More than 200 homes in the City of St. Louis have undergone much needed repair and renovation this year. In the Walnut Park East neighborhood, home values rarely exceed $20,000, making home equity loans difficult to obtain.
The Healthy Homes Repair Program has helped homeowners with repairs, the cost of which often exceeds appraised value. The Community Development Administration in the city, with $15 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, has ramped up a program for lower income residents. Yet despite this infusion of funds, the program has only scratched the surface, with more than 900 homes on the waiting list. According to a study led by Todd Swanstrom, a public policy professor at UMSL, the total estimated need to repair these homes is $300 million, an average of $13,000 per home. The study asserts that the return to society far outweighs the cost. External benefits include neighborhood preservation, reduced health care costs, lower utility bills, generational wealth building, maintenance of affordable housing stock, and increases to property values and the tax base. Fixing leaky roofs, crumbling floors, and unsafe electrical systems yields enormous health benefits and improved quality of life.
According to Yusuf Daneshyar, communications chief for Board of Aldermen President Megan Green, “The best affordable housing is the house you already have.”
As budget priorities at the state and federal level are discussed in the media, let us remember the basic human needs of our fellow citizens, including livable housing.