Starting January 1, it will be illegal to sleep, camp or have an extended shelter on public lands in Missouri.
The change is the result of a new law passed by the Missouri legislature this year. The law requires cities and counties to enforce the ban and allows the attorney general to take action against those who don’t.
Only a few days left As the law takes effect, shelters and nonprofits are preparing for how it will put more pressure on the state’s homeless population.
Cathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180 Homeless Services, said the law has created panic and concern.
“It certainly expands and emphasizes the resources available, especially in the area of access. That just puts a lot more stress on the system, Connors said.
For the St. Louis area, Connors said, although shelters have a pretty good handle on the number of beds available, they still likely won’t meet the need.
“Not all shelters are the same. They serve different populations, different people. And you can’t simply ask people to move to a shelter.
In some cases, changes will happen before the bill goes into effect.
“We absolutely hear law enforcement using this new law that’s coming in right now as a reason to move people,” said Sara Owsley, director of advocacy for Empower Missouri. “Although they may not be able to ticket them, they may not be able to arrest them, they are certainly threatening people to do so.”
Brian Munoz
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St. Louis Public Radio
Ouseley said the new measures are likely to make it harder for people to trust government agencies that deal with homelessness.
“Anything that creates a new crime that can charge them with crimes and then put them in jail is just going to compound that experience and make it harder to leave homelessness,” Ouseley said.
In addition to banning sleeping on public land, the bill would make changes to state funding for homeless programs.
State funds used for permanent housing projects “must be used to assist individuals with substance abuse, mental health treatment and other services such as short-term housing,” according to the law.
Owsley said while the legislation shouldn’t affect funding for many U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs, there are some money streams that could see a change, in addition to state funding cuts.
“We’re going to see less money going to the homeless services community during this time. And so that’s very concerning, we’re a very underfunded resource right now.
Supporters of the legislation said it was intended to provide more resources for the homeless. Funds for permanent housing projects are directed to help people with substance abuse, mental health treatment and other services such as short-term housing.
Speaking about the bill on signing day, Rep. Bruce DeGroot, R-Chesterfield, said the legislation puts Missouri on the path to ending street homelessness.
“This program focuses on diverting existing resources to programs that actually work and holding those programs accountable by comparing results,” de Groot said.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Ouseley said he believed the sponsors wanted to really help Homeless People But this does not achieve that goal.
“This particular law was not the way we wanted that conversation to go. I don’t think it was malicious on their part.
Connors said the reality is that the new law will go into effect in mid-winter “it’s horrible.
“These shelter beds get a lot of attention in the winter,” Connors said.
Currently, there are efforts to prevent the implementation of this law. Several lawsuits have been filed against this action. One, filed in September, is administered by Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.
Attorney Lisa D’Souza argued that the law violates the Missouri Constitution, which requires bills to relate to only one subject and have a clear title, and that any amendment must address the original purpose of the bill. adhere to
“The intent was to make it easier for some counties to file financial statements. So certainly nothing about homelessness can have anything to do with the original intent of this bill.