ST. LOUIS 鈥 The city planning commission on Wednesday gave initial approval to a plan aimed at making it easier for homeless shelters to open in city neighborhoods.
Aldermanic President Megan Green and her allies at City Hall are pushing to repeal a rule requiring shelter operators to gather signatures from a majority of their closest neighbors before opening.
Plans for new shelters would instead be considered by the Board of Public Service, a panel of top city officials appointed by the mayor. And in many areas, a provider housing eight or fewer people at a time could skip the board, too.聽
The current process requires a shelter provider to get signatures from a majority of the property owners or registered voters within 500 feet of their site. But homeless advocates say it's tantamount to a ban because almost no one wants a shelter near their home. And that's causing problems for the city, which cares for the vast majority of the region's homeless: Without enough shelter beds, people end up camping on the riverfront, outside downtown businesses and, in recent weeks, under聽Mayor Tishaura O. Jones鈥 window at City Hall.
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The planning commission's part in addressing the issue centered on the changes that would govern shelter approvals once petitions are no longer required. Commissioners voted 6-0 to forward the plan to the Board of Aldermen with a favorable recommendation.
The overhaul is now set to be introduced at the board next week.聽
And it's already got advocates talking, including the Rev. Larry Rice, who held a press conference Wednesday outside City Hall to criticize the petition requirements.
Rice, who for decades ran a large shelter downtown until neighbors complained and the city shut him down, said the proposed changes were a step in the right direction.
He said he doesn鈥檛 trust the Board of Public Service to help anyone open. They labeled his shelter a nuisance after neighbors complained it fostered loitering, drug dealing and public urination in the area, and they discovered it was chronically filled beyond capacity, reportedly housing 300 people at times, despite its 32-bed license.聽
鈥淏ut at least it鈥檚 something,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good that they realize there鈥檚 a problem.鈥