Attainable Housing

How to Build a Grassroots Movement: A Successful Case Study from the Women’s Voices Attainable Housing Task Force

It’s not often that any of us get a chance to see a small group of citizens build a successful grassroots movement to bring about change in a community. The story of the Attainable Housing Task Force, a small group of volunteers who are members of Women’s Voices Raised (WVR) for Social Justice, a St. Louis nonprofit, was able to have this type of success. In fact, they were able to build so much local support in one community that the local group became its own entity and took over the work. This is a success story in grassroots organizing, and this is the story of how it came to pass.

In 2021, WVR initiated the Affordable Housing Task Force (later renamed the Attainable Housing Task Force) under the Racial Justice Committee umbrella. Co-chairs  Barbara Finch and Liz Sondhaus led the first meeting in July 2021, with 13 attendees, including 5 Kirkwood residents. The task force then decided to focus on Kirkwood, Clayton and the City of St. Louis. A pamphlet, “Hold the Door Open,” was designed to give information about housing in the St. Louis metro area. Barabara Finch gave several affordable housing presentations in Clayton and Richmond Heights. The task force encouraged members to speak out in public meetings and write letters in order to improve equity in housing in their communities. Several Lunch and Learn sessions on attainable housing were also held and sponsored by Women’s Voices.

A subgroup, led by Ellen Wentz and Karen Coulson, formed to focus solely on Kirkwood. They spent time understanding how the city operated (Council and Planning and Zoning), and made contacts with the city staff in the Planning and Zoning Department. In April 2023, one group member was confirmed to fill a partial term on the Planning and Zoning Commission. The group was able to suggest and include housing activities in the 2022 Comprehensive Land Plan (EnVision Kirkwood 2035) update. Kirkwood For Everyone (K4E) was adopted as the group’s name and a logo was also created. K4E developed a presentation on why attainable housing is important and presented it to 7 social justice organizations within Kirkwood. Committee members wrote many letters to the editor of the Webster Kirkwood Times in support of attainable housing. The city conducted a housing study, which was completed in June 2023. Its findings were presented to the City Council in a working session in September 2023. At that time, recommendations from the director of Planning and Development Services were requested.  K4E’s presentation was updated to include the housing study information and given to the original 7 groups as well as the general public.  In their planning to conduct a February 2024 candidate forum for mayoral and city council candidates, K4E wanted to endorse candidates. Recall that WVR is a 501(c)(3) organization and as such has to be nonpartisan in their work. Therefore, K4E and WVR split in December 2023. At the time of the split K4E had 30+ members and was adding more each month. This is a dream come true for any grassroots organizing effort – the local citizens will take ownership of the change work and carry it forward.

The Attainable Housing Task Force of WVR is now being rebirthed under the leadership of Keba Jones. Keba’s passion for empowering people to advocate for themselves is leading the task force to consider grassroots efforts in the City of St Louis. Please join us to make the next iteration of change happen in attainable housing in the City of St. Louis.

Open Classroom | Welcome Home: How Thoughtful Housing Policy Promotes Thriving Communities

Molly Metzger, PhD, Senior Lecturer at the Brown School, along with Janeka Haden, MSW and Mary Stenger, MSW will host a virtual discussion on Tuesday, May 23 at 12:30 p.m.

This presentation will provide a set of possible next steps toward housing justice, within the specific context of affluent suburban communities. This work builds from last year’s social and economic development course collaboration with the Alliance for Interracial Dignity and Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice (highlighted below).Read more and register here: https://bit.ly/44cCLbx

Women’s Voices Co-Sponsors Successful Affordable Housing Conference – Welcome Home: How Thoughtful Housing Policy Promotes Thriving Communities

December 15, 2022

Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, Washington University Brown School Center for Social Development and Alliance for Interracial Dignity hosted a presentation and discussion of inspiring and evidence-based ideas in housing. The team challenged common myths regarding affordable housing, providing data to counter popular misconceptions, and provided policy ideas to support housing options for all. Read more here.

Affordable Housing Task Force Takes Advocacy Efforts to St. Louis County

September 29, 2021

Barbara Harris, co-chair of the Racial Justice Committee (RJC), and Liz Sondhaus, co-chair of the RJC’s Affordable Housing Task Force, provided a PowerPoint presentation to the St. Louis County Equity Commission highlighting the challenges of finding affordable housing in the Central Corridor and offering our ideas to address this important community issue.

The Women’s Voices Affordable Housing Task Force aims to address the landscape of inequity in housing throughout St. Louis County. Women’s Voices is particularly focused on “communities of opportunity,” that is, those municipalities where residents have easy access to good schools, healthcare, parks and recreation, shopping opportunities, and transportation. Many of these communities are found in the central corridor of St. Louis County, where many of our members live.

It is clear that we have an enormous affordable housing gap in St. Louis County. Members of Women’s Voices believe that people, if they choose, should be able to live close to where they work. But workers that we have recently deemed “essential” to keeping our communities healthy and safe—those who work in our grocery stores, restaurants, government offices, and in our hospitals, nursing homes and schools—have been priced out of homes and apartments in the central corridor of St. Louis County where many of them work. 

In her remarks, Barbara Harris highlighted the data showing challenges to finding affordable housing and provided suggestions summarizing what we can do to address this gap. Read her full remarks here.

Why are we Worrying about Webster Groves?

July 6, 2021

Last week all members of Women’s Voices had an opportunity to take a position on a question that will be on the ballot in Webster Groves on Aug. 3. (This is a benefit of membership: those who pay dues are entitled to help the organization take positions on various issues.) Members approved a position to OPPOSE Proposition 1.

The question in Webster involves a proposed adjustment to a zoning ordinance, which was approved by the Webster Groves city council but is challenged by a group of residents, who obtained enough signatures to get the question on the upcoming ballot.

A few of our members have questioned why we should take a position on a micro issue at the local level. Here’s why: Women’s Voices has 48 members in Webster Groves. Our new Affordable Housing task force has identified several “communities of opportunity” where members hope to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing, and Webster Groves is one of those communities. 

Working on issues at the local/municipal level is a strategy of the new “Hold The Door Open” initiative. Zoning laws have historically made it difficult, if not impossible, for people of color or low-income individuals to live in certain zip codes. Therefore, our advocacy efforts will support the changes needed at that level. This is not glamorous or sexy work, but it is where change begins…in community, at the local level.

If you are interested in joining the Affordable Housing task force, which is a part of our Racial Justice Committee, email: housingjustice@womensvoicesraised.org.

Also new under the Racial Justice umbrella next year will be a task force focusing on criminal justice reform. If you are interested in learning about how poverty has become criminalized, the difficulties involved in police reform, systems that are in place designed to penalize poor people, and local and state efforts to enact legislation to reform those systems, we encourage you to join this task force.

If you are interested in the broad category of racial justice, or either of the new task forces, email racialjustice@womensvoicesraised.org. More information will be coming this summer.

Where are People Supposed to Live?

Barbara Finch, in her Nov. 25 commentary in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, states that “adequate housing that is accessible and affordable for every citizen is a prerequisite for a healthy community.” Read more here.

HUD Weakens Fair Housing Protections

November 2, 2020

The Racial Justice Committee focuses on affordable housing as a key plank in their strategic plan. We want to highlight a recent very damaging actino by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A new rule is being finalized that will destroy 45-year-old civil rights protection for the most vulnerable individuals. The rule will make it more difficult to combat systemic racism and discriminatory practices by housing providers, financia institutions and insurance companies. Learn more from the National Fair Housing Alliance and their partners.

Lawsuit settled over mice-infested apartments in St. Louis public housing

July 23, 2019

The Post Dispatch reports: “The Missouri attorney general’s office has dropped its lawsuit against the St. Louis Housing Authority and a housing management company after a year of clean-up at the Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex south of downtown St. Louis.

Traumatized Residents Describe Living Conditions at Housing Complex

March 22, 2018

Five members of Women’s Voices joined dozens of others who crammed into the crowded board room when members of the Board of Commissioners of the St. Louis Housing Authority met on March 22. The topic of discussion: an intractable infestation of mice, which has plagued the residents of the Clinton-Peabody housing complex for more than a year.

Residents took to the microphone to describe intolerable living conditions. Mice, bedbugs and roaches force residents to keep their lights on all the time; foul odors force them to open their windows even in the winter. “Our living conditions are embarrassing and dangerous and traumatizing. I hate living at Clinton-Peabody,” one woman said, as she burst into tears. Another resident challenged board members to “spend one night in an apartment at the complex.”

Commissioner Regina Stewart

While most board members listened impassively to the residents concerns, one commissioner, Regina Stewart, was moved by their heartfelt pleas for help. “I will not spend the night in a mice-infested apartment, but I do promise you that we will come up with a plan to help you,” she said, to a standing ovation. “I hear your pain, and we must do something

Suing for workplace, housing discrimination in Missouri tougher under new law

Gov. Eric Greitens approved a measure that will require people to explicitly prove their race, sex or other protected status actually motivated their boss or colleague to mistreat them to win an employment discrimination case….Under the new law, which goes into effect Aug. 28, such an employee would need to meet a higher standard: The worker would have to show that race explicitly “motivated” mistreatment through, for example, written documentation of racist comments. Read more here.

Facts About the New Workplace, Housing Discrimination Bill

Quick facts:

• • Harder to sue your employer when you are discriminated against

• • Could put federal housing funding at risk

• • MO NAACP called this type of legislation “Jim Crow,” a regression to a time before civil rights legislation

• • Removes some whistleblower protections making us all less safe.

• • Removes ability to sue a specific employee, creating a devastating result for survivors of sexual harassment and potential future victims.

Missouri would be the first state to roll back civil rights protections – rights in employment and housing that were won through decades of struggle.