JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation Wednesday that will criminalize homelessness by banning people from sleeping on state-owned land.
Under a new law that has raised red flags among advocates for homeless Missourians, the attorney general would get the power to sue local governments that don’t enforce the ban.
The changes approved by the Republican governor have been called “insane” and a step backward in how state and local governments address homeless people.
The new law, which was approved by lawmakers in the final week of the Legislature’s annual session, is aimed at encouraging a new approach to homelessness by prioritizing short-term shelter for unhoused people.
The proposal would act as a reversal of the popular “, which aims to provide people foundational stability by getting them into permanent housing.
People are also reading…
Sen. , R-Sikeston, said giving homeless individuals a free apartment is not getting to the root of the problem.
“They need mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling and support beyond just a roof over their head,” Rehder said during debate on the issue this spring.
The proposal, which was sponsored by Rehder in the Senate and Rep. , R-Ellisville, in the House, would direct existing funds to build short-term shelters, largely in the form of encampments with six-month stay limits.
These facilities would be required to meet certain livability requirements, be monitored by police and social workers, and collect data on the mental health, substance abuse and other issues affecting the tenants.
The measure institutes penalties for residing or sleeping on state land without permission.
After one warning, for example, anyone found camping on state land would face a Class C misdemeanor, a charge punishable with up to a $750 fine and 15 days in jail.
The bill also removes funding from localities with high homeless populations that refuse to enforce local ordinances that bar the homeless from public camping and obstructing sidewalks.
, an associate professor of communications at St. Louis University and co-chair of the , earlier told the Post-Dispatch that the provisions are a dig against progressive cities in Missouri.
“This is going backwards 30 years,” Huffman added.
The proposal in Missouri is based on model legislation advanced by the Cicero Institute, a Texas think tank founded in 2016 by , a co-founder of the Palantir and other tech companies.
As of 2020, Missouri had more than 6,500 homeless individuals, according to the . Witnesses noted that due to the difficulty surveying homeless individuals, this was likely an undercount.
The state’s homeless population dropped by about 4,000 between 2011 and 2014 and remained relatively stable up to the latest 2020 count.
The legislation is .
