2022 Annual Report
In mid 2022, Tower Grove Community Development Corporation (TGCDC) Board of Directors adopted our five year business plan (here). The plan outlines 5 primary goals that reflect our capacity, experience, and funding to help our community while considering our growth as an organization into an expanded service area. They are:
Develop a minimum of 111 rental units and increase availability of affordable single-family homes
Increase landlord and tenant satisfaction through effective use of HomeScreen
• Objective 2A: Professionally process 35,065 tenant screening applications
• Objective 2B: Add 3,000 Prosperity Connection referrals for personal financial training
• Objective 2C: Add 750 new landlords
• Objective 2D: Implement a new rent reporting option to help improve clients’ credit scores
• Objective 2E: Increase Arch by HomeScreen network of users to 500
• Objective 2F: List 2000 properties for ‘At Risk’ tenants and place 200 ‘At Risk’ people into stable homes
Professionally deliver education and consulting services for neighborhood stabilization efforts
• Objective 3A: Offer landlord/rehabber training
Support neighborhood revitalization and stabilization efforts in areas outside of our historic service area.
• Objective 4 A: Consult with other CDCs and nonprofits (10 hours a month in consulting services)
Enhance TGCDC residents’ experience through supportive services
• Objective 5A: Develop a printed and online directory of service providers and community resources
• Objective 5B: Advocate for energy efficiency
• Objective 5C: Collaborate on home repair programs
Below is our report to the community highlighting our progress towards these goals including some preliminary outputs and outcomes. Our 2022-2026 business plan was created using our framework and vision plan (here) as a foundation. We’re proud of the service we’ve delivered to the community for over 41 years!
NAME CHANGE AND EXPANDED SERVICE AREA
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.”
Real Estate Development
Crossroads Senior Living at Bevo Mill
The highlight of 2022 was our successful Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) award to build a 64 Unit Senior Housing Development. It was our 5th year applying for a LIHTC award to bring an 18M investment to the Bevo Mill neighborhood and now the work begins to bring it to life! The project will have 52 one bedrooms and 12 two bedroom units. TGCDC is partnering with Lutheran Senior Services on the project. Thanks to Midwest Bank Centre for the land donation. And thanks to Alderwoman Howard, Alderwoman Schweitzer, the Better Bevo Now neighborhood association, Bevo CID, Newport Heights neighborhood association for your ongoing support.
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. Sewer, water, demo, masonry, roof, framing, plumbing, HVAC, and a new Roof is complete. 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! Electric is complete and plumbing has started. We expect to be done by April. 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 its toll. TGCDC worked 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 had no interest in dealing with the issues. Thanks again to LSEM for unraveling the problems and helping find a solution. We have an interested builder and hope to have a new single family property on the lot.
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, plumbing, electric, HVAC, drywall and flooring is complete. April 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 to RISE CDFI for providing the financing. Thanks to PNC Bank for supporting the renovation.
4600 S Grand Ave.
TGCDC worked as a project manager to assist St. Joseph Housing Initiative (https://www.stjosephhousing.org/) to deliver renovated affordable for sale homes. The project is complete. 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/) As we move on from our project management duties and back to managing our own redevelopment projects, we wish St. Joseph Housing Initiative success in the future!
3231 Alfred
3231 Alfred had an out of state owner who had no interest in maintaining or being responsible for his property. TGCDC and Legal Services of Eastern MO filed a lawsuit against the owner and TGCDC gained possession after many months of work. TGCDC talked with neighbors and structural engineers then concluded renovating the building was not financially feasible due to condition including frame construction and the floor plan being functionally obsolete. TGCDC worked with the neighbor adjacent to the site to help them acquire it at a nominal price. They have built a new addition on their property while creating more green space. A new fence is forthcoming.
3623 Hydraulic Ave.
3623 Hydraulic Ave. is a 2 family rental renovation. The roof had been hanging off the front façade for over a year. It was 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, some masonry and some carpentry work. We raised about $75,000 to help leverage a loan for the full renovation. We thank PNC Bank (https://www.pnc.com/), TIAA Bank, US Bank, Midwest Bank Centre, Enterprise bank, Simmons Bank, First Bank, Midland States Bank (https://www.midwestbankcentre.com/), St. Louis Community Bank (https://www.stlouiscommunity.com/) and all the others stakeholders and donors from our fundraiser for initial donations/sponsorships to help us with the effort.
FUNDRAISER- SUSTAINING HOUSING DREAMS
Tower Grove CDC brought our annual fundraiser back in 2022 and celebrated the opening of Baileys’ Range in Shaw. The event raised $43,000 to help with the renovation of 3623 Hydraulic Ave. Over 120 people were in attendance. TGCDC awarded Kara and David Bailey our coveted Developer Award and Legal Services of Eastern MO our Community Service Award. In addition, TGCDC board of Directors celebrated Janice Drake for her 40 years of service to the community and 7 years as TGCDC board president with a plaque dedicating our headquarters at 2337 S Kingshighway Blvd in her name.
Property Management and Community Support
In 2022 Tower Grove CDC continued to support our tenants who were affected by the Covid pandemic physically and financially by applying for rental support through SAFHR. This year we were able to secure $49,640 in rental support for our tenants. This brings the total for Covid rental support to over $180,000 since the pandemic began.
We continued our work with Covenant House to supply work training for unhoused youth. We also continued to build partnerships with other not for profit organizations to help with housing underserved members of our community.
We are a Safe Housing provider for the Metro Trans Umbrella Group of St Louis (MTUG) who provide support for LGBTQIA+ individuals in need of fair and safe housing. In 2022 we were able to place 7 referrals from MTUG into housing and created a network within our rental community to ensure safety and provide support.
This year we partnered with a new not for profit, Opportunity Housing STL, whose goal is to facilitate housing and provide social services and life skills training to at-risk people who have barriers to housing due to ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation. In 2023, we will place 8 individuals being served by Opportunity Housing STL in newly renovated rental units. Once placed, these individuals will receive ongoing counseling and training from Opportunity Housing STL staff and social workers.
In the Wedge we have also dealt with a number of nuisance properties that were affecting the daily lives of residents. 3710 Hydraulic is a 4 family building that has been sold a number of times to out of state investors over the past 2 years. During that time, over 30 individuals had taken up residency in the building, squatting in the vacant apartments and the basement. Drug dealing, fights, and weapons being brandished were daily occurrences residents were forced to deal with. Working with residents and our tenants on the block, we were able to get enough calls for service for the building to be tagged a nuisance and after months of reaching out to the SLMPD we were finally able to get momentum and support. In December of 2022 the building was raided by the police and several arrests were made. The owner was forced to meet with the city nuisance attorneys with the threat that if the nuisance activity starts up again, the building will be boarded by the city for a year. 3636 Gustine is a vacant house that was broken into repeatedly and used as a squat for drug dealers and addicts. We found the owner, who lives an hour away and is dealing with a debilitating illness, but agreeable to work with us to save his property. He hired a property manager who has been responsive and proactive in resolving the nuisance. They are rehabbing the house for rental or potential sale and in December, it was broken into again. Thanks to the engaged “community” we have built, we were able to notify the manager immediately and they were able to clear the building. Until it is rented/sold this will be an ongoing issue but thanks to the residents nearby we will continue to support the progress of this building.
Due to the number of vacant buildings in the Wedge, there was a large uptick in crime and vagrancy in the area in 2022, local small businesses were affected as well. To help combat this we set up meetings and lines of communication between multiple businesses that are in the area. Bringing members of the SLMPD and the neighborhood NIS to the meetings and creating proactive strategies to report and combat the ongoing drug dealings, theft and panhandling which deterred customers from visiting the businesses. Between our purchases of 3623 and 3629 Hydraulic, the raid at 3710 Hydraulic, and the consistent boarding and monitoring of 3636 Gustine, we have seen a significant decrease in the presence of the drug dealers and panhandlers.
South Grand Median Maintenance
DeSales CDC, South Grand CID and Tower Grove CDC, along with our local political leadership of, Alderwoman Rice (8th Ward) and Alderwoman Ingrassia (6th Ward) worked together to formed Friends of South Grand to clean up and maintain the South Grand Medians. In just one year this collaborative, community-driven effort succeed in raising over $26,000 in donations from 45 groups and individuals to support the maintenance of the South Grand medians - the entrance to our neighborhoods. With your support, we engaged Focal Pointe Outdoor Solutions to conduct 28 weekly maintenance visits, totaling over 400 hours of labor. With your support, the South Grand Medians will have an even brighter year ahead in 2023. Alderwoman Rice (8th Ward) and Ingrassia (6th Ward) have committed a combined $56,000 to install a new, easier to maintain irrigation system. Missouri Department of Conservation has committed to reimbursing the cost of additional pollinator-friendly plants to be installed in Fall 2023. A porter service will be contracted to complete twice weekly litter pick-up.
Landlord and Rehabber Training
Landlord & Rehabber Training
Delivery of the Landlord & Rehabber Training was a joint venture with North Newstead Association (https://northnewstead.wordpress.com/) and the Vacancy Collaborative (https://www.stlvacancy.com/), with 10 training sessions, 21 professionals sharing their knowledge on best practices in real estate, property management, law, accounting, preservation, & finance. A total of 270 individuals attended the virtual training sessions and there were 236 requests for the program recordings. TGCDC distributed resources for housing providers and tenants which included rent and utility assistance, as well as free mediation services - as an alternative to evictions.
Energy Grant
Strategic planning in the energy realm prioritized relationship building in 2022 – directing participation in numerous coalitions, all working to ensure families & individuals with low incomes can live in healthy, energy efficient housing. Tower Grove CDC uplifted our tenants’ concerns at a Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing, resisting natural gas utility rate increases. The outcome: Spire requested $152 mil, PSC approved a $78 mil increase, the fixed customer charge decreased from $22 to $20/month. The Low-income Affordability Payment Partner Program was increased by $1 million annually to $3.3 mil, with the increase paid by Spire’s shareholders. Customer eligibility for the Payment Partner Program to expand to 300% of federal poverty level through April 30, 2023. Spire will provide an additional $500k (funded equally by ratepayers and shareholders) to the Critical Needs Program – a program designed to protect customers who are seriously ill from gas service disconnection.
HomeScreen and Arch By HomeScreen
HomeScreen had its highest volume year ever, seeing 20% growth from 2021. We processed a total of 3191 applications: 2,999 full screenings, and 192 pre-screening applications. We onboarded 219 new landlords this year, which contributed to the growth in application volume.
We used funds from the American Rescue Plan to advertise HomeScreen on Google and Meta to landlords, specifically pushing the ARCH by HomeScreen program, At-risk Renters' Connection to Housing. Our Google Ads got over 26k clicks in five months, and 2,500 clicks from the Meta Ads over four months.
We ended 2022 with 169 landlords on the ARCH program with an average of 352 properties. We exceeded our goal for nonprofit partnerships and have 77 organizations on the platform with 270 individual users. We processed 60 applications through the ARCH by HomeScreen program. 30% of these applications were approved for housing, meaning permanent, affordable housing for 18 households.
2023 Outlook
TGCDC will continue to build on our programs to achieve our goals while making sure our results meet expectations. Our development strategy will move to South Grand between Utah Ave and Bates Street, in partnership with Legal Services of Eastern Mo (LSEM) and other stakeholders in the area. We will also participate on a more intimate level in Bevo Mill as our Crossroads Senior Living project takes shape. Increasing funding for HomeScreen and Arch By HomeScreen will be a priority. Income from our tenant screening volume is not matching our program expenses. However, our work with Arch By HomeScreen, including a focus on providing services around homelessness, is gaining traction and has immense potential to address a major need in our community. Closely monitoring our Landlord and Rehabber Training for improved participation and proving more tangible results from our Energy grant work are also in our plans for 2023.
The board president is Janice Drake (8th year), the Vice President is Jason Kempf (8th year/Area-Wide Chair), the Treasurer is Denise Evans, and the Secretary is Blake Hamilton. Our other esteemed board members are Jim Zirngibl (Wedge Committee Chair), Colleen Hafner (Governance Chair), Jillian Guenther, Ray Flojo. Jeffrey McGee, and Vihar Sheth. We thanks all our board members for their volunteer time and their participation.
Conclusion
We work in an exciting space where concentrated investment and hard, daily, work affects peoples’ lives and our community in a positive way. At one time, our historic service area including Tower Grove South, Southwest Garden and Shaw neighborhoods were struggling. Now they are considered destination neighborhoods and provide increased tax revenue to the city to help other neighborhoods improve and receive services. We look forward to taking what we’ve learned and our organizational expertise/professional experience to help other neighborhoods while staying connected to our historic service area through blight removal, affordable housing creation, tenant screening/housing placement services, education, historic preservation and other related work. Thanks to our community partners (some are displayed our poster below) who support and believe in our mission. And a huge thanks to our team, Kristan Nickels, Ella Gross, Dana Gray, Adam Drake and Caitlin Sterman. All our accomplishments are rooted in their passion and dedicated service to the City of St. Louis and beyond.
