Innovation Hub

INNOVATION HUB Building a Better Future

By Drew Gieseke

In August, the Foundation for Strengthening Families unveiled its plan to completely overhaul St. Louis’ West End neighborhood with the construction of a multibuilding, multimillion-dollar project.

Dubbed the Show Me Family Zone, the effort will introduce programming and other services that are designed not only to rebuild the area but also to reimagine it for the families who call that neighborhood home.

“Our position is that education is the great equalizer,” says Cortaiga Collins, the foundation’s executive director. “We started developing the neighborhood to improve the quality of life for the families that live there.”

The Show Me Family Zone marks the culmination of nearly 10 years of work and patience. Leaders at the foundation purchased the property at Page and Hodiamont in 2014 after noticing that buildings were either being razed or vacated in the neighborhood.

Families in the West End were perplexed at its dilapidation, Collins says. The vacant buildings were invitations for crime, so Collins’ team decided that, instead of leaving them empty, they’d bring something positive into the neighborhood.

“The area needed to be developed for the families,” Collins adds. “They deserved a neighborhood that’s rich in opportunities.”

Collins says the foundation surveyed residents to better understand what they wanted and needed in their community. This kind of buy-in is essential with neighborhood reconstruction project, she notes. Without it, she explains, current residents too often feel pushed and priced out when development takes place.

Designed by the midtown St. Louis architectural firm JEMA, the Show Me Family Zone is funded by donations, bank financing and grants from government and private entities. Collins says the project was inspired by the success of New York’s Harlem Children’s Zone and North Carolina’s Durham Children’s Initiative.

Development is divided into phases: Projects in Phase I include establishing the area’s first all-male early childhood center – a $1 million project to address the unique needs of boys from low-income homes. Sixty students are already enrolled, and the center has a waiting list of more than 100 children.

Other projects include an adult day care center, where aging residents can socialize and receive care. Collins expects this offering to open by Thanksgiving.

“We wanted to provide care for people all the way up to retirement age and provide respite for the caretakers, as well,” Collins says.

The Show Me Family Zone will also include a $1.2 million before- and after-school program, an evening care program for families who work nontraditional hours, a community center, recreation spaces, residential housing and a space to address food insecurity. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by January 2024.

Collins and her team believe the West End will be restored and revitalized for the residents who call it home: “I’m envisioning this project – when fully realized – will be at the center of creating stronger families that are going to build stronger governments, stronger school systems, and attracting more families to the St. Louis area.” ln

I’m envisioning this project – when fully realized – will be at the center of creating stronger families that are going to build stronger governments, stronger school systems, and attracting more families to the St. Louis area.

CORTAIGA COLLINS, FOUNDATION FOR STRENGTHENING FAMILIES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Foundation for Strengthening Families, 5990 Page Ave., St. Louis, 314-477-5166, foundationforstrengtheningfamilies.org