Episode Details

A now-retracted letter asking some St. Louis businesses to stop giving water to homeless people elicited significant backlash last week. The letter brought attention to ongoing gaps in the region’s system of shelters and social safety support. To explore what happened on South Grand, why the letter drew outrage, and how city officials and advocates are responding, we talk with the director of the continuum of care at Peter and Paul Community Services, an Arch City Defenders attorney, and the director of the Department of Human Services for the City of St. Louis.