Among the first people arrested on live television during Ferguson protestors’ attempted shutdown of I-70 on Sept. 10 was the Rev. Larry Rice of New Life Evangelistic Center in downtown St. Louis.
“I got arrested with the folks in Ferguson so our issues can come together,” the Rev. Rice told The American – “so I can stand in solidarity with them and they will stand in solidarity with us on Oct. 21 when the Board of Public Service issues its determination.”
At 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the St. Louis Board of Public Service will meet in Room 208 of City Hall to decide whether it will continue or revoke a hotel permit issued to New Life, which runs an open-door homeless shelter, with some permanent residents, at 1411 Locust St.
Rice said more than 200 homeless people sleep in the shelter at night and more than 50 individuals “who want to better their lives” live there more long-term as participants in various training programs.
In filings with the Board of Public Service, New Life claims the effort to revoke the hotel license and evict the homeless was brought by Brad Waldrop, a resident of St. Louis County who owns properties surrounding the shelter. New Life claims that Waldrop organized a petition effort against the shelter claiming it creates a public nuisance, though people who signed the petition and testified before the board could not prove that various apparently homeless individuals who caused a nuisance were connected to New Life.
Rev. Rice told The American that his shelter does not invite people to downtown, but rather takes in people no other facility will take and is often a dumping ground for the unwanted.
“Many people are dropped off by hospitals,” Rev. Rice said. “We had a hospital drop a woman off in a wheelchair the other night – just dropped her off here. Police brought Roger to us.”
Roger McClure is a blind man confined to a wheelchair. McClure said he became homeless after his wife died and their house went into foreclosure. He said he tried the city’s homeless hotline (314-802-5444), which the Slay administration touts as the alternative to New Life’s shelter, “but I didn’t get very much response.” He said police found him staying in front of a vacant house and took him to New Life.
“New Life has been good to me,” McClure said. “It’s the only place I have to live.”
Many people interviewed at New Life told similar stories of an abrupt downturn in life circumstances, inability to find shelter through the city’s hotline, and being directed to New Life, where they were taken in without question.
Rita Sharratt said she lost her home after her husband passed away. She ended up living in a vehicle with three grandchildren, one of whom was present at New Life on Thursday. “I called the city hotline, I even went down there, and they kept telling me they had no room for me,” Sharratt said. “I came here and they told me, ‘Come on in.’”
Sharratt said her biggest fear is that New Life will be forced to evict her and she will lost custody of her grandchildren if she can not find another home.
Vanessa Jennings said she moved to St. Louis from Arkansas to live with a man, but his family rejected her. When she ended up homeless, she said, she called the city hotline every day but was turned away “because I’m not pregnant or disabled.” Police finally brought her to New Life.
David Williams said he has been unable to find steady employment as a chef or caterer since the economic downturn. “After I exhausted my unemployment benefits, I tried juggling friends and cousins” for places to stay, he said, “but that gets old. You’re another mouth to feed.” Now he stays at New Life and works in its renewable energy program, educating people about sustainability and selling solar panels for New Life.
“We’re the last major walk-in shelter in mid-America for homeless men and women, children, veterans, sick and the elderly,” Rev. Rice said. “The Salvation Army does not provide such shelter at 3010 Washington anymore, there’s no walk-in shelter. This is the last one, and we’re fighting to keep it open.”
In its filing with the city, New Life points out that many agencies that assist the homeless and needy are located in the city, but they close their doors at night. At that point, New Life is the best alternative to the streets. That’s why New Life claims, in a pleading to the city, that nuisances associated with the homeless will only worsen if its shelter is shuttered.
“To the extent nuisance activities occur, the alleged nuisance activities will not stop (and will in fact increase) if New Life is closed,” New Life argued to the Board of Public Service. “Logically, if closing New Life will not reduce the alleged nuisance activities, then New Life is not detrimental to the neighborhood.”
For more information, visit www.newlifeevangelisticcenter.org. The city’s homeless hotline 314-802-5444.
