St. Louis Homeless Population Increased Downtown

Torn between serving the public and housing the homeless, The St. Louis Public Library is struggling to find the balance, according to a report from CBS.

Executive Director Waller McGuire tells the news site that more than 20 percent of the people who frequent the downtown library appear to be homeless, and sometimes there’s even more! Naturally, he’s noticed spikes during days that are very hot and very cold. Sundays seem to be particularly challenging since shelters are closed.

McGuire says on some days there are so many “shelter residents” at the library that there are no seats available for those who want to come in and do research. “Sometimes they’re just too many people who aren’t reading, they aren’t working with library materials. They are simply coming in and out of the heat and cold and can disturb other patrons,” McGuire tells CBS. He also mentioned that patrons are sometimes asked to leave because of hygiene issues.

The library board approved new changes this week permitting security to inspect patrons’ back packs. Anyone who refuses the search can be removed. Additionally, individuals may be banned from the library by a hand-delivered letter instead of one sent to a home address.

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St. Louis Homeless Population Increased Downtown was originally published on hot1041stl.com