The oldest known encampment for Jefferson County residents who are unhoused was closed Feb. 6.
The encampment, which was off the Hwy. 30 corridor in High Ridge, served for three and a half years as a primitive shelter for those with nowhere else to turn.
Disciples Fellowship Church of High Ridge, 2404 Gravois Road, owns the property where the encampment was located and issued a notice on Jan. 26 to about 20 people who were staying there warning them that they would be evicted if they were not moved out by the February deadline.
“We were not prepared for how big the camp got,” said David Swope, whose wife, the Rev. Lori Swope, is pastor of Disciples Fellowship Church. “It is shocking how quickly the trash got out of hand. It just snowballed.”
The camp swelled to an all-time high of about 27 people during the extreme cold in January. During that time, as many as six organizations regularly delivered hot meals and supplies.
“Much of what was brought in was wasted, plus stuff accumulated as they dragged things into camp that they thought they could sell,” said Rob Brummel, who volunteers at the encampment as part of Journey to a New Life Ministries of the First Baptist Church of House Springs.
“There were a lot of big-hearted people wanting to do good, but it actually created a problem,” said Casey Kindt, a member of the leadership team of the Jefferson County Coalition for the Unhoused. “There definitely needs to be a coordinated effort among the county’s agencies, ministries and organizations in situations like this.”
Since the efforts to help people weren’t well coordinated, sometimes too many groups and people were dropping off items for the encampment, which led to problems with trash piling up, she said.
“We want to help the unhoused (in encampments) survive but not thrive. If they are comfortable, there is no reason for them to leave,” Kindt said.
About seven unhoused people remained at the camp on Feb. 6 when David Swope turned to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to help evict them.
“Being at the camp was not a criminal act since the church allowed them to establish the camp,” said Grant Bissell, public safety information coordinator for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. “We advised (the church officials) to work through the courts to file an eviction or trespassing notice. Our deputy did take two people at the camp to jail because they were wanted on outstanding felony warrants. They are still in custody.”
Rob Brummel, who has volunteered at the High Ridge encampment since last July, cleans the grounds.
All but one couple who is waiting on placement in an apartment have moved on.
The encampment was built into a steep hillside hidden from view behind the church and the Skate Center of High Ridge next door. Eventually, the accumulating trash overflowed to the sides and front of the buildings, and the Jefferson County Code Enforcement received a complaint about it.
In August, the Code Enforcement division cited the church for the improper storage of solid waste, specifying trash, miscellaneous debris, overflowing dumpster, furniture and three derelict vehicles. Two parcels, one for 1.5 acres and the other for 4.5 acres, were listed in the citation.
A camp cleanup resulted in the dismissal of the citation in September. More recently, on Feb. 2, Code Enforcement again cited the church for a solid waste violation.
The encampment was an eyesore for the skate center. The owner, Trissa Kline, has been trying since last September to sell the property. The 9,000-square-foot building, listed for $669,000, still sits vacant after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In some ways, this is a sad ending, as we had hoped this would lead to a better living situation for the people who stayed here,” David Swope said. “It grieved my heart every time I walked back there. We were accountable for what they were doing.”
Not only did the church allow the unhoused to stay on the church property, but also it spent several thousands of dollars over the past couple of years to support them, Swope said.
“We are a small church, and this was taking away from our main charities – the Ladies of Charity toy drive and food baskets at Christmas and our Lighthouse Harbor food pantry,” he said.
With the closing of the High Ridge encampment, its residents are scattered to new locations, and a few got into housing and started jobs. The true number of unhoused people and encampments in Jefferson County is unknown.
“Across the county as a whole, there are probably 10 to 15 encampments with varying numbers of unhoused people,” said Kindt, who is also director of the New Hope Outreach Center, a nonprofit group that works to help those experiencing homelessness.
“We don’t know about them all because we are a rural county.”