City of St. Louis Receives $8.6 Million to Help Homeless People in St. Louis

Bill Siedhoff, Francis Slay, and James Heard holding ceremonial check

On February 10, 2010, City of St. Louis, Human Service Director, Bill Siedhoff, City of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, and HUD St. Louis Field Office Director, James Heard joined together at a press conference. They announced that the City of St. Louis received an $8.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the 2010 Continuum of Care program. The funding will be distributed to over 20 local programs and organizations to be used to support the ongoing effort by the City to address the needs of homeless people in the City.

The City is in the fifth year of its 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Mayor Francis Slay stated, "The homeless service providers and members of the Continuum of Care have put forward an outstanding effort over the last five years, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has contributed tens of millions of dollars to our housing programs. Without this funding, our progress would not have been possible."

Prior to presenting the City with a ceremonial check, Heard spoke about the good work the city is doing to confront both long-term homelessness and the recent increase in homeless families confronting a sudden economic crisis.

During the years 2005 through 2010, the City has continued to make noteworthy achievements to address homelessness in St. Louis. It has created over 400 new permanent supportive housing beds. The number of beds for the chronically homeless has increased from 70 beds to 217 beds. An additional 82 beds are currently under development. The City has experienced a 20% reduction in chronic homelessness since 2005. Overall the number of homeless people in the City has decreased significantly from 2005 through 2010.