We the People know that,

1. Last winter there were about 1,000 unhoused people in St. Louis counted as experiencing homelessness;

2. The pandemic and eviction crisis are expected to swell those numbers even more this winter;

3. Long-term weather predictions forecast one of the longest and coldest winters in years; 

4. Last winter, the previous administration did nothing substantial to care for the unsheltered and unhoused; 

5. Our new mayor, Tishaura O. Jones, cares about the unhoused because she said so when she ran for office; and

6. Mayor Jones was appointed to the newly formed HUD committee House America: An All-Hands-On-Deck Effort to Address the Nation’s Homelessness Crisis and that gives St. Louis an opportunity to create solutions-oriented positive results for people who are experiencing homelessness.

Therefore

We are very encouraged by the new administration’s proposal to use existing unused school buildings for supported intentional encampments and by Camp Cole, the city’s first intentional tent community. 

We the people ask that the city of St. Louis use the $40 million of American Rescue Plan Act direct relief package funding that was earmarked for services for people experiencing homelessness and housing instability to enact meaningful policies and to take direct and immediate action. 

We the people ask the city of St. Louis to do the following: 

-Plan, build and support permanent affordable housing
-Support and fund intentional tent encampments -- new and existing
-Provide hygiene stations (sinks and mobile showers) food and water to encampments
-Increase the number of emergency shelter beds and transitional housing options
-Provide more funding and structure for supportive services such as case management, health care and job training and readiness

Thank you for your attention to this important and urgent matter.