Homelessness, Cont.
I’m sending my appreciation for running Jeannette Cooperman’s “Halfway Home” article (January 2009). Homelessness is such a forgotten topic in our community. Cooperman’s article offered an informative and insightful look into the issue.
D. Splaingard
St. Louis
I just read “Halfway Home” and would like to offer up at least a few points of clarification. My involvement began 23 years ago, not 33. The downtown drop-in center at Christ Church Cathedral traces its history to 2002, when it opened at the invitation of their congregation. Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, among several other service providers, was offering services there and came with us when we moved to the much more accommodating space at Centenary United Methodist in 2006. Since then, significant physical renovations have been made, and programs and services have increased. There are 12,000 to 13,000 meals served each month at Centenary. I would also like to point out that St. Patrick’s has operated a drop-in center downtown since the early ’80s.
I know it isn’t smart to pick a fight with [Larry Rice’s] media empire, but for what it is worth, when we moved from Christ Church to Centenary, we were being denounced by people from New Life Evangelistic Center who were collecting signatures on a statement calling us a “Methodist-run city jail.” I take umbrage at Rice’s characterization that our philosophy is “out of sight, out of mind.” I certainly wish affordable housing for very low-income people was a higher priority than it is. Our network has not been shy about expressing its views and advocating for people who are homeless, sometimes to the consternation of city officials. Graham v. Schoemehl is not the only time we have danced in court. That has not prevented us from working together when and where we can despite our differences. Just like the rest of us, Rice isn’t always right and his isn’t the only way.
Tom Burnham
Director of Shelter Services,
Peter & Paul Community Services
Corrections
In our “30 Best Dishes” feature (February 2009), the entry for Vin de Set’s bouillabaisse was accompanied by a photograph of a different Vin de Set seafood dish; a correct photograph appears with the story online. That issue should also have stated that illustrator Jesse Kuhn’s website is rawtoastdesign.com.
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