The EYE asked all four of the major mayoral candidates – Antonio D. French, Tishaura O. Jones, Lyda Krewson and Lewis Reed – the following questions: “Mayor Francis G. Slay has finally succeeded in getting the New Life Evangelistic Center’s shelter ordered closed. Was that the proper course to take? Would you be open to appeals to reopen the shelter as mayor? More generally, what would you do to address the city’s housing (homeless) crisis and the entrenched conflict between downtown residents who have homes and those who don’t?”
They were also asked at the same time in the same email and given the same deadline. Lyda Krewson responded first.
“The New Life Evangelistic Center puts people out on the sidewalk every morning, and it is impossible to get back on your feet from the sidewalk with no bathrooms, no food and no services. We must have a housing-first strategy. The ‘old’ approach undermines more stable shelter providers. Homeless folks need intensive services through the Continuum of Care. So yes, I agree with the closure of NLEC,” Krewson responded.
“With the closure, other service providers in the area will be able to take in more homeless individuals and provide them with the resources they need to get back on their feet. Cops will be able to keep them safer. Most importantly, they will become part of a network of support which will empower them to get off the streets permanently. As mayor, I will not accept anything less than a comprehensive plan to address the long-term needs of our homeless population across the region, and I will work closely with the nonprofit sector and religious community to accomplish this shared goal,” Krewson continued.
Tishaura O. Jones responded next.
“Currently, New Life Evangelistic Center’s shelter is unsafe and does not do enough to help the people with the underlying issues that cause homelessness: lack of affordable housing, mental health, substance abuse and unemployment. New Life should be closed until it can be renovated and its programs brought up to modern practices to help people transition out of homelessness. At the same time, the city should not close New Life until we have a comprehensive plan for dealing with people who depend on this facility,” Jones responded.
“As mayor, I will support a Homeless Bill of Rights that will decriminalize homelessness and keep St. Louis aligned with HUD regulations. Biddle House is an excellent resource for the homeless, but it’s not enough. The city needs good, quality shelters in more places, with more beds, and more cooperation with groups like St. Patrick’s Center to end the cycle of homelessness. New Life could be one of them. I would support the use of city funds to do so and I would include the requirement to address homelessness in Community Benefit Agreements that would be part of any subsidy or abatement for projects like Union Station, the Jefferson Arms and the Scottrade Center,” Jones continued.
“Denver, a city I visited in 2014 and which had many more panhandlers than St. Louis, is addressing homelessness (and panhandling) with a day laborers program, providing a day’s work to the homeless, and the opportunity to be invited back the following day. People who would otherwise have a difficult time finding work, including the undocumented and the unbanked, are able to build employment histories and skills. Those who aren’t ready to work because of addiction or other problems are connected with counseling and other services to help them prepare for the labor market,” Jones continued.
Antonio D. French responded next.
“It’s unfortunate that under Francis Slay, the city has adopted an adversarial relationship with New Life and Rev. Larry Rice. There is an obvious need for the services that Rev. Rice offers. He provides shelter to hundreds of people every week. That’s a good thing and he should be commended for the service he’s done for decades, even during a time when the city was doing far less than it is today,” French responded.
“I also think it’s a damn shame that Slay and Police Chief Sam Dotson station police cars outside of New Life to intimidate and threaten with towing anyone coming down to help feed the homeless. We should not be criminalizing people carrying out their Christian duty to feed the poor. The power of Room 200 should not be used to bully the homeless or their advocates. Rev. Rice and New Life deserve to have a place at the table and to be included in the city’s plan to address homelessness,” French continued.
“I plan to partner with service providers and others to help transform dozens of LRA-owned properties into homes for families who currently have none. It’s hard to explain why a city like ours with so many vacant and abandoned houses can’t figure out how to provide a home for anyone who needs one and is willing to work for it. We can do better. As mayor, I’ll make sure we do,” French continued.
Reed did not answer by deadline.
Krewson and Reed on TIF and poll
Krewson and Reed missed last week’s deadline in responding to the glut of TIF allocations in the Central Corridor. Their answers
Krewson on TIF:
“As mayor, I will work with all developers to encourage and incentivize them to develop projects outside of the central corridor in both North and South City. I will also promote sites in North and South City that developers might not be aware off and provide more incentives to develop in areas not in the central corridor. Planning is also an important function, and I hope to work with aldermen during that process.”
Reed on TIF:
“As aldermen, I created the first neighborhood TIF, which let the community decide what projects were funded and when. The mayor has an enormous amount of sway over where development happens in the city and what types of incentive packages are presented for projects. As mayor, after reviewing the data on what has worked best and had the best outcomes, I would make sure we use incentives that work to build North and South St. Louis neighborhoods the way we have built the central corridor and downtown.”
Mayoral Candidate Forum on January 19
A St. Louis Mayoral Candidate Forum will be held 7-9 p.m. Thursday, January 19 in the Emerson Performing Arts Center Theater on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave. It is hosted by Alpha Omega City-Wide Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in partnership with state Representative Bruce Franks Jr.
According to organizers, this event is being held in an effort to educate and inform our young adults in the city of St. Louis between the ages of 17-24 years old on the platforms of each mayoral candidate while providing them with the ability to openly state their position on areas that affect this particular demographic.”
For more information, email dstaq1936@gmail.com. Register at https://stlmayoralcandidateforum.eventbrite.com.
