ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City and County officials are taking stock of how many homeless people are on their streets and in need as part of the point-in-time (PIT) count, a survey to help track numbers and allocate resources for the coming year.
“It’s getting worse and worse, and it seems like nobody really cares,” said Carmel Mitchell, who is unhoused.
For homeless staying at shelters like City Hope in downtown St. Louis, some feel resources are increasingly scarce.
“My mom died. I was taking care of her, I was on drugs when she passed, and I had nowhere to go,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell recently relapsed and relies on shelters. He says there needs to be more resources to really make a difference in the homeless landscape.
“You’re never going to be able to eliminate that unless they get the funding, there’s not enough,” he said.
On Thursday, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones served some of the city’s homeless at the city’s only fully-owned shelter in downtown. This comes as volunteers hit the streets to take a tally of how many homeless people there are.
The PIT data is used to divvy up resources here at home at shelters like the Biddle House.
“Everybody’s situation is unique,” Jones said. “So, they’re using occupational therapy and case management; there’s healthcare on site. We just hope that we are able to meet the mark.”
In 2022, the city counted 99 homeless that are unsheltered in the city. This does not include those in emergency shelters or transitional housing. That number is 60 fewer than in 2021, partially due to reopening shelters 24/7 nearing pre pandemic capacity.
When temperature falls below 25 degrees, 20 to 30 more cots are added to the 101 beds always ready.
“At the end of the day, it’s about humanity,” Mitchell said.
The final numbers from the PIT count will be released in the coming months.