To address the winter cold, the City of St. Louis has introduced its 2024/25 Winter Plan to provide shelter for unhoused individuals. “I am grateful to our Department of Human Services, which has collaborated with community partners to ensure that more shelter beds will be available for our unhoused neighbors this winter than a year ago,” Mayor Tishaura O. Jones stated in the City of St. Louis official release. The plan also focuses on increasing efforts to secure long-term housing solutions.
The plan increases the number of inclement weather shelter beds by about 160, adding to the over 800 beds available year-round. These additional beds will be available starting December 1 on nights when temperatures are expected to drop below 25 degrees with precipitation or 20 degrees without. "My administration is committed to finding sustainable long-term solutions, but we also have a responsibility to step up our efforts in the winter, and that’s what we’re doing," Mayor Jones stated in the same release.
Mayor Jones recently led the signing of legislation to simplify the process for opening new shelters and transitional housing. She is also involved in a regional initiative through the East-West Gateway Council of Governments to address homelessness.
The city's Department of Human Services is providing essential supplies like cots, blankets, hats, socks, and cleaning materials to verified shelters and outreach groups. Department of Human Services Director Adam Pearson said, "Our Homeless Services Division has carried many of these efforts thanks to solid leadership from Amy Bickford, Manager of the division, a team of outreach workers who meet people where they are on the streets, and a team of contract compliance officers who ensure that we're providing the robust supports needed to fund organizations who engage with the unhoused population," in a release from the City of St. Louis.
The city's collaboration with the Continuum of Care and outreach groups helps effectively carry out these policies, showing strong cooperation between government and community organizations to tackle homelessness.
