October Newsletter

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Vacancy Collaborative News

10 Prop NS properties are available for sale! Prospective purchasers can submit offers to purchase on this site. Because these buildings will still need additional work to reach a condition that meets occupancy standards, LRA will still review all offers to ensure that purchasers have the necessary resources and capacity to bring buildings up to code. The bid window for these properties closes at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Wednesday, October 12th. Submit any questions to the contact form on the bottom of this page.

Millions of Dollars Coming To North St. Louis to Combat Vacancy Issues

Overdue improvement for St. Louis’ vacancy scourge could also bring payday for derelict property owners. In this article, St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative resource tool "Vacant Property Explorer" provided data to expose the high number of vacant properties in the city of St. Louis.

At least $37 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, sent from the feds to combat the disastrous impacts of COVID 19 — and potentially $150 million more — is expected to flow into north St. Louis neighborhoods, according to the city’s mayor and an official with St. Louis Development Corporation, the city’s development arm.

Read the full story here.

Save the Date

The St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative will host our first holiday fundraising event on December 14, 2022.

Mark your calendars for an evening event. More information to come soon.

Vacant Lot Turned Into A Produce Subscription Program Created By Tyrean Heru Lewis

"After chatting with stakeholders on his block, he applied for and received a garden lease through the city of St. Louis' Land Reutilization Authority — $5 for a five-year lease to grow food in a vacant lot across the street from his North City house."

Read the full article here.

The Community Revitalization Grant Program

The $100 million fund encourages strategic investment to revitalize communities and spur economic recovery and growth by supporting local projects in areas such as tourism, downtown development, and blight mitigation. The applications are open and will close a 11:59 pm on November 30th, 2022. Appl y here.

2 Acre Park Now Open for Visitors

Our friends over at Pocketparks have unveiled a new park near IKEA. 2 Acre park is two acres of pleasant meadow with seating as well as a crop circle and a sculpture of a DNA double helix. You can read more over on the Pocketparks website.

Racial Equity Spotlight

St. Louis Leaders Release the Economic Justice Action Plan

The Economic Justice Action Plan has been released. This is a strategy to empower, develop, and transform the City of St. Louis through a vibrant, just and growing economy in which all people can thrive.

The Economic Justice Action Plan proposes an unprecedented investment in marginalized communities in St. Louis—particularly North City—and is comprised of three strategic pillars: economic empowerment, equitable & inclusive development, and neighborhood transformation. Each pillar is critical to the future of our city and the region at large.

Check out and download the full plan here.

In Case You Missed It!

ARPA survey results are in -- and Mayor Jones is listening

ARPA Rewind... if you didn't catch this the first time around, we're really excited about some of the outcomes.

The City's survey for how to best spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds is in with 4,215 responses, with just over 77% from city residents.

The top three priorities chosen by residents are: 1.) neighborhood transformation (chosen by 20%), infrastructure improvements to make the city safer (19%) and children and youth (15%). More specifically, answers from survey respondents include "expanding resources for vacant building and lot stabilization 'through rehabilitation when possible and demolition when necessary'" (chosen by 21%), "provide funds to address potholes, install LED lighting and implement traffic calming, surfacing and other street improvements (21%), and funding construction and rehab for housing, including more tiny homes (18%). Read the full story here.

Vacancy to Vibrancy Toolkit Helps St. Louis Residents Turn Vacant Lots into Green Space

The Vacancy to Vibrancy toolkit got some good press in St. Louis Magazine recently. Ronald Jones, who was an AmeriCorps VISTA for two years with the Vacancy Collaborative and the Community Builder's Network says that a lot of neighborhoods with high rates of vacancy run into similar problems, chiefly not knowing how to contact the owner of a vacant building or lot.

Read the full magazine article here.

St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) Accepts $1 Million from the EPA

The US Environmental Protection Agency awarded the St. Louis Development Corporation with a grant for $1 million to go towards the remediation of brownfield sites in the city's northern neighborhoods and the central corridor. Brownfields are former industrial sites with contaminated soil that is usually a health hazard. Brownfield sites and other types of pollution can be a serious barrier to revitalizing a neighborhood.
Read the full story here.

This St. Louis Church was Left in Ruins. Now it Begins a New Life as an Arts Venue

The Spring Church was

left a hollowed-out frame after it was gutted by an electrical fire in 2001. Recently, it has been acquired by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and is now being transformed into a public venue for art displays.

Read more here.

Events and Resources

Landlord & Rehabber Training 2022 Session

You are invited to the October 25th, Landlord & Rehabber Training, Missouri & Federal Tax Credits & Tax Abatement. Register here: https://bit.ly/3CHeCOp

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 October 25th virtual workshop.

Gateway Neighborhood Fund Rehabber Roundtable

The Gateway Neighborhood Fund invites rehabbers and developers to join us for a presentation and roundtable discussion about this new loan fund.

The Gateway Neighborhood Fund (GNF) is a collaboration between the City of St. Louis, community reinvestment advocates and local lenders. The collaboration is designed to facilitate purchase/ rehab lending for those that have been cut off from existing financing, allow families to preserve their homes by giving them access to funds for deferred maintenance of existing homes, and create a capital access environment that encourages neighborhood stabilization and reduction of vacant housing.

Presentation by Randen Click, Housing Manager at Justine PETERSEN, along with other members of the Board of Managers for the Gateway Neighborhood Fund.

Learn more about the Gateway Neighborhood Fund online at https://www.gatewayneighborhoodfund.com/

Register to Attend

St. Louis Realtor Reimagining St. Louis Expo

Join the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative at the Reimagining St. Louis Expo. We will have a table at this amazing event.

Reimagining St. Louis Expo is a community resource event that will provide financial education and resources to help St. Louis area residents achieve financial stability, improve their financial position, and gain the knowledge and tools to purchase a home.

To attend this FREE event register here.

Job Postings

Green City Coalition is hiring for a Program Coordinator -- Nature Steward to oversee the management of landscapes in City parks and community green spaces, and to collaborate with regional and state partners in the development of a green jobs training program. The Nature Steward is a full-time salaried position with the City of St. Louis Forestry Division.

Saint Louis University School of Law is seeking a Staff Attorney for the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic for academic year 2022-23. Reappointment for up to two additional terms is possible based on performance and funding availability. Details about the ECD Clinic are here and here. The Staff Attorney works under the direction of the ECD Clinic Director and participates in all aspects of the ECD Clinic on a full-time basis at the School of Law (40 hours per week with standard SLU benefits). This position is ideal for individuals interested in entrepreneurship and community development law and those interested in working with students and community-based clients. To learn more, contact Dana Malkus (dana.malkus@slu.edu).

Tower Grove Community Development Corporation is hiring an Application Specialist to process HomeScreen applications from potential tenants and make referrals to landlord/property managers. Pay is $18.50/hour. To learn more, you can find the application here.

Grant Available

The St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission is funding events with the goal of increasing access to safe spaces for youth aged 16-25 that are most impacted by gun violence. You can read more and apply for the grant here.

Vacant Property Resource

The Vacant Property Explorer, introduced in July 2021, is a robust tool for viewing and exploring potentially vacant properties in the City of St. Louis. This new tool displays likely and confirmed vacant properties in the City, combining data from several City departments. The new Explorer automatically updates on a monthly basis and provides more detail on the property's history, status and burden to the surrounding area.

Just click on a colored parcel on the map to learn more about that property. See something that needs updating? Once you click on the property, a popup box will appear on the left. Then just click the Report It dropdown arrow to alert the City department you wish to receive notice.

Vacant Lot Toolkit
Check out the new Vacant Lot Toolkit! This resource guide was developed as a tool for neighbors and community organizations interested in revitalizing a vacant lot in the City of St. Louis.

Click here to view and download.

Vacancy Collaborative Recurring Meetings

The Vacancy Reading Group has continued meeting during COVID via zoom. All are welcome! Contact: dana.malkus@slu.edu for more information.

Working Group Meetings

Anti Displacement:
Meets on the Fourth Thursday of the Month at 5:30pm. Contact: stldisplacementwg@gmail.com for more information.
Data Analysis:
Standing Meetings TBD. Contact: Torrey @ torrey@communitybuildersstl.org for more information
Neighborhood Engagement: Meets on the First Thursday of the Month at 12:00pm. Contact: Dana @ dana.malkus@slu.edu for more information.
Reinvestment and Reuse:
Meets on the First Tuesday of the Month at 10:00am. Contact: Samantha @ samantha.lee@pocketparks.co for more information.
Stabilization, Maintenance, and Demolition:
Meets on the Fourth Wednesday of the Month at 11:00am. Contact: Laura @ ginnl@stlouis-mo.gov for more information.
Vacancy Prevention:
Meets every other Third Thursday of the Month at 4:00pm. Contact stlvacancypreventionwg@gmail.com for more information.

You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed, attended a working group meeting, or another Vacancy Collaborative event.

What is the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative?
The St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative (VC) is a coalition of community members, private and non-profit stakeholders, and City agencies committed to reducing vacant property in St. Louis. The VC helps to coordinate existing vacancy efforts under one umbrella and empowers the public and private sectors to work together toward solutions. We convene committees and working groups to facilitate systemic change, advance new policies, share success stories, and support neighborhood-centric solutions. Head to www.stlvacancy.com for more information.

Funding to support the coordination of the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative was provided, in part, by Missouri Foundation for Health, the Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Bank, and many generous individual donors.

You can make a donation now if you are so inclined :)

Donate!

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