Heraclitus famously stated:

“The only constant in life is change.”

At Peter & Paul, we find this statement to be all too true. As you may know, we are relocating and expanding our Soulard Shelter, the oldest continuously operating men’s shelter in the region, opened in 1981. So many people have re-started their lives with us there in the basement of the Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. Now, instead of serving 60 men a night—while constantly turning away men for lack of beds—we have a new vision, one we have been developing with deliberation and care.

We plan to serve 100 men daily with 24-hour care. We will offer an extensive array of onsite professional services with the end goal of stable, sustainable housing attained for each man. With $5 million in mixed funding awarded and pledged toward purchase and renovation, we are getting closer to making the vision reality, however, challenges remain. Specifically, we must raise another $2-$3 million for the new facility as well as secure the location.

Over the past 18 months, a location has eluded us. We found a promising site on south Broadway that didn’t work out and then had an offer accepted in the Carondelet area which was opposed by the neighbors. Now we are attempting to secure a final location.

PPCS has a Good Neighbor Policy signed by each shelter guest and works diligently to respond to any concerns.

As work to expand and re-locate Soulard Shelter continues, PPCS is also working to transition out of the Biddle Housing Opportunities Center (BHOC). This emergency shelter for men is one of the biggest in the region with 100 beds. At the urging of the City of St. Louis, PPCS began operating the shelter in August 2022. After only 10 months of operations, the City decided not to renew PPCS’ contract and transition to another provider, this being the fifth provider transition in seven years. During our short time operating BHOC, PPCS increased the number of clients by 136% and permanently housed more than 50 of its residents.