In 2022, St. Louis REALTORS® issued a public apology acknowledging our role in the discriminatory practices that have long obstructed Black residents from achieving homeownership. This apology was the first step in our Reimagining St. Louis plan, a sustained effort to increase Black homeownership in the St. Louis region. Since then, we have continued working toward this goal through policy advocacy, community engagement, and targeted initiatives. In our latest efforts, we proudly present the Reimagining St. Louis report, a 75-page, data-driven analysis of the challenges Black residents face in accessing homeownership in St. Louis City and County. The goal of this report is to offer clear, actionable strategies for expanding opportunities in our region.

This report addresses the gap in Black homeownership in St. Louis and shows how persistent issues, such as discriminatory housing practices and systemic barriers, have limited access to mortgages, affordable inventory, and generational wealth. Homeownership drives economic mobility, neighborhood stability, and opportunity. With this study’s data, we can now present these challenges clearly and use the findings to guide meaningful initiatives for change. 

To conduct the study, the Center for Civic Research and Innovation leveraged proprietary financial data that provided unprecedented insights into credit access, mortgage approvals, and homebuyer characteristics; information that had never before been analyzed at this scale. By integrating data from a national credit bureau, MARIS MLS records, and St. Louis City and County Assessor files, this report moves beyond traditional homeownership studies to uncover structural barriers at a zip-code and financial level.

The data revealed five primary challenges: income disparities, credit barriers, affordability challenges, loan-denial disparities, and debt-burden differences. To address these issues, St. Louis REALTORS® has established five pillars to guide our efforts: Financial Readiness; First-Time Homebuyers; Wealth Building Through Homeownership; Sustaining Homeownership; and Estate Planning and Generational Wealth Preservation.

Building on these five pillars and guided by data-driven recommendations, St. Louis REALTORS® has identified multiple strategies to remove systemic barriers and expand access to homeownership. These include expanding access to affordable mortgage credit, increasing down-payment assistance programs, supporting home repairs and property improvements, and enhancing credit counseling and financial literacy programs. These strategies equip decision-makers across the public and private sectors with the tools to drive real change and increase Black homeownership.

Read the full Reimagining St. Louis report and join us in creating pathways to homeownership for every family in our region.