Local nonprofit organizations are sounding the alarm for a growing problem of homelessness in Warren County. Because of economic challenges and a dwindling number of low-income homes, advocates say …
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Local nonprofit organizations are sounding the alarm for a growing problem of homelessness in Warren County. Because of economic challenges and a dwindling number of low-income homes, advocates say Warren County now ranks No. 4 in Missouri for the amount of housing insecurity compared to population.
Local nonprofits and government agencies are forming a joint task force to try to turn those numbers around.
According to the 2-1-1 Counts social services database, in the last year the number of housing aid requests in Warren County, compared to the county’s total population, ranked only behind St. Louis City, Jackson County and St. Louis County. Advocate Jane Kelley says Warren County has been shooting up that list — ranked No. 7 a year ago, and No. 10 six years ago.
From March 2020 to March 1, 2021, local social services received 483 requests for housing or shelter assistance, according to the database. Among those, 139 were seeking temporary shelter, 47 were looking for permanent low-cost housing, and 198 were seeking financial aid to afford an apartment or temporary motel stay.
Many of those requests for aid are going unmet, the 2-1-1 database shows. About 24 percent of people seeking short-term shelter, 40 percent of those seeking low-cost housing, and 82 percent of people seeking rent assistance haven’t had their needs met.
“Last year, we had one house with two families in the unheated garage, and two families in the unheated basement. The rest lived upstairs. They were trying to survive,” Kelley said.
Desiree Antoniou, service coordinator for NECAC in Warren County, said the nonprofit doesn’t have any available homes for people who receive Section 8 government housing subsidies.
“Our waiting list has been closed for almost a year, because there’s so many individuals ... but nowhere for them to go,” Antoniou said. She added that at least 13 landlords stopped accepting Section 8 vouchers last year, drastically decreasing the available homes.
Over the last week, The Record met with six people who have struggled to find permanent shelter. They come from various backgrounds, with a variety of circumstances that led to a loss of home. Most of them either lost their job, leading to eviction, or lost a family support system that they relied on for housing.
Here are some of their stories. To protect the privacy of each individual, we’re only using their first names.
• Vincent is a man in his 30s, a native of the Wright City area. He was forced to leave his home in October 2019 and has lived in his truck ever since. He slept in the truck bed underneath a tarp until someone donated a camper top. He’s looking for employment and housing, but suffers from a muscular paralysis disorder that can make it dangerous to drive.
“I want an education, to learn to do a job online (from home)," Vincent said. "But I’ve gotta find a home.”
• Sisters Sharon and Luwana are in their 50s. They are living in a tiny motel room in Wright City. Sharon has a job, but also has chronic medical issues that make it hard to work. Luwana is Sharon's caretaker. Luwana has searched for a job to help support them, but she doesn’t have a car to commute, severely limiting her options. They pay about $300 a week for their room.
“It takes almost my whole check,” Sharon said. “I maybe have $20 left over, if I make (a full week’s pay).”
• Young couple Jamie and Ashley were restaurant workers in Tennessee who were laid off because of COVID. They couldn’t make rent and got evicted from their apartment. They traveled west looking for work, and have spent almost a year bouncing between hotel rooms and sleeping in their car with their dog, Scooby. The single eviction on their record has prevented them from getting a new apartment, and it’s been hard to hold down work while homeless.
“All I need is a chance. Give me a chance and I’ll work. I’ll pay my bills,” said Jamie.
NECAC, Agape, and advocates for the homeless are joining with local government agencies to form a countywide housing task force that will examine solutions to the growing homelessness. Agape Executive Director Michelle Bernth said working with municipal governments could open new solutions the nonprofits can’t do on their own.
“A lot of grant funding available is only available to municipalities. It’s funding that is out of reach to us as individual agencies,” Bernth said. “But if we can all come together to the table and figure out what funding is available ... having this task force will open the door.”
Going forward, the task force will begin meeting regularly to discuss how more short- and long-term housing can be provided for people who are struggling. However, there won’t necessarily be a quick fix. An effective solution could take years to accomplish, advocates said.
For now, anyone who finds themselves struggling with housing can place a phone call to 2-1-1 to be connected to social services that can offer help. Anyone with access to Facebook can also send a private message to Jane Cole Kelley to request assistance from the Warren County Fragile and Homeless community group.
Anyone who wants to provide support for struggling individuals can contact NECAC or Agape to offer support, or become a member of the Warren County Fragile and Homeless group on Facebook.
