Preservation Square Partnership Launches in St. Louis: Family Services Expand as Final Phase of 695-Unit Redevelopment Breaks Ground
ST. LOUIS, Missouri — Home State Health, developer McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS) and the nonprofit Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI) announced on October 22 a local collaboration at Preservation Square in North St. Louis to connect current, former and future resident families to healthcare, resident services, community resources and opportunities supporting long-term stability and well-being. The announcement coincided with the groundbreaking of the final phase of Preservation Square and the near completion of Phase IV.
Preservation Square is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods effort in St. Louis' Near North Side, a redevelopment encompassing approximately 695 mixed-income housing units across nine city blocks, combining housing investment with resident services and neighborhood improvements. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 22 at 11 a.m. at 1405 North 16th St., St. Louis, MO 63106.
Partnership priorities, informed by resident input and data from USI's longstanding work in the community, include access to care, chronic-condition support, medication access and affordability, food security, transportation and economic mobility. The final phase is supported through the Centene Foundation's multiyear partnership with MBS, under which the foundation provides below-market-rate loans for predevelopment design and planning, including site analysis, design, community engagement and financial planning. The partners have already engaged residents through events including a Health Empowerment Event that supported Medicaid applications and health screenings, alongside food-access resources and SNAP application assistance from the St. Louis Area Foodbank.
Shawn Furey, president and CEO of Home State Health, said the partnership reflects what is possible when housing, healthcare and resident services work together around priorities identified by the community. Esther Shin, president and CEO of USI, said stable housing is a critical foundation for good health, and that the partnership aligns housing, health and supportive services around residents' needs. USI, founded in 1978, is a national nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with nearly five decades of experience in resident-centered neighborhood transformation.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国一处保障性住房建筑（资料图，Calderoliver 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0）
