The video to the right is of a client of St. Patrick Center, a Catholic Charities agency. Thanks to the help of St. Patrick Center, Frank was able to find work and get off the streets. Here, Frank shares his thoughts and memories of working with St. Patrick Center.

Written by John Nguyen

The Hidden Places in St. Louis

There are hidden places in St. Louis. There are old vacant strips of concrete and tiny untended forests. They are closer than you might think: An abandoned trolley track underneath Tucker downtown, a strip of ancient oak and pine trees beside train tracks in South City.

In these hidden places, forgotten people carve out meager homes of plywood, cardboard, and wrinkled fabric. They hang wet clothes from suspended twine, and sleep under blankets of discarded sweatshirts and jackets.

The homeless hide in these places. They hide away from people who would judge them, persecute them, mock them. Instead, they live with the rodents and the insects which most of us escape in the comfort of our homes. They live in the rain, under the hail, out in the snow, and beneath the scorching sun. Many of them we will never see.