About Us
The Organization:
FOCUS St. Louis has a mission to “create a thriving, cooperative region by engaging citizens to participate in active leadership roles and to influence positive community change.” As the region’s citizens’ league, FOCUS works to influence policy in the community by involving citizens in issue analysis and problem solving through citizen-based task force work.
The Task Force:
Chaired by Debra Denham, Vice President at BJC Healthcare, and Peter Salsich, McDonnell Professor of Justice at St. Louis University, the 43 member task force consisted of members from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who represented a wide variety of skills and perspectives.
The Charge:
The Task Force was charged with providing recommendations to increase the supply of affordable-workforce housing, with an emphasis on opportunities for home ownership, in order to build the assets of more people in our community.
The Process:
The Task Force began their work in September 2004 and continued to meet over the next 11 months, hearing testimony from experts, conducting research, and deliberating on how the St. Louis region could best improve housing opportunities for low-income working families.
The Report:
In August 2005, the FOCUS St. Louis Affordable-Workforce Housing Task Force released its report to the community and began efforts to implement some of the policy recommendations. The task force prioritized:
- Educating citizenry about the issue our region is facing regarding affordable-workforce housing,
- A regional consortium operating to promote and manage Employer Assisted Housing programs,
- Including manufactured housing in the mix of available housing stock in more communities, and
- Creating changes to zoning regulations to promote the construction of affordable housing.
The Results:
The Workforce Housing Public Awareness Campaign launched in October 2007 to educate citizenry and build alliances to promote workforce housing across the region. An Employer Assisted Housing Consortium began in the winter of 2005. By bringing together a non-profit partner to administer the program, Freddie Mac and lending partners, the Consortium makes it easier for small and mid size companies to offer housing benefits to their workforce. In November 2006 the consortium held a successful symposium with more than 50 people in attendance expressing interest in EAH benefits.
Our Partners:
Many task force members continue to guide the work of implementing the recommendations of the report.
The Workforce Housing Policy Coalition:
Many organizations across the St. Louis region who are working on housing related issues have decided that together they can better create effective policy to increase the availability and affordability of housing for working families. Click here for a complete list of members.
The Speaker’s Bureau:
We are ready to attend your neighborhood meeting, religious organization, civic club, work retreat or other staff meeting to talk about housing our region’s workforce. We want to spread the word on why this is an important issue, who is affected and why we all should care. Contact us to arrange the details.
Become an advocate
Contact Us:
For more information, including how you can be an advocate for workforce housing where you live, contact:
Nikki Weinstein
FOCUS St. Louis
815 Olive, Suite 110
St. Louis, MO 63101
314-622-1250 x102
