A new Missouri law makes it illegal for homeless people to sleep or camp on state-owned land, including bridges and overpasses. The bill, which was signed back in June and confirmed to go into effect on January 1, caused a lot of controversy over the summer. Many homeless services came forward and called it a “crime” to charge a vulnerable person with a Class C misdemeanor for having no better sleeping options.
Congresswoman Cori Bush, D-St. Louis believed that signing the bill would only bring more destruction to the communities that are already battling homelessness, particularly if that person is now going to be fined and/or charged for breaking the law. “As someone who has been unhoused, I know that fines, tickets, and jail time will not make it easier for unhoused people to afford homes or retain employment but will further devastate our communities,” Cori told The Independent.
Starting today it will be a crime to sleep on state-owned land in Missouri. That includes streets, parks and underneath bridges and overpasses. You will be fined $750 and face 15 days in jail. pic.twitter.com/HDEcNyFDHe
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) January 1, 2023
Kathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180 Homeless Services, chimed in with similar words, saying, “It’s definitely going to extend and stress resources that are available, particularly in the area of outreach. It’s just going to create much more stress on the system.”
The bill explains that if someone is sleeping on state-owned land, they will be approached by the police and asked to leave. If they have to return for a second time, they may suggest putting the person at a campsite for the time being or other approved housing — that is if the homeless individual cooperates. The first offense is a warning and the second a misdemeanor charge, punishable by 15 days in prison.
But it’s been argued since the summer that there’s simply not going to be enough space to facilitate every single person living rough on the street; the homeless shelters are already overwhelmed thanks to the housing crisis caused by the pandemic.
This is crazy so today it is a felony in Missouri to sleep on state-owned land, like under overpasses and bridges. You will be fined $750 & 15 days in jail. So they can pass something like this. But can’t come up with a solution to fix homelessness.
— “IT” Quiñ (@QuinEra95) January 1, 2023
What’s more, if cities refuse to abide by the law, they can expect their funding to be cut down, as per the bill’s sponsor Senator Holly Rehder. “This is all with 100% positive intention from the governor as well,” she said.
“And so we want to work, we want to see reward those who are doing a great job. And we want to get those who are not having good outcomes to start looking at some of the places in Missouri that are doing better to start doing this, this different model because what we’re doing isn’t working, you know, we, we want to go a step further than just housing people, we want to help them to be able to have that self-reliance.”
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