PAGEDALE, Mo. — One nonprofit is continuing to change lives in its community.
Beyond Housing has joined forces with BJC Healthcare to create affordable homes in Pagedale.
This is the first time the nonprofit is working with the hospital system, which is their lender.
Chris Krehmeyer, Beyond Housing President and CEO, said this project is much more than just putting a roof over families' heads.
"What's more important than home? When we think about our own successes, a lot of it came from where you came from, right? Your home, your family, your neighborhood. All those pieces are, again, part of what make us successful in life, and if we have the regional courage to invest in people in place in a different way, we can have a lot more success," he said.
Krehmeyer said it's about impacting the family holistically.
"Everything we do, quite frankly, changes lives," he said.
It's as simple as moving dirt which, according to Krehmeyer, can make all the difference for the foundation of a family.
"If you don't have a good place to live, a place that's safe, a place that's affordable, the rest of your life just becomes so complicated," he said.
For dozens of families in Pagedale though, that's all about to change, according to Krehmeyer.
"We too often just become accustomed to over there's homelessness and all there's bad neighborhoods, and our impression is we shouldn't be okay with that. We should say no," he said.
That's why, Krehmeyer said, Beyond Housing and BJC Healthcare joined forces to create 36 new single-family homes in the North County community. The hospital system was the lender and Midwest BankCentre was the tax credit lender.
"We get hundreds of calls every month, and quite frankly, we have very few occupancies in the 600 plus rental units that we do have, so, again, there's a great unmet need," he said.
Ten of three- and four-bedroom homes will be along Robbins Avenue and Krehmeyer said the location of these homes is strategic.
"What we're trying to do with our comprehensive community building model is to say, 'How do we put all the pieces of a successful place together intentionally, so people can thrive?" he said.
Krehmeyer said that's why the homes will be distributed throughout the heart of Pagedale and they will be built purposely around businesses and entertainment families can walk to.
"It rounds out all the things that make up a successful community and leads families to live their best possible life," he said.
Rent will range from $400 to $775 a month, depending on the family.
Krehmeyer hopes this $12 million project not only impacts the families who will make the dirt their homes, but also influence the foundation of the community as a whole.
"There's nothing better seeing a new home coming up out of the ground, right? It builds the excitement that things are getting better, things are changing. I can have hope about what the future looks like for the place that I call home," he said.
The project is expected to be fully completed in early 2025.
The building will be happening in phases, so they are hoping to have the first families in homes in the next 6 to 8 months, according to Krehmeyer.
After 15 years of renting, if they are interested, families can actually buy the home.
You can learn more about the project here or you can call 314-533-0600.