ST. LOUIS — St. Louis announced it would move forward with shutting down a homeless encampment near Laclede's Landing on Friday, despite pushback from advocates against the closure.
Dozens of people who are experiencing homelessness live in the encampment, some of them for several years. Last week, the city said they had until Friday to move out.
"That's why you will see a full-grown man breaking down into tears," Rev. Larry Rice said. "You will see people with their lives devastated. Yes, a tent will give a person a certain degree of freedom."
Outreach workers with the Department of Human Services (DHS) and Behavior Health Response were at the encampment on Friday helping the community pack up and move out.
The city said the DHS outreach team, in partnership with social workers and community organizations, worked to connect with people living in the encampment over the past several weeks. They were offered housing and resources. As of Thursday, 19 people had accepted the offer.
The city said it will store the personal belongings of those who accepted resources for 90 days.
"Stop the Sweep" protesters with Tent Mission STL gathered at St. Louis City Hall on Wednesday in an effort to change leaders' minds. Non-profits said the closure makes their winter outreach more difficult because people will scatter to other parts of the city.
"A lot of people here are actually moving to Illinois," KB Doman with Tent Mission STL said. "They are going across the bridge because there's no spots available in St. Louis that aren't highly criminalized."
"Every spring this camp has made it through a few evictions that have been called off," Audra Youmans said. "They are breaking up a community. They have a sense of community, and they all want to stay. it's unfortunate that the city comes down to clear them out for profit and stuff like that."
Read the full statement from the mayor's office:
"Today the City of St. Louis will be moving forward with the decommissioning of the encampment at the riverfront near Laclede’s Landing. In a break from past practices, the outreach team from the Department of Human Services has collaborated with licensed clinical social workers from Behavioral Health Response and community organizations to connect with the unhoused residents at the riverfront over the past several weeks.
By meeting these residents where they are, DHS was able to identify and offer housing and resources that would address their underlying needs and set them on a path to permanent housing. As of Thursday, 19 individuals accepted and transitioned into housing with resources. This is due to the hard work of DHS outreach staff who have consistently been working down at the Riverfront for months.
"The city’s partners in this effort, many funded through American Rescue Plan Act dollars, offer a wide range of services including drug rehabilitation and behavioral health support for the chronically unhoused. For those who choose to accept these resources, DHS is storing their belongings in a safe, secure facility for 90 days as they transition into housing."