A shelter made of tarps, blankets, and plastic bags remained outside two St. Louis homeowners’ property for 44 months. By the time a jury heard their case against the city, the encampment had been gone for more than two years.
Steven McClanahan and Richard Baumhoff won an award of about $36,000 after arguing that the city failed to properly address the encampment, FOX 2 reported. Jurors returned their verdict on September 30, 2026; the homeowners had sought $66,000.
The homeowners described repeatedly seeking help from their alderwoman, then-Mayor Tishaura Jones, police, and the health department over conditions outside their Tower Grove South home.
The city disputed responsibility. Its defense rested in part on efforts to get the two people living there into housing, and on their refusal to accept housing.
Outside the Windows
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The encampment stood near South Spring Avenue and Chippewa Street from 2020 until April 2024. Baumhoff described how the conditions affected daily life inside the house.
“Couldn’t open shades or windows, you know? The smell was coming in; it was really bad,” he said.
At trial, McClanahan read messages he had sent to the Citizen Services Bureau that spanned dozens of pages, according to St. Louis Magazine’s courtroom coverage. The homeowners argued that the city spent years inspecting and documenting the encampment without removing it.
His testimony also complicated that account. McClanahan acknowledged seeing city workers, International Institute staff, and police trying to persuade the couple to accept help. He testified that the couple had not physically damaged the house or become physically aggressive toward him.
One December, he declined a police officer’s offer to remove the encampment because of the cold.
Assistant City Counselor Erin McGowan argued that city agencies held numerous meetings and worked to build enough trust to get the couple into housing. A task force was formed in 2023 to address the encampment.
The Price Tag
The homeowners’ $66,000 demand represented the amount they argued the property could have rented for during those 44 months: $1,500 a month. McClanahan testified that they had not actually attempted to rent out the home in the preceding five years.
The city removed the encampment in April 2024, about two months after the homeowners filed suit. Their claim for compensation continued after the shelter was dismantled.
During the trial’s second day, city human services deputy director Valerie Russell testified that city staff and contracted organizations repeatedly approached the couple, according to St. Louis Magazine’s verdict report. The couple turned down one of the city’s tiny homes.
“The city was trying to act reasonably in response to a very difficult problem,” McGowan said.