Update: After a presence in North St. Louis for around 150 years, the Little Sisters of the Poor sold their campus on December 28, 2022. The new owner is operating a homeless shelter in the building called Sisters Mission.
For whatever reason, the Little Sisters of the Poor is a difficult building to photograph adequately. After being a presence in North St. Louis, and in St. Louis Place since 1869, the institution for senior citizens is now closed. This is a newer building built on the site of an older one; the wall is original, and you can see a sidewalk going up to a now blocked up gate above.
There are increasingly fewer places for senior citizens to stay in their community in North St. Louis, with the closure of the nursing home at Grand and Blair, and now the Little Sisters. It is important for the elderly to have places to live in near their social connections.
we need hlep
The site was purchased by Peter and Paul Community Services a few years ago. Their emergency shelter (previously located in the basement of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Soulard) was relocated to this site and now serves 100 men.
This complex is HUGE, so PPCS also operates an emergency shelter during cold weather, housed people impacted by the May 2025 tornado, and has a healthcare office for those living in the neighborhood. Other human services agencies have programs operating out of this site.
There are extensive renovations happening, as the building was unoccupied for some years. There are plans to have apartments for long term-supported housing. See ppcsing.org for more information.