Tower Grove CDC

For over 40 years, Tower Grove Community Development Corporation has facilitated development or developed properties to improve neighborhoods, eliminated nuisance/problem properties and provided quality housing. We’ve been busy starting new projects and evaluating/applying for more.

Below is a community update to highlight our current projects.

3629 Hydraulic Ave.

This is a 2 family rental renovation. 3629 Hydraulic was a long vacant property with an out of state owner. TGCDC purchased the property last year and demo, masonry, roof, and the clean out is complete. Sewer and water will be installed in two weeks. Framing has started with mechanicals to follow. March 2023 is the goal for completion. Thanks to RISE CDFI (https://risecdfi.org) for providing the financing. Thanks to TIAA Bank (https://www.tiaabank.com/) for supporting the renovation. And thanks to Alderwoman Green for her support.

3804 -06 Gravois Ave.

This is a 4 family rental conversion from a functionally obsolete 2 family. It was a long term problem property. TGCDC bought it from the previous owner, rethought the layouts and has started reconfiguring the property back into 4 one bedroom units. TGCDC will make sure the property is properly managed and visually pleasing from the exterior as a front facing Gravois Avenue asset! Thanks to RISE CDFI for providing the financing. Thanks to US Bank (https://www.usbank.com) for supporting the renovation.

3727 Chippewa Ave.

Years of neglect have taken it’s toll. TGCDC is working with Legal Services of Eastern Mo (https://lsem.org/), Alderwoman Green and the building division to demolish the long vacant problem property. The property had three heirs in multiple states who have no interest in dealing with the issues. Thanks again to LSEM for unraveling the problems and helping find a solution. The plans for the lot will be determined at a later date. One option will be to develop a new affordable single family home on the site.

4063 Potomac Ave.

This is a single family, for sale renovation project and the property has been vacant for over 10 years. TGCDC received the title after a lawsuit in partnership with Legal Services of Eastern MO. Demo, roof, sewer, water, clean up, and framing is complete. Mechanicals start 9/23/22. March 2023 is the completion date. Without TGCDC and LSEM, this property would have remained vacant and untouched due to the complicated title/mortgage issues. Thanks ot RISE CDFI for providing the financing. Thanks to PNC Bank for supporting the renovation.

4600 S Grand Ave.

TGCDC is working as a project manager to assit St. Joseph Housing Initiative (https://www.stjosephhousing.org/) to deliver a renovated affordable for sale home. The project is 80% complete and will be done in the coming weeks. This is the 8th project TGCDC has assisted with over the last 24 months and we’re proud to help another not for profit meet their mission goals. This property was also the result of a lawsuit by Legal Services of Eastern MO and with support from Dutchtown South Community Corporation (https://www.dutchtownsouth.org/)

3623 Hydraulic Ave.

This is a 2 family rental renovation. The roof has been hanging off the front facade for over a year. It is overrun by drug users and has been broken into dozens of times. With help from LSEM, TGCDC has secured possession and has completed the roof, masonry and some carpentry work. We will raise more funds to help leverage a loan for the full renovation. We thank PNC Bank (https://www.pnc.com/), US Bank, Midwest Bank Centre (https://www.midwestbankcentre.com/), St. Louis Community Bank (https://www.stlouiscommunity.com/) for initial sponsorships to help us with the effort.

Here are some projects in the works!

4910 Gravois Ave.

4910 Gravois Ave. Crossroads Senior Living

This is a planned 64 Unit Senior Housing Development. It’s our 5th year applying for a LIHTC award to bring an 18M investment to the Bevo Mill neighborhood. The project will have 52 one bedrooms and 12 two bedroom units. The project will include market rate units. Rents will range from $725 to $950 per month for a one bedroom and $880 to $1200 for a two bedroom unit. TGCDC is partnering with Luthern Senior Services on the project. We have already secured 5.1M from a HUD 202 program and $500,000 awarded from the City of St. Louis (Home/Community Development Block Grant). The LIHTC application will be submiited by 9/23/2022. Thanks to Midwest Bank Centre for the land donation. And to Alderwoman Howard, Alderwoman Schweitzer, the Better Bevo Now neighborhood association, Bevo CID, Newport Heights neighborhood asscoiation for your ongoing support.

4298 Chippewa Street

4298 Chippewa Ave/3822-24 Morgan Ford Rd.

The plan is for 16-24 one bedroom units of affordable/market rate housing. This is one of our most exciting projects to date. We are working to develop the highly visible corner of Morgan Ford Rd. and Chippewa Ave. into a modern housing development called The Ridge. Design Alliance has assembled the site plan, layouts and renderings. We are soliciting construction bids and looking at different ways to finance the project. A final decision will be made on the financial feasibility in the coming months. Based on anticipated construction pricing, some subsidy including tax exemption will be needed. More details will follow.

3506 Morgan Ford Rd.

3506 Morgan Ford Rd.

This site is proposed to be an 11 unit affordable/market rate housing development. The image attached is a test fit-conceptual drawing to show how the site may be developed in the future. TGCDC has an option on the property from LRA (Land Reutilization Authority) and we are waiting for the final tests from the previous site remediation to confirm what we can build on this former gas station site. Once the clean up is confirmed and no further action letter provided, we will continue our efforts to develop the long vacant site. Thanks to LRA (Land Reutilization Authority) and the City of St. Louis for working with us to bring a new development to the area.

As you can see from the above proposed redevelopment projects, TGCDC is keenly aware of the opportunity to connect a thriving Morgan Ford Road in Tower Grove South to the Bevo Mill neighborhood. Morgan Ford Road links Bevo Mill to Tower Grove Park, only a mile away. In all, the three projects could total 23M in housing development activity.

TGCDC is also committed to starting more work on the South Grand cooridor from Utah St. to Chippewa Ave. and further south in partnership with other stakeholders. Please see our business plan for more details.

The near South St. Louis City neighborhoods of Shaw, Tower Grove South and Southwest Garden, after 40 years of strategic redevelopment, have blossomed into some of the most desirable areas to live in the region. Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) leads the effort to eliminate vacant and nuisance properties, develop and facilitate development of market rate and affordable housing, and educate investors and property managers. The organization also brings to the marketplace innovative tenant screening and tenant placement services through HomeScreen and ARCH by HomeScreen.

The historic service area of Shaw, Tower Grove South and Southwest Garden neighborhoods has improved, and real estate redevelopment opportunities have dwindled. Due to a strong need to financially support our organization while continuing mission-driven work compatible with our capacity and experience, TGNCDC has started working with real estate services in neighborhoods outside of our historic service area. We continue to produce a citywide Landlord and Rehabber Training Program and have grown HomeScreen and ARCH By HomeScreen(At Risk Connection to Housing) into regional assets to screen tenants for housing and to help not for profit clients find and secure professionally managed housing.

Over the last 12 months, TGNCDC evaluated our services and staff experience, identified our skills and acknowledged our limited capacity. We also asked for and received feedback from local stakeholders about the needs of the community, and we accepted that our historic service area is no longer a low income Qualified Census Tract, which is mandatory for place-based federal funding. As we finished our five-year planning process, Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC), after careful thought, approved changing the name to Tower Grove CDC (TGCDC) to signify our expansion into the St. Louis metropolitan region (15 counties) while acknowledging we will still focus capacity on our traditional activities, including vacant/nuisance property abatement and affordable housing development in Shaw, Tower Grove South and Southwest Garden neighborhoods.

TGCDC Board President Janice Drake said, “We are officially growing our service area, but we are not leaving. Community development is cumulative, and we want to continue to build on the success of our activities to help other communities thrive.”

Every community development corporation in St. Louis City has been challenged by the change in the way City of St. Louis' Community Development Administration Community Development Block Grant (CDA CDBG) funding is allocated. CDA CDBG funding was previously 80% of the TGCDC budget, and it now represents 5%. CDCs must find ways to continue mission-driven work while being financially solvent. Tower Grove CDC has made a successful transition from facilitating development to the actual work of development and growing our other programming/reach through activities such as HomeScreen and ARCH by HomeScreen. To continue to serve our community, we need to keep growing our mission-driven business lines and stay focused on our achievable goals as it relates to our capacity and experience. Please take a moment to review our five-year business plan goals here.

The TGCDC board and staff would like to thank all of the stakeholders and planning experts who assisted us with the important decisions that will help ensure that our organization makes valuable contributions to its mission for years to come.

Our place-based ecosystem of community development corporations brings immense value to residents, businesses and other stakeholders in St. Louis City neighborhoods, and our impact should not be bound by working one side of the street and not the other. Only a comprehensive and collaborative approach will make the change we want and need to see. Tower Grove Community Development Corporation plants the flag every day with one overarching goal to help our city improve, and we are positioning our organization to continue the work across borders for years to come.

The Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that promotes responsible development, affordable housing, diverse character and vibrancy.

On June 29th, Baileys’ Range hosted a soft opening event for the community. Hundreds of neighbors and visitors to the neighborhood gathered at 4175 Shaw to enjoy an evening of milkshakes, burgers, and fries. The formerly vacant gas station was on the nuisance property list of Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) in 2010 before it came up on the Sheriff’s tax sale in August 2013. Gas stations on prominent corners dotted neighborhoods across St. Louis City and, as an organization, we knew the original building at 4175 Shaw had value and would create a visually interesting development on a highly visible corner. With TGNCDC board support, TGNCDC purchased the property at the tax sale and began the work to remediate the site (removing the gas tanks and any other environmental hazards) for future development.

Through the Department of Natural Resources, TGNCDC, as a not for profit, was able to secure FREE phase 1 and Phase 2 reports to determine the level of clean up needed. Additional remediation was determined to be necessary. TGNCDC applied for and was awarded a $160,000 grant from EIERA (Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority) to complete the cleanup. A no further action letter was delivered which opened the possibility for redevelopment without barriers. This is a key strategy for CDC’s to attract a developer.

In April 2016, after a successful RFP process, Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC selected David Bailey to redevelop the property. After delays with historic state and federal tax credits, Covid and other barriers, his team pushed forward to complete the development in June 2022. The multimillion-dollar investment into the Shaw neighborhood, which preserved and embraced the original building, is a benefit to the community by creating approximately 75 new jobs, removing a nuisance property and increasing the desirability of the neighborhood as a place to live, work, play and invest. The improvement of 4175 Shaw is a great example how Community Development Corporations identify problems, determine the appropriate solutions, secure grants to help, and patiently work through the process to a successful conclusion. Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC thanks David Bailey and his team for their persistence and commitment to completing the promised development.

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Thank you to STL City Mayor Tashara Jones and the department leaders who participated in two recent Town hall meetings. Thank you to all the concerned citizens who attended, shared thoughts, or submitted comments online as to how our city should allocate the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. You can still submit comments online: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/initiatives/arpa-community-needs-survey.cfm

You are invited to an April 26, 6:30-8:30pm, Landlord & Rehabber Training, Creating a Healthy Home, offered online in a Zoom meeting. Register here: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/91509703905?pwd=VGxKZkRZaHJDazBIdUE2bWJkK3djZz09

 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom. Save that email or copy and paste the information into your calendar. You will need that information to join the April 26 virtual workshop.  This session will feature:

·         Richard Reilly, the Energy Programs Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Earthways Center, was among the first to be certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) as a Healthy Homes Evaluator. Richard will provide an overview of this concept and review the eight primary healthy housing principles: Keep it Clean, Keep it Dry, Keep it Pest-free, Keep it Contaminant-free, Keep it Safe, Keep it Ventilated, Keep it Comfortable, & Keep it Maintained.

Come prepared with questions on how to Create Healthy Housing for your family & tenants.

 The 2022 Landlord & Rehabber Training is a Northside-Southside Collaboration between North Newstead Association, The Vacancy Collaborative, and Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC. This FREE training is open to all landlords, property managers, rehabbers, developers, and interested parties. Zoom is ADA compliant with exceptions. If you need special accommodations, or have any questions, please contact dana@towergrovecdc.org

 The goal of the Landlord & Rehabber Training Program is to stabilize our communities by building an eco-system of educated landlords, rehabbers, and small developers empowered to reduce vacancy and nuisance.  The program will enlist professionals from real estate, property management, law, accounting, preservation, & finance industries to share their knowledge on acquiring and developing real estate and implementing property management best practices.

 This activity is funded by a HUD Community Development Block Grant via the St. Louis Community Development Administration and coordinated by Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC, North Newstead Association, and The Vacancy Collaborative.

 COVID-19 RESOURCES: Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC has compiled resources for tenants, landlords, and property management during the pandemic – including rent & utility assistance. Review those here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17fz2vrAnqJwXWtv_zNIipfNG3uJQylwHDqsk8oTIwlc/edit?usp=sharing

St. Louis, MO – Two recent orders from the Missouri Public Service Commission helped mitigate the impact of Ameren Missouri’s recent rate increase for struggling families. Ameren Missouri, the state’s largest electric utility, filed for a $299 million rate increase that would have added $12 per month to the average electric bill. A coalition of consumer groups and energy efficiency advocates pushed back against the rate increase, lowering it to $220 million and securing a collective set of priorities that will help the most vulnerable families who have experienced severe utility debt and disconnections as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As a result of a settlement, Ameren Missouri must expand its “Keeping Current” program, which helps lower-income families reduce their utility debt and maintain service, doubling its budget from $2 million to $4 million per year, with Ameren’s shareholders contributing half. Ameren must also add May and September and expand program eligibility to 300% of the Federal Poverty level to reflect greater demand for utility assistance. Additionally, despite large commercial/industrial customers’ stance that residential customers should pay a larger share, the PSC determined that the rate increase will be apportioned equally.

Jackie Hutchinson with the Consumers Council of Missouri was one of the advocates pushing for expansions to the Keeping Current program, along with other priorities. Hutchinson stated: “This increase in Keeping Current/Keeping Cool Funding helps us protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable residents, those over 65 living on limited fixed incomes and low-income families with children 5 and under. It also expands our ability to serve families with higher income who struggle to pay due to high energy burdens.” 

The settlement also commits Ameren to: 1) launching a new “Critical Needs” pilot program to deliver focused assistance to individuals living with certain medical conditions; 2) launching a rehousing pilot program which will use existing bill assistance resources in order to rehouse individuals and families and return their utility service; 3) reducing late fees to 1% per month; 4) maintaining the monthly residential customer charge at $9, rather than a proposed increase; and 5) collecting and sharing aggregated customer usage data with stakeholders for use in a study on energy burdens across Ameren’s territory.

This settlement and the community support it now includes are the direct result of the collaboration of Missouri community advocates, which included: the Missouri Energy Efficiency for All coalition, Consumers Council of Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Homes for All St. Louis, and others. The group’s demands were voiced at local public hearings and in written public comments submitted by renters and advocates who insisted that their pandemic hardships be met with equitable solutions. For more information about how customers can seek assistance through the Keeping Current program and other opportunities, please refer to the Missouri Utility Assistance Guide posted here.

You are invited to a Feb. 22, Landlord & Rehabber Training, Funding Sources for RE Acquisition and Rehab, offered online in a Zoom meeting. Register here: https://umsystem.zoom.us/j/99831491897?pwd=ak5oK2FMQXJIQ1hTV0diNkRaSEtId

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom. Save that email or copy and paste the information into your calendar. You will need that information to join the February 22 virtual workshop.   This session will feature:

• Steve Bahru of CIBC, offers FHA, VA, Conventional, and Portfolio mortgage products.

• Colleen Hafner of Rise Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Rise’s CDFI focuses on lending to small neighborhood-scale real estate developers and minority-owned contractors.

• Renden Click of Gateway Neighborhood Fund, offering home purchase and rehab financing for STL city homes in areas where there are appraisal gaps. Gateway Neighborhood Fund is a collaborative initiative between local banks, the City of St. Louis, and community organizations, including EHOC and Justine Petersen - the fund’s administrator.

• Odester Saunders, Managing General Partner of LDS Management LLC, offers Logistics, Design, Strategies and Management concepts for planning, funding, marketing and development of residential and commercial Co-Op Ventures(c) with a focus on distressed neighborhoods.

Learn about the various funding sources, as well as 1st time homebuyer down payment assistance.

The 2022 Landlord & Rehabber Training is a Northside-Southside Collaboration between North Newstead Association, The Vacancy Collaborative, and Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC. This FREE training is open to all landlords, property managers, rehabbers, developers, and interested parties. Zoom is ADA compliant with exceptions. If you need special accommodations, please contact dana@towergrovecdc.org

The goal of the Landlord & Rehabber Training Program is to stabilize our communities by building an eco-system of educated landlords, rehabbers, and small developers empowered to reduce vacancy and nuisance.  The program will enlist professionals from real estate, property management, law, accounting, preservation, & finance industries to share their knowledge on acquiring and developing real estate and implementing property management best practices.

This activity is funded by a HUD Community Development Block Grant via the St. Louis Community Development Administration and coordinated by Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC, North Newstead Association, and The Vacancy Collaborative.

COVID-19 RESOURCES: Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC has compiled resources for tenants, landlords, and property management during the pandemic – including rent & utility assistance. Review those here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17fz2vrAnqJwXWtv_zNIipfNG3uJQylwHDqsk8oTIwlc/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks for your interest and thanks for reading!

St. Louis-based HomeScreen establishes its first technology integration with an enterprise property management platform to grow the impact of tenant screening services

[Saint Louis, MO, January 25, 2022] – HomeScreen, a nonprofit tenant screening service that works to create more equitable and stable rental housing within communities, announced that it has partnered with MRI Software, a global leader in real estate solutions. The partnership will expand the reach of its services to help even more landlords and property managers nationwide meet the demand for an inclusive and innovative tenant screening process. 

HomeScreen is a product of the Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation and is the only tenant screening service available that actively works to end the national affordable housing crisis. The net revenue generated from HomeScreen’s application fees is directly reinvested in creating more affordable housing. 

“HomeScreen allows both tenants and landlords to feel confident in their choice of a safe, affordable place to live,” said Janice Drake, Board President, Tower Grove. “We are pleased to be the only certified nonprofit partner to integrate with MRI.”

HomeScreen believes that affordable housing is a racial justice issue. The company has restructured the way tenant screening has historically been performed by incorporating alternative forms of data for credit invisible or justice-involved applicants. Using innovative, thorough, technology-driven and progressive screening criteria, HomeScreen recommends over 85% of the applicants that come through the platform, resulting in housing secured for tens of thousands of renters. 

“Since using HomeScreen, I have a 100% success rate,” said Jason Lukasek, a HomeScreen landlord since 2019. “No evictions as a result of using HomeScreen.”

“We are excited to announce that HomeScreen is now a certified MRI Solution Partner, affirming the solution has a scalable integration that is live and ready for implementations,” said Sean Slack, vice president of partnerships at MRI Software. “This partnership demonstrates our support of HomeScreen and the work they’re doing to end the affordable housing crisis, which aligns with MRI’s own commitment to strengthening and advancing underserved communities globally.”

HomeScreen selected MRI as its first enterprise property management software integration due to the company’s strong affordable and public housing footprint, thriving partner ecosystem, and mission alignment. MRI partners with more than 200 technology companies, included several tenant screening solutions, but HomeScreen is the only certified nonprofit partner. 

HomeScreen’s integration with MRI allows MRI clients to be onboarded quickly, delivering an exceptional experience for joint clients. The revenue generated from this partnership will also be used to enrich ARCH by HomeScreen: At-risk Renters’ Connection to Housing. ARCH is a database of available rental units shared with nonprofit organizations and was created in response to COVID-19’s economic impacts, especially on low-income renters. ARCH by HomeScreen launched in March 2021 and has led to hundreds of housing leads for the housing insecure.  

About HomeScreen

HomeScreen is a nonprofit tenant screening service that works to create more equitable and stable rental housing within communities. A product of the Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation launched in 2019, HomeScreen is a web-based software developed using grant funding through the Equifax Foundation. 

Tower Grove has served Saint Louis through supporting responsible development and creating affordable housing for over 40 years.

Contacts:

HomeScreen

Ella Gross

Manager

ella@towergrovecdc.org

TGNCDC is committed to making all rental properties more energy-efficient, especially our own portfolio.

We invested in energy efficiency improvements at (2) four-family buildings, utilizing Ameren’s Income Eligible Rebate program, co-delivered with Spire. We worked with Ameren’s program implementer, International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology, for audits and rebates and provided feedback on program delivery to the utilities at the Missouri Energy Efficiency Advisory Collaborative - Low Income Work Group.  Grants from the U.S. Bank Foundation helped make the projects possible.

At 3606-08 Bamberger the project included:

• installing (26) energy star rated windows

• (4) 15.5 SEER central A/C

• (4) 96% efficient gas furnaces, programmable thermostats

• LED bulbs

• shower and faucet aerators

• total cost = $41,096.30,

• ·rebate = $10,015.68

• U.S. Bank Foundation contributed = $25,000

• projected annual electric savings = $635

• projected annual natural gas savings = $1,340

At 3169-71 Alfred, the project includes

• installing (36) energy star rated windows

• (2) 9% efficient gas furnaces

• programmable thermostats

• LED bulbs

• shower and faucet aerators

• (4) energy star gas water heaters, to be installed

• Estimated total cost = $25,227

• Estimated rebate = $6,848

• U.S. Bank Foundation contributed = $30,000

• projected annual electric savings = $765

• projected annual natural gas savings = $914.  

In addition to working on our properties, we also worked with many like-minded organizations on the Energy Efficiency for All Grant, logging more than 800 hours advocating for healthy, energy efficient, affordable housing.

We look forward to continuing this work in 2022!  

As we enter the holiday season, we are reflecting on our newest program, ARCH by HomeScreen: At-risk Renters’ Connection to Housing. ARCH launched in March of this year to help renters whose housing was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic to secure housing in an unsecure time. ARCH can help renters with all types of housing barriers, including recent evictions, a criminal conviction, or credit issues.

Since launching, we have on-boarded over 90 landlords with over 380 properties to be shared with local nonprofits seeking housing for their clients. We have over 130 nonprofit users from 43 organizations currently using ARCH.

We have successfully housed a growing number of renters through ARCH and are gathering feedback from our landlords after a few months of tenancy. We wanted to share one success story, while sharing all parties’ privacy. 

HomeScreen: Thank you again for being one of the first landlords to sign up for ARCH and accept an applicant through the portal. Can you describe the process of meeting with your tenant for the first time? 

Landlord: Absolutely. I listed my property on the platform and got a phone call from the Caseworker. We discussed the Tenant and his criminal background. The Caseworker asked if I would be interested in moving forward. I was, so we all met face to face to view the property, including the Tenant and his son. At the meeting, I got a good impression from the Tenant and the Caseworker’s program, so I asked them to fill out an application. The background check verified what we already knew, so I was expecting the criminal record, but there were no other surprises. Next, we completed the occupancy and other inspections. The Caseworker’s boss came to the next meeting, which really gave me the sense that the Tenant was supported. I trusted the system they had created for the Tenant and he has been on time with payments every month since moving in in April. We have had no issues at all. 

HomeScreen: Was this the first time you have ever rented to someone with a criminal conviction before? 

Landlord: Yes, this was the first time, but I felt like as a smaller landlord I was compelled to take a chance on someone that a larger company might rule out automatically. 

HomeScreen: Oh that’s interesting. I always had a sense that smaller landlords might be more risk averse than larger companies. 

Landlord: Well, as a police officer for 20 years, I have a different set of life experiences than other landlords may have. I have a unique perspective on the criminal system and especially on someone who has spent many years in jail, like the Tenant had. The fact that the Tenant had a support system - his son, his Caseworker and her boss - standing behind him, made me comfortable with moving forward with the lease. They were all a part of his homecoming and had a plan in place to be successful. 

HomeScreen: And what would you say to a landlord who is on the fence about participating in ARCH? 

Landlord: I would say follow your heart and your mind. Each applicant is unique and has their own story and each landlord accepts tenants that fit their unique perspectives. 

HomeScreen: I love to hear you say that because we wanted to design ARCH to be a connection point for landlords and nonprofits who all share in our mission, but still give landlords control over their decision making process. 

Landlord: Exactly. I feel like I am working with a tenant I am drawn to.

HomeScreen: Well thank you again! I am excited to share your story with others. 

If you are considering becoming an ARCH Landlord, please reach out to us at info@myhomescreen.org. We are happy to help answer your questions about the program. And don’t forget to check out our new video explaining the program!

We are so excited to announce that The Popcorn Bar's grand opening is this Saturday November 20th from 1pm-4pm. The Popcorn Bar is the first business to open at 3802 Gravois which was previously a long term nuisance property. Our goal for the space was to support small, locally owned businesses and The Popcorn Bar is a perfect example!

"We have always loved Popcorn! One day we were in the kitchen experimenting and we came up with this popcorn recipe that was super delicious. Ever since then we have been out in the community letting others try it for free! We are an all female team who wish to succeed one pop at a time."

- Patricia Overton co-owner of The Popcorn Bar

Good News!  Our grant proposal was approved for the 2022 Landlord & Rehabber Training.  We will be collaborating with North Newstead Association and the Vacancy Collaborative on the delivery of this program.  The 2022 topics are:

1. Mediation and other Practices to Avoid Eviction

2. Funding Sources for RE Acquisition & Rehab

3. Vetting & Hiring Contractors

4. Creating a Healthy Home

5. Housing & Utility Assistance Programs

6. Marketing and Adhering to Fair Housing Laws

7. Nuisance & Abandonment Lawsuits

8. LRA, Tax Sales & Prop NS

9. Leases & other Property Management Tools

10. Missouri and Federal Tax Credits & Tax Abatement

The goal of this Collaborative Landlord and Rehabber Training Program is to stabilize our communities by building an eco-system of educated landlords, rehabbers, and small developers empowered to reduce vacancy and nuisance.  The program will enlist professionals from real estate, property management, law, accounting, preservation, & finance industries to share their knowledge on acquiring and developing real estate and implementing property management best practices.

Come to our trainings to learn, be empowered, and make a positive impact in our city.

This activity is funded by a HUD Community Development Block Grant via the St. Louis Community Development Administration.  We are grateful for their support.

Please direct speaker suggestion for any of these topics to dana@towergrovecdc.org.

Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC continues to make energy efficiency improvements on select properties, thanks to a U.S. Bank Foundation grant, Ameren, and Spire rebates.

Improvements at a four family building in Tower Grove South neighborhood at 3606-08 Bamberger were completed in the fall of 2021. Improvements included Energy Star rated windows, faucet and shower aerators, LED light bulbs, high efficiency gas furnaces and central air conditioning. The project is anticipated to produce annual savings of $414 on natural gas and $635 on electric. These are savings generated for the tenants.  Other anticipated benefits include improved indoor air quality, greater comfort, less drafts, reduced maintenance calls, and peace of mind.

We are grateful to U.S. Bank Foundation, Ameren, and Spire for supporting this project! Learn more about the opportunities from Ameren and Spire for your own properties!

This winter, utility prices are expected to increase. If you or your tenants need utility assistance, see the below programs below from Ameren and Spire. on the Covid-19 Resources Page.

The Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC mission is to promote responsible development, affordable housing and diverse character and vibrancy in the neighborhoods surrounding Tower Grove Park. We serve as a resources and vowed to keep our tenants safe and in secure housing throughout the pandemic. When tenants fell on hard times, we offered programs and resources to help. Our goal was to ensure that all of our tenants would be able to meet their basic human needs: food and shelter.

Over the past 18 months we have:

• secured $127,600 for rental assistance in total. We worked with Prosperity Connection & Red Dough to provide $32,100. When state funds were released, we secured $95,500 in rental assistance through ERAP (Emergency Rental Arrears Program) and SAFHR (State Assistance for Housing Relief). As the pandemic continues, we will continue to support our tenants in need of rental assistance. 

• provided $875 of grocery gift certificates to those who needed support.. The majority of our 90 tenants are low to middle income and many are or were employed in industries hit hard by the pandemic.

• connected with our tenants and encourage tenants to shelter in place and build community within the buildings. We kept our tenants informed by sending emails about city guidelines and how to stay safe. We supported tenants with creative ways to relieve stress like backyard gardens, fire pits and community spaces helped tenants socialize safely.

• compiled an extensive list of resources for tenants and procedures for property management and maintenance during Covid-19. This list includes free mediation services, as we encourage all landlords to use these resources before filing an eviction during this time.

We want to express our gratitude to TGNCDC’s Asset Manager, Kristan Nickels, who lead all of the efforts to date and continues to help our tenants and other members of the community navigate new programs. Because of her dedication, we can continue to provide safe, stable housing to our tenants now and in the future!

When TGNCDC purchased 3600 Bamberger in 2015 it was known as “the drug house on the corner.” The property had 117 calls for police service over 3 years for drug sales, assaults, and four calls for “shots fired.” 3600 Bamberger was an obvious target for our first property in The Wedge, the area located south of Gravois, north of Chippewa, and west of South Grand, because of its high profile corner location and nuisance issues. This property and our tenants have been the anchor for our redevelopment efforts in The Wedge for the past six years.  

In October of 2015, after some renovations and tenant screening through HomeScreen, new tenants started moving into 3600 Bamberger including Jessica.*  Jessica stayed with us as we set up a police substation in her building and worked to abate nuisance behavior on the block. She saw calls for service drop 71% in the first year. Jessica stayed with us as we purchased and rehabbed 11 other buildings with 40 rental units in the Wedge. Jessica stayed with us as we formed a partnership between HomeScreen and Prosperity Connection and took advantage of their free financial coaching. Now, bittersweetly, Jessica is moving on. She has purchased a house for herself and her family, one of her long-term goals. 

At TGNCDC, our mission is to make sure our tenants are supported and feel like valuable members of our community. Jessica has been a prime example of how our mission comes to life through our tenants. We will miss her! Please read the statement below from Jessica about her time as our tenant. 

When I moved to St. Louis I found myself in the classic slum-lord situation. They wanted all the money with none of the maintenance. After the first year they raised my rent and I thought “okay, that sucks”, but rolled with it. Over that year they would just show up and do things to my place without notifying me and my presence was not needed. Coming home to stuff being moved around, messes made, to find someone has finally fixed a drippy faucet months after you sent the maintenance reports was unsettling. The following year they raised my rent again and so I decided it was time to move on from the unkept building I found myself in.  A friend approached me and introduced me to TGNCDC. When they showed me the place I was soon to reside in it was like all of my hopes and dreams were coming true. The place had the right price, the right location from work, and gave peace of mind, with a police substation below my building.  

To say they are an excellent company to rent from could only be an understatement from my perspective. If it was broken they promptly fixed it, and did it with excellent communication. Often telling me the day before so I could have the opportunity to make a mad dash to clean around the house so I wouldn’t be ashamed. They are what one would expect from a rental agency but are hard to find. 

The thing that makes them exceptional is how they are there for you on another level. When the Ferguson Riots came to my neighborhood they reached out to make sure I felt safe. When life had ups and downs they were there for me. They would connect with me. They didn't abuse or betray my trust. When Covid-19 left me out of work for several months they were ready with programs to apply for rent and necessities assistance. Including them walking me through how to apply for food stamps.  

When my parents started feeling unwell I started to pressure them to move next to me. My step-father is disabled and on parole and could not move to my state without an address to go to. I talked to them and they allowed me to put my address as his landing spot.  Over a year later I got a call telling me my step dad was going to be paroled to me in two weeks.  Two weeks was not enough time to find a place for myself and my step dad. So I went on the process of buying a house.  They were more than patient during this rough transition. Letting my step-father stay there while I made ready the house. They also referred me to electricians and contractors that I felt I would need, being a first time home buyer. It was in no small part due to TGNCDC that I was able to get the house. They never once raised my rent. The money I would have spent on the trajectory that my previous rental company was charging equates to a large part of my down payment. 

Leaving my apartment is by far the hardest part of my move. It feels like losing a part of myself.  Although the door on that part of my life is closing as I walk through to the next adventure, I foresee myself missing that apartment throughout time. A place that wasn’t just my apartment, it was my first home.

If you would like to support TGNCDC’s efforts to create more safe, stable housing in the Wedge, please donate!

While Austin and Charlotte are examples of cities expanding now, let’s not forget STL City ran out of space to grow in the 1950’s! We had our growth spurt and while more is needed, not many cities can compare to STL CITY. Our housing boom started in the 1870’s through 1940’s, which means our solid red brick building stock is old and frequently needs attention. TGNCDC bought 3635 Hydraulic Ave. as a vacant property in 2015 then made improvements to keep the units occupied as affordable homes. We noticed some cracking along the front façade and hired an structural engineer to take a look. The structure was built in 1913 and over the years the front façade started pulling away and failing. Our board was faced with a very familiar decision, save the property and keep the block intact or demo the structure and create a vacant lot. They choose the former and work began. The result was over $70,000 of additional investment to create TWO newly updated and affordable two bedroom units rented at $700-$750 per unit. The building is now stable and positioned to last for decades to come! Attached are some photos of the before (when we purchased) and after.

In 2018, the Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC purchased a long-time nuisance property at 3800-02 Gravois in our continued attempt to stabilize the southern part of Tower Grove South, known as The Wedge. The property is our first mixed-use (commercial/residential) building. We invested a lot into the property because this corner is important to the stabilization and growth of the neighborhood. 

Completed in late 2019, the upstairs residential units were rented to amazing tenants. The pandemic set our plans back a bit, so the commercial spaces waited for the perfect tenants. Our goal for the commercial spaces was to add value to the residents of the area. We knew the importance of finding the perfect tenants (non-profit organizations/local businesses) versus just getting the spaces filled. It was a long road, but we are happy to announce that both spaces have been filled!

3800 Gravios, the larger of the two spaces, will become a consignment furniture store run by a local non-profit organization. The James Jackson Group Home for Pregnant Teens provides services to help pregnant teens develop skills necessary to independence and life as healthy productive adults, as well as responsible and capable parents. The store will benefit an amazing cause, and an affordable furniture store in an area with a high amount of affordable rentals will benefit the neighborhood as well.

3802 Gravois is the first retail storefront for a great, local, family-owned business. The Popcorn Bar STL will bring healthy snacks and jobs into the area. After running a successful business at Soulard Market, the PopCorn Bar STL is expanding into Tower Grove South.

We are excited to welcome both of these businesses to the Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC family! We can’t wait for them to open up over the next couple of months. 

A huge thank you to ArtScope and the neighborhood kids for creating a great mural for 3800 Gravois as well.  A little art makes a big difference in communities! 

To see more projects like this completed, please donate to Tower Grove Neighborhoods!

Last week, we had two staff members attend the 2021 Missouri Workforce Housing Association (MOWHA) Annual Conference. We are grateful for this opportunity to build relationships within the affordable housing industry and learn from the outstanding panelists, especially as we begin to adjust to the “post-Covid” reality.

Here are our key takeaways:

The US housing market does not have enough homes to meet current demand — and is short by 3.8 million, according to a new report from mortgage giant Freddie Mac. The supply crunch increased 52% between 2018 and the end of 2020, helping to drive up the price of homes in the US, according to the report, which was released in April 2021.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition compiles data for each state on housing needs. Here are Missouri’s stats: 

• 27% or 215,751 renter households are extremely low income. 

• $25,750 is the maximum income for a 4-person extremely low-income family in MO.  

• Our state has a shortage of 122,075 rental homes affordable and available for extremely low income renters.  

• $34,662 is the annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at HUD’s Fair Market Rent

• 65% of extremely low-income renter households have a severe housing cost burden.

In a Technical Update session, we heard about the DASH Act, The Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All Act, which includes proposals that would increase affordable housing production by 2 million affordable homes over the next decade.

Finally, affordable housing funders, developers, and insurance providers shared lessons learned over the past year, highlighting that

• insurance providers are now requiring higher limits

• a 25% increase in material costs is anticipated for 2022

• suggest developers include a cushion for both costs and the construction timetable

Despite rising costs and other complications caused by Covid, demand for affordable housing remains extremely high. We have to work together in order to produce the housing that our community needs. Use the link below to donate to TGNCDC and support our continued efforts to build, renovate, and manage affordable housing in our community.

We had a great discussion for the August 24th Landlord & Rehabber Training on Asking for Money and Preparing Your Pitch, led by Colleen Hafner, CDFI Director for Rise Community Development. (CDFI = Community Development Finance Institution).

Colleen reviewed the CDFI’s focus on lending to small neighborhood-scale real estate developers and minority-owned contractors. In our training session, Colleen brought her extensive wealth of knowledge on housing finance. She reviewed the information needed when asking to borrow money and shared her insights on how to prepare your application and development plan so the outcome is favorable.

In case you missed it the recording will be available and meeting materials will be accessible until September 10th. You will need to request access below.

Be sure to join us for the last session of 2021 on September 28th as we cover Missouri and Federal Tax Credits.

The 2021 Landlord & Rehabber Training is a Northside-Southside Collaboration between North Newstead Association, The Vacancy Collaborative, and Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC. This FREE training is open to all landlords, property managers, rehabbers, developers, and interested parties. Zoom is ADA compliant with exceptions. If you need special accommodations, please contact dana@towergrovecdc.org.

The goal of the Landlord & Rehabber Training Program is to stabilize our communities by building an eco-system of educated landlords, rehabbers, and small developers empowered to reduce vacancy and nuisance. The program will enlist professionals from real estate, property management, law, accounting, preservation, & finance industries to share their knowledge on acquiring and developing real estate and implementing property management best practices.