Community Resources

The Mathew Dickey Boys Club began in 1959 with a meeting between Martin L. Mathews and Hubert "Dickey" Ballentine, each a coach of a neighborhood baseball team. The two men then began to organize additional athletic teams, their goal being to keep boys on the playing field and off the street. As the number of players grew, Mathew M. Ballentine secured a small storefront building to serve as a club house. The present facility built in 1981 covers 12 acres of ground and houses athletic, recreational, educational, and cultural-enrichment activities, along with offices meeting spaces and classrooms. The club began programs for girls in 1986 offering education, arts and culture, personal development and athletics. Today the club serves more than 40,000 youth, ages 6 to 18, from throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan region.

The Julia Davis Branch Library, which opened its new building in February 1993, honors Dr. Julia Davis, whose initial gift of $2500 in 1961 was used to begin the St. Louis Public Library's Julia Davis Collection of Negro and African Literature and Culture. Dr. Davis, a well known educator and historian graduated from Sumner High School and Stowe Teachers College. She taught in the St. Louis Public Schools From 1913 until 1961, spending 31 of those years at Simmons High School in the Ville. The Library, built on land donated by Commerce Bank is a 15,000-square-foot structure with capacity for 50,000 books. Designed by Architect Russell Lewis, the building features a 120-seat auditorium and two meeting rooms. The new Library houses the Dr. Julia Davis Research Collection; computers and educational software are available for public use.

Wesley House Association, a United Way member, was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the State of Missouri in 1903. Wesley House was first established as a neighborhood settlement house and enjoys strong ties with the community and is associated with a strong sense of history.

The mission of Wesley House is to provide a stabilizing influence in the community that we serve, a predominately African American community in North St. Louis. We believe that this mission can best be accomplished by providing residents with a variety of health and human services. Wesley House core programs are a Seniors Day Care Program, a Community Forum and Community Development program and After School / Summer Camp youth programs. Wesley House is also a Headstart site and has an Environmental Awareness program. In addition Wesley House is home to the "Save Our Youth" (SOY) program which offers youth positive development by use of the performing arts.

Neighborhood Housing Services of St. Louis, Inc., (NHS/SL) is a non-profit organization which works to strengthen neighborhoods by preserving housing in partnership with residents, businesses, and government. Some of our services are limited to specific neighborhoods such as Penrose where we have an agreement with the Penrose Self- Reliant Neighborhood Association to offer specific resources and services. NHS/SL is committed to neighborhood preservation and promoting home ownership for low and moderate income people. We are a member of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation’s national network of organizations. Other programs operate city-wide. The following is a list of NHS/SL programs and services.

Home ownership training and counseling - St. Louis’ designation as a Campaign City for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation’s Campaign for Home Ownership brings together national, regional and local lending and training resources designed to make home ownership possible for low-to moderate-income families.

• NHS/SL’ Home Ownership Program offers the following services
• First Mortgage Program
• Purchase
• Purchase with Rehabilitation
• Refinace
• Refinace with Rehabilitation
• Construction
• Home Buyer Training and Counseling
• Assistance with Down payment and Closing Cost

Rehabilitation loans -Residents of pre-determined city wards may qualify for forgivable loans to cover exterior or interior home repairs.

Property insurance counseling and training -A full-time coordinator meets with residents to discuss insurance-related concerns, educated agents and underwriters about the sound business potential of NHS/SL neighborhoods, and administers home safety programs. The Missouri Insurance Initiative is an innovative partnership with the insurance industry, and serves as a national model. The Insurance Initiative’s mission is “to help all Missouri homeowners obtain adequate and appropriate insurance coverage of their property at competive rates through a program of public information, education and liaison among consumers, government and the insurance industry.”

The Initiative is another milestone in the history of Neighborhood Housing Services of St. Louis (NHS/SL). Each year NHS/SL reviews 300 to 400 homeowners insurance policies as it processes home-repair loans for low and moderate income homeowners and provides insurance counseling for residents.

Construction management and home inspection services -Experienced professionals educate residents of the St. Louis metro area about proper home maintenance and working with contractors. We also perform a variety of home inspections services for agency programs.

Resident leadership training -We remain committed to cultivating the leadership shills of neighborhood residents. The Neighborhood Advisory Committee, membership on the Board of Directors, training seminars, and neighborhood organizations provide practical forums for meeting this goal.

Speakers’ Bureau -Our professional staff can address a variety of topics related to developing neighborhoods and promoting home ownership.

Block Aid