City of St. Louis Receives an Additional $1 Million for the BEACH Project

The City of St. Louis has received additional federal dollars to continue its mission to provide wrap-around services, including housing, to those identified as chronically homeless during the January 30, 2013 homeless census.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the City of St. Louis another $1 million for the BEACH Project, "The Beginning of the End: Abolishing Chronic Homelessness."The additional money brings the total 2012 Continuum of Care (CoC) application funding level to $11,004,954.The City successfully competed with thousands of cities across the country to secure these dollars.

"This HUD grant is one of the largest we have ever received, and the additional $1 million for the BEACH Project puts us on the cusp of ending chronic homelessness in the City of St. Louis," said Mayor Francis G. Slay."This allows us to dramatically improve the lives of homeless men, women and children, making them the real winners as a result of the City receiving this important HUD grant."

The BEACH Project is an initiative announced in February 2013 by Mayor Slay.The goal of the project is to rapidly re-house and provide wrap-around services for every person identified as chronically homeless, which means that they have lived on the street for a very long time, oftentimes because they are mentally ill, addicted to drugs or alcohol, or have a developmental disability.Most of them are men who live in or near Downtown.Most of them cannot help being homeless, but the City now has enough money in federal grants to help all of them.

During the census, 138 people were identified as chronically homeless in the City.Most were living in emergency shelters or uninhabitable places.In addition, 39 individuals were recently relocated from 'Camp Plum,' a homeless encampment located on the riverfront, bringing the total chronically homeless census count to 177 individuals.

With the help of additional federal money, the City is on track to achieve all of the goals of its 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, which was implemented in 2005.

 "The BEACH Project was an extension of that plan and the results so far have been spectacular," said Bill Siedhoff, Director of Human Services."If accomplished, as expected, the City would be one of the first cities in the country to virtually end chronic homelessness."

To date, of the 177 clients in the BEACH Project, 96 people have already received their own housing, and another 21 people have been assessed and are currently conducting housing searches.Efforts are underway to locate and assist the remainder of those eligible, which can often be problematic due to the transient nature of many of these individuals.

The BEACH Project brings together federal, state and local government agencies, housing providers, faith-based organizations, not-for-profit agencies and businesses.Based on the needs, the individuals in the program receive housing assistance, intense case management, substance abuse treatment, health and mental health treatment, transportation, food and other social services.

For more information regarding the BEACH Project, contact the Homeless Services Division of the Department of Human Services at 314-612-5900.