Our Mission

Our History

DeSales Community Development (originally named DeSales Community Housing Corporation) is a non-profit organization founded in 1976 with a mission to promote investment and revitalization in the Fox Park and Tower Grove East neighborhoods of the City of St. Louis, gaining a reputation as a leader and innovator among local community development organizations. DeSales was among the first organizations formed for this purpose in St. Louis. As such, it lacked a local role model and had to chart its own course under the guidance of its community-based board and one-person staff.

When DeSales was formed, the City of St. Louis had experienced over 25 years of population loss and disinvestment. Many households had moved to suburbs that grew with substantial support from public policies. Some banks and insurance companies would not do business in parts of the city they deemed to be in decline, a policy called redlining.

To address these challenges, DeSales initially prioritized neighborhood organizing and promoting its neighborhoods as good places to live, work, and do business. DeSales helped to form neighborhood associations in Fox Park and Tower Grove East. These brought residents together to work for neighborhood betterment. Through outreach to specific audiences and with special events such as house tours, DeSales coordinated community efforts to acquaint lenders, the real estate community, and the public with the unique historic nature and good quality of life of the neighborhoods.

Around 1980, DeSales helped organize an effort to take advantage of a new tool to attract investment within its service area. In 1976, the same year DeSales was founded, the federal government had created the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit to provide a financial incentive to rehab buildings in designated historic districts. Working with elected officials and neighborhood residents, DeSales led an effort to create the Compton Hill Historic District. This encompassed the area between Shenandoah Ave. and Interstate 44, from Jefferson to Grand.

Then, with funding provided by the city’s Community Development Agency, DeSales acquired vacant buildings within the new district. These buildings were subsequently sold to two private development companies that used the new tax credit to create market-rate apartments. These projects rehabbed dozens of historic buildings and produced over 150 modern apartments to attract new residents.

In 1986, another change in federal tax law reduced the historic credit and eliminated key tax advantages for investing in commercial reals estate. As a result, plans for many rehabilitation projects in St. Louis and elsewhere were shelved. A subsequent economic recession added to a sense in the neighborhoods that a period of substantial investment and progress had ended.

In the 1990s, DeSales determined that a community-based strategy was needed to address the high proportion of absentee-owned rental properties in parts of its service area, and thus decided to become a developer and owner of multi-family housing. Over the years DeSales has utilized the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program as an effective tool to improve properties and produce quality affordable housing. DeSales gradually expanded its multi-family portfolio, focusing its investment in the most vulnerable areas and blocks in Tower Grove East and Fox Park. Today DeSales owns over 300 market rate and LIHTC apartments. View our development projects here.

In 2004, DeSales made another strategic decision to form a property management company to assume management of its multi-family portfolio. It formed an affiliate, Fox Grove Management, which began managing DeSales’ properties on January 1, 2005.

DeSales has also been a leader in building collaborative relationships and has more recently sought to apply its experience in additional neighborhoods by working with other community-based non-profits. Through these partnerships, Fox Grove Management has acquired new rental portfolios and now manages over 1,600 units across St. Louis City and University City. 

Over the years, DeSales has learned the importance of a holistic approach to community development, including community programs and services that empower neighborhood residents. Since 2016, DeSales has expanded its community programs, including youth sports through SouthSide Rec and a Community Services Coordination program. 

Today, DeSales is one of the largest non-profit housing organizations in St. Louis. It employs a staff of 60 with an annual budget of $4.1 million. DeSales is governed by a 14-member Board of Directors made up of neighborhood residents, property owners, and business owners.