Help DeSales Plant Seeds for the Future
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
This year has been a year of big undertakings and big changes at DeSales. We have seen the results of our work come to fruition, and we have planted promising seeds for the future. We transitioned to a new Executive Director, all while continuing to pursue new opportunities for positive change in our neighborhoods. There is so much more work to do, and for that we need your support.
At the beginning of 2022, we sold 2528 Texas Ave in Fox Park to Blackline Construction to develop 79 new apartments. We collaborated with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up over 10,000 gallons of hazardous liquids from a nearby abandoned bumper-plating facility. In the midst of all this, Executive Director, Tom Pickel, announced he would be retiring after 35 years, and the Board of Directors appointed Assistant Director, Becky Reinhart, as his successor.
While these big moves were taking place, Fox Grove Management oversaw the upkeep and operations of over 1,300 units of affordable housing throughout St. Louis. Our staff was prepared to support residents when five buildings under our management were flooded in July. DeSales invested over $400,000 in major repairs to some of our longest-held buildings in Fox Park and Tower Grove East. Through our SouthSide Rec program, kids truly hit the fields for the first time since 2020, with over 300 children participating in free and low-cost sports leagues in their neighborhood. And, throughout the year, property managers and the Community Services Coordination team assisted rental residents in accessing $2 million in rental assistance. Through these efforts, DeSales and Fox Grove staff were able to maintain stability for our community in a year that was anything but stable or predictable.
So, what’s next? The New Year will bring more big moves. The bumper plating facility will need to be thoroughly assessed and remediated for redevelopment. Together with our partners at Oakland Group, we will proceed with a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit-funded preservation of King Louis Apartments – a 152-unit property on the site of the former Darst-Webbe public housing complex. We will embark on $750,000 of major repairs to 15 of our long-held buildings. And, we will continue to engage with our community to plan new development and affordable housing in our neighborhoods. This work takes time and patience, and your support makes it possible.
With much hope for the future, we ask for your support, so we will can plant more seeds and tend to them, and continue to help our neighborhoods grow as healthy, diverse urban communities with quality housing. Thank you for your ongoing friendship and support!
Becky Reinhart Tom Pickel
Executive Director Ex Director
Want to donate via check?
Mail or drop off a check made out to DeSales Community Development at:
2759 Russell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63104