Penrose Self Reliant Neighborhood
Penrose Self Reliant Neighborhood Association
In 1981, Penrose residents met at St. Engelbert Church in a town hall meeting to address the declining conditions of the neighborhood. At that meeting, they determined to join forces with Neighborhood Housing Services to create the Neighborhood Housing Services of Penrose, a non-profit partnership of residents, businesses and government. By 1989, NHS of Penrose had made nearly $ million in home improvement loans, much of it to senior citizens with modest incomes. Today the Penrose Self/Reliant Neighborhood Association, and outgrowth of NHS, continues to combat community deterioration and to secure decent, safe and sanitary housing, community facilities and other related facilities and services conduce to the progress and general welfare in the Penrose Neighborhood.
PS/RNA is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively for charitable purposes under Section 501-© (3) of the Internal Revenue of 1954. The organization does not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deducted under Section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law)
To this end, the membership is limited to residents of Penrose Neighborhood, designated representative of participating lending institutions, insurance companies and business corporations. At no time will residents have less than a majority of members. Resident's member is defined as any resident or property owner within the duly authorized boundaries of the PS/RNA who has paid annual membership dues. The Executive Board of Directors is composed of executive office holders and any St. Louis metropolitan lending institution, insurance company, or business corporation who makes a financial or service contribution to PS/RNA. At this time, they approximately 300 dues paying members.
The current Executive Board of Directors is as follows:
Elaine M. Diggs, President PS/RNA, Vice Chairperson and Secretary Neighborhood Housing of St. Louis Advisory Board, Member Insurance Advisory Committee of NHS Chairperson Block Unit 556-4700 Penrose
Benjamin Alexander, 1st Vice President PS/RNA Festival Comm.
Lawrence Hamilton, 2nd. Vice President PS/RNA Festival Comm., Beautification Comm., Liaison to NHS of St. Louis
Frank Kirkland, Treasurer PS/RNA, President Penrose Housing Corporation Member Insurance Committee NHS of St. Louis, Board member St. Louis Land Utilization Authority
Delphine Bell, Recording Secretary PS/RNA
Arline Atkinson, Correspondence Secretary PR/SNA
Delores Taylor, Calling Comm. Chairperson
Olive Kirkland, Chair of Membership Comm., Festival Comm. Co-Chair Fund Raising Committee Comm., Business Protocol Advisor Member Insurance Committee, NHS of St. Louis
Carl Scheble, Chaplain, Chairman Area E Council Federation of Block Units
George Kirkland, Co-Chair Fund Raising Committee
Rosa Little, Chairman Beautification Committee
Olive Kirkland, Editor Newslink, neighborhood Quarterly publication
Benjamin McKissick Jr., Webmaster of Penrose Neighborhood Association Website
Mission Statement
The mission of the PS/RNA is to combat community deterioration and to secure decent, safe and sanitary housing, community facilities and other facilities and services conducive to the progress and general welfare in the Penrose Neighborhood.
The functions of the Penrose Self/Reliant Neighborhood Association, Incorporation is as follows:
Disseminating information concerning housing and community improvement programs;
Improving the flow of information and communication between community residents, city and county government, and financial institutions regarding financing terms and methods, as well as cooperative efforts to prevent community deterioration;
Stimulating the availability of improvement loans and other financing to assist and encourage the preservation, repair and improvement of the supply of residential housing;
To acquire and rehabilitate vacant properties in the designated area for sale or rent to prevent deterioration of housing stock;
Stimulating and assisting in creative and innovative ways of delivering city services in a manner responsive to the individual needs of the Neighborhood;
Providing professional and technical assistance to neighborhood residents and organizations involved in securing, producing, rehabilitating, or improving housing for themselves or others, including assistance in responding to code authorities and other city agency representatives.
Providing counseling services with regard to home maintenance;
Encouraging and assisting organizations of community residents to achieve these goals;
Engaging in other activities to encourage the preservation and growth of healthy, stable and diverse neighborhood and as are proper and in furtherance of the goals and purposes of the Corporation.
In furtherance of such purposes the Corporation shall have the power:
To solicit, collect, receive, acquire, hold and invest money and property, real and personal, including money property received by grant, gift, bequest, contribution, devise or otherwise; to sell and convert property, both real and personal, into cash; and to use the funds of the corporation and the proceeds, income, rents, issues and profits derived from any property for which this corporation is formed;
To borrow money and to make, accept, endorse, execute and issue bonds, debentures, promissory notes and other corporate obligations, for monies borrowed, or in payment for property acquired or for any of the purposes of the corporation.
To purchase, acquire or construct, own, hold, improve or rehabilitate, use, lease(either as lessor or lessee), rent sell, exchange, assign, convey, dispose of mortgage, hypothecate, or encumber real and personal property;
To enter into, make, perform and carry out contracts, partnerships, and joint ventures of every kind for any lawful purpose without limit on amount, with any person, firm, association or corporation, municipality, county, state, territory, government (foreign or domestic), or other municipal or governmental subdivision;
To do all such other acts as are necessary, expedient or appropriate to accomplish any of the objectives and purposes for which this corporation is formed to the same extent and as fully as any natural person could or might do and as are not forbidden by law or by these Articles of Incorporation bi laws of the corporation
Youth Involvement
The Penrose Neighborhood is a family orientated community with 25% of the population 1-17 years of age, with family settings of 2-5 persons in 67% of the households. With this in mind the Penrose Self Reliant Neighborhood Association Long-Range Strategic Plan incorporated youth in the overall organization rather than as a separate entity. Membership categories include families and single persons. The youth of community is represented in the family components as members.
Specific community resources, such as Mathews-Dickey Boys Club, Girls' Club incorporated, Shreve Community Center, Wesley House, Prince Hall Community Service Center, Prince Hall Computer Village, Penrose Family Initiative in Prince Hall, Boys Scout Troop at St. Elizabeth and Cote Brilliante Churches, Caring Communities at Prince Hall, Penrose Park Playground, Bradley Park Playground are direct service or activity providers for the youth.
Pre-School services are provided by St. Elizabeth's Day Care Center .The schools include three (3) elementary buildings feeding into Northwest Middle School and Beaumont High School or Magnet Schools as the parents desire. Latch Key Program are available at St. Peter's Church, Mathews-Dickey Boy's Club, Girls' Club Incorporated. Wesley House, and Shreve Community Center.
Many community institutions design their long range plan utilizing the strategic plan process. To this end, Penrose does not duplicate their efforts. The PS/RNA long-range strategic plan outlines the community development process of assessment, goal setting, planning and implementation in the areas of our direct responsibility.
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