just now planning to open a 24/7 "safe haven" shelter for those without housing.

A law passed last year made sleeping on state-owned land a misdemeanor in Missouri. It went into effect Jan. 1, but critics say there is still a lack of clarity from the state surrounding its implementation.

In March 2022, community advocates said St. Louis' 211 hotline fails homeless people and leaves volunteers to pick up the slack. Nearly a year later, they report that things are even worse.

The law bans sleeping, camping or setting up long-term shelters on state-owned land. Multiple lawsuits against the measure by homeless advocates have been filed, though no rulings have been issued.