DeSales Community Development and Fox Grove Management have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help families access rental assistance so that they can stay in their homes. In December 2021, the DeSales and Fox Grove teams hosted their first-ever Rental Assistance Clinic and met with 15 families one-on-one to help them apply for almost $52,000 in Missouri State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR) rental assistance.
Regional Response Team COVID-19 Response
The Regional Response Team is out in the community to inform and strengthen populations that have been affected by COVID-19. While trying to prevent inequalities that arise! The Regional Response team is also advising Greater St. Louis to continue with safety precautions like wearing a mask, washing hands, and social distancing! COVID-19 Regional Response Team (RRT) guides!
Photo Credit Regional Response Team
Justine PETERSEN Profiled by Wall Street Journal for PPP Lending
Many small businesses across the country are struggling to make ends meet in the wake of COVID-19, and the St. Louis region is no exception.
To meet the need, Justine PETERSEN stepped up as a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lender to support small businesses in the St. Louis area who might not have connections with traditional banks. The Wall Street Journal recently took notice of how Justine PETERSEN is doubling down on their commitment to support small businesses in 2021.
Rebecca Mawuenyega of Dellwood Pharmacy was one of those businesses in the St. Louis area struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Her business benefitted from PPP lending at Justine PETERSEN after losing more than 40% of her revenue. Her business was able to receive $16,000 through the program at a critical time and is pursuing PPP lending for a second time due to recent increases in local COVID cases.
“Because the COVID numbers are going up, it’s happening again.”
-Rebecca Mawuenyega
The PPP loan made possible through Justine Petersen helped Dellwood Pharmacy to keep her business open and serving the local community.
And her business isn’t the only one benefiting from the program.
“There seems to be a healthy demand” said Galen Gondolfi, Chief Communications Officer at Justine PETERSEN. In the first week, they received about 150 inquiries from small businesses asking about the PPP program.
Rebecca Mawuenyega of Dellwood Pharmacy
Moreover, Justine PETERSEN has been tracking where their PPP lending is going. 75% of the $14.8 million in their PPP lending went to BIPOC-owned small businesses, which were much less likely to access PPP lending during the first round of the federal stimulus program.
Justine Petersen’s mission is to connect institutional resources with the needs of low- to moderate-income individuals and families, helping them to build assets and create enduring change - not just for each individual or family that they assist, but the community as a whole.
Justine PETERSEN is a member of the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, a partnership among eight CDFIs that offer an array of capital, development, and consulting services and share a common mission to empower a comprehensively healthy St. Louis community through support for nonprofits, small businesses, and communities facing disinvestment.
All photos from this story taken by Rebecca Mawuenyega. Read the full story from the Wall Street Journal here.
North County Inc. Shares 2020 Year-End Wrap-Up
Screenshot from NCI’s 2020 Year-End Wrap-Up
To celebrate the new year, North County Inc. put together a wrap-up of their progress and accomplishments over the course of 2020. Read on to learn more about how NCI helped support the region’s COVID-19 response, advocated for important funding and policy changes, shared stories about the great work happening in North County, and more.
The Access Foundation Cohosts PPE Giveaway
On December 12, The Access Foundation partnered with East St Louis Sr High School, Operation Food Search, The T STL, and St. Louis Area Diaper Bank to serve hundreds of families in the Metro East with food, diapers, and personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks.
Screenshot from video by the Access Foundation
Prosperity Connection Partnered to Provide COVID-19 Rental Assistance in 2020
Screenshot from Prosperity Connection’s 2020 year-end newsletter
Prosperity Connection partnered with Wells Fargo, PNC Foundation, Equifax Foundation, & U.S. Bank Foundation to support 179 renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with forgivable rent assistance. Renters referred by partnering nonprofit landlords had access to up to $2,000 in forgivable loans to cover multiple months of rent.
YouthBridge Community Foundation- Thanks in the Midst of Trial
Nonprofits have been on the front lines of the response to the COVID-19 crisis from the very beginning, at the same time, being one of the hardest hit sectors! During this time of thanksgiving, a thank you message to nonprofits moving diligently forward and to the many donors lifting them up in these difficult days.
Photo Credit YouthBridge Community Foundation
How COVID-19 Has Changed Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis' 2020 Home 4 the Holidays
Screenshot from video captured by KMOV4
Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’ Home 4 the Holidays initiative works with local families each year to help them build their own homes with 350 hours of sweat equity. With volunteer participation limited this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction is moving more slowly than usual, but homebuyer Darisha has continued to work on building her home with the Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis construction crew.
HomeScreen Partners with Employment Connection to Create New Landlord Database for Non-Profit Social Service Providers
HomeScreen, an initiative of Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC, and Employment Connection are partnering to create a database of landlords who are willing to work with local nonprofits to help those most in need of housing by the end of this year. Landlords using HomeScreen will have the opportunity to list their available rental units exclusively to non-profit social service providers (SSPs) at no cost.
Sinai Family Life Center Supports Students & Families Through Transition to Remote Learning
Photo by Derek Holtmann, Belleville News-Democrat
Sinai Family Life Center has been hosting an enrichment program to support East St. Louis students and their families through the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students bring their school district-issued Chromebooks and work on their daily lessons, receive educational support from former teachers, and are served breakfast and lunch.
Partners Cohost CommUNITY Hope & Wellness Day in the Wells-Goodfellow Neighborhood
Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) partnered with Wellston Loop CDC and a number of other community stakeholders to host a CommUNITY Hope & Wellness Day on Saturday, October 3 at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King and Hodiamont. The event included networking, COVID testing, an electrifying performance by St. Louis’ own Denise Thimes as Fannie Lou Hammer, Spoken Word, and much more!
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Helps Decipher the CDC's Anti-Eviction Order
Screenshot from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s website
Need help interpreting the national Anti-Eviction Order that the Centers for Disease Control announced last month? Legal Services of Eastern Missouri put together an easy-to-follow overview and presentation that can help.
West Community Credit Union Donates Company Minivan to Maplewood Resident Coordinating COVID-19 Support
Shana Jones, a Maplewood resident and Founder of Keep Pushing Inc., has lost eight family members to COVID-19 and is working through her nonprofit to help support others struggling to secure groceries and essential supplies during the pandemic. When Shana’s car was recently totaled in an accident, the team at her credit union, CBN member West Community Credit Union, decided to donate their company minivan to her.
Screenshot courtesy FOX 2 St. Louis
Dutchtown South CC & DeSales CD Team Up to Provide COVID-Safe Fall Soccer
Dutchtown South Community Corporation and DeSales Community Development are partnering up through the Southside Rec program to bring small-group soccer training to Marquette Park this fall! To keep this activity COVID-19-safe, soccer teams will be limited to 8 kids and won’t play other teams. Instead, they’ll have weekly practices and a scheduled time on Saturdays to scrimmage their own team.
Register your child(ren) to participate here, or contact Abby Miller (abby@desalescd.com) with questions!
Image by DeSales Community Development & Dutchtown South Community Corporation
DeSales Celebrates First Cohort of "Here To Stay" Eviction Prevention Program
The first cohort of the DeSales Community Development "Here To Stay" eviction prevention program graduated this past month with big success.
DeSales’ shared the most recent update in a recent Aug 24 newsletter:
“[The Here to Stay] program offers residents an alternative to eviction through a 3 month program that connects them to supportive services and financial coaching in order to regain stability. Not only did our first group of participants all avoid eviction, but they paid down their rental debt by an average of $1,600!
Two residents even ended their program with a credit to put towards future month's rent. What's more, many of them achieved personal goals during the program: One enrolled in a bachelor's level program for computer sciences, two were able to purchase vehicles, one joined a program to develop community leadership skills, and one made a significant improvement to her credit score. The fact that all this was done in the midst of a pandemic makes their accomplishments all the more impressive.
We are immensely proud of all our participants and grateful to our financial coaching partners, Prosperity Connection and LifeWiseSTL.”
The “Here To Stay” program is funded in part by the City of St. Louis’ Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Image by DeSales Community Development
Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC Compiles COVID-19 Resources for Tenants, Property Management, & Maintenance
Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC Property Manager Kristan Nickels has compiled resources for tenants & procedures for property management & maintenance during COVID-19.
Park Central Development Rolls Out New Financial Assistance Programs for Neighbors in Their Footprint
Park Central Development has rolled out a comprehensive new financial assistance program for residents in the neighborhoods they serve, including emergency utility assistance, rental/mortgage assistance, a minor home repair program, and more. Services are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
International Institute Delivers Rental & Mortgage Assistance For Immigrants in St. Louis City
The International Institute received a portion of the $5.4 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief that the City of St. Louis has allocated to rental and mortgage assistance from CARES Act federal funding. "With this funding we can provide several thousands in rental and mortgage assistance to a number of city residents, namely refugees and other qualified immigrants," said Ariel Burgess, IISTL VP of Client Services.
Applicants for the housing assistance program should come to the International Institute located at 3401 Arsenal, 63118 between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday - Friday. Language interpretation will be available. Services will be provided to all eligible individuals, regardless of language, disability, or ethnicity. For this program, the point of contact is P. Ariel Burgess, burgessa@iistl.org; 314-773-9090 ext. 115. If possible, email is preferred.
TGNCDC's HomeScreen Seeking Landlords to House Displaced Renters, Encourages Landlords to Seek Alternatives to Evictions
Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC’s HomeScreen program, a nonprofit mission-driven tenant screening service, is looking for landlords who are open to renting to those who have been displaced, knowing these renters will have the support of Employment Connection and other supportive service agencies. They’re also encouraging landlords to seek alternatives to evictions during this difficult time for our community.
Landlords who want to help can take HomeScreen’s survey here.
Rise Begins Work at Gene Slay's Girls & Boys Club Downtown
Rise Community Development recently announced that work has begun on the Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club (GSGBC) Dutchtown Satellite in the former St. Hedwig’s School on Pulaski Street. They note that “the expansion of neighborhood organizations, faith groups, and local businesses to serve as safe places for youth was a priority during development of the Gravois Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan. This project represents a step toward achieving that vision.”
Photo by Rise
