We Live Here

The U.S. has a long history of choosing who it will and won’t let participate in the voting system. So as the nation prepares to choose its next leader, with a wave of voter ID laws on the books, and with fears about fraud now a major narrative in the presidential election, we take a look at just who is and who isn't being let into "Club Democracy" — and why.

In the community development world it’s widely understood that bringing any kind of change to a struggling neighborhood can take years. Yet the need for change is urgent. Research suggests blight is associated with serious health problems, not to mention stress associated with poverty. So what happens when you try to make sure being poor doesn’t means a life surrounded by decay? On this episode, we bringing you three very different stories about people with a common goal -- changing the look of poverty.

ON THIS EPISODE … we tell you what happened after our investigative show earlier this season about school suspensions. And we plant ourselves in Adams Elementary, a neighborhood school in south St. Louis, that is on a serious mission: equitable education and opportunities for all of its 300 students. What does it take to do this? We try to find out.

The relocation of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to north St. Louis has been heralded as a big win for the region. But it also meant relocating some 200 residents. St. Louis Public Radio’s business reporter Maria Altman has been covering the NGA relocation for months. As we resume the second season of We Live Here… Maria joins co-hosts Kameel Stanley and Tim Lloyd to take a closer look at what is being lost in the name of progress.

Our first live show! We teamed up with two local St. Louis orgs (UrbArts and Second Tuesdays) to bring you a night of live storytelling about race, class, poverty and power. This is just a teaser though. Find more at WeLiveHere.show.

We take a break from public policy and social systems, and instead explore different perspectives about what "My America" means to our listeners.

In our episode last week, we brought you stories of people navigating the nation's biggest program aimed providing housing for the low income, elderly and disabled. This week's podcast widens the scope a bit, and takes a look at the changes happening in federal housing policy. Trust us, it's a lot more exciting than it sounds! Featuring stories and voices from St. Louis, Chicago, Oakland and Phoenix.

Housing choice vouchers -- commonly known as Section 8 -- are supposed to give people with low incomes the freedom to pick where they want to live. But for many voucher holders, that's not how the story actually plays out. With help from reporters in Georgia and San Francisco, this week we explore just how tough it is to find affordable housing in America -- even with a little boost from Uncle Sam.

In 2015, 188 people were victims of homicide in St. Louis. In this episode, we bring you stories of those who have to cope and carry on. Because from a family, to a neighborhood, and beyond...as you follow the wake of each homicide, the ripples get wider and wider.

What's the Missouri legislature done in the two sessions since Michael Brown's death? A little, but not nearly as much as was anticipated in 2014, when Ferguson was in the international spotlight. In this episode, veteran political reporter Jason Rosenbaum, who's covered the story the entire time, gives us a retrospective look at the last two years and talks about what may come next.