Community Organizing and Leadership: Building Capacity to Bring About Change

One of the community-building activities sponsored by the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group is its annual street festival.

The Old North St. Louis (ONSL) Restoration Group was founded in 1980 to "promote a spirit of respect for the neighborhood and serve as a forum for residents to organize on a variety of fronts." For the first 10 years of its existence, the group rehabilitated homes, created and maintained community gardens, and did other traditional community-building activities. The organization produced a regular newsletter and sponsored an annual street festival.

Recent efforts

In the past five years, with the support of public and private funding agencies, the ONSL Restoration Group has intensified its efforts at community improvements, developing a community rehabilitation plan and advocating for partnerships to reinvest in the community.

• 1995: Began identifying redevelopment zones within the area.
• 1996: Launched first housing rehabilitation project, purchasing a four-family flat.
• 1997-98: Worked with the City of St. Louis and the University of Missouri - St. Louis worked to begin larger planning activities including research, public neighborhood meetings, focus groups and a design charette.

Partnerships for the future

The Old North St. Louis Restoration Group is developing plans for housing renovation and construction.

Within the last few years, the ONSL Restoration Group has utilized the services of a resident architect to develop a larger plan to create new and renovated housing. A partnership with the Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance is resulting in a major housing development project to be completed within the next five years.

The Old North Neighborhood Partnership is supporting the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group and assisting in plans to sustain and strengthen community improvement efforts.

Where the Old North Neighborhood Partnership is focusing

• Strengthening Leadership through the Neighborhood Leadership Academy

  Community residents who assume leadership roles rarely have any training to prepare them for the duties and challenges of creating community plans and engaging residents in working together. As part of the Old North Neighborhood Partnership, several Old North St. Louis residents participated annually in the University of Missouri-St. Louis Neighborhood Leadership Academy, receiving training on leadership development, community building and organizational management.

• Assessing Needs and Priorities

  UMSL faculty and students worked with Old North residents and staff to map resources and develop and implement plans related to a variety of neighborhood priorities. An Honors Course in Creating Livable Communities linked students and residents to explore the redevelopment of the 14th Street Mall, develop resources for housing and homeownership opportunities, and support planning efforts with neighboring communities. In addition, a sociology student worked with the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group to survey residents and businesses and develop a list of assets in the community.

• Building Communication through Web Page Development

  UMSL students continue to work Old North St. Louis residents and staff to develop a strong web presence, to both support neighborhood activities and to generate new interest in the neighborhood. Check back for more information.

In addition to the planned activities outlined above, the Old North Neighborhood Partnership also supported the assistance of Dr. John McClusky, Director of the University's Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program in providing strategic planning management, board development and executive coaching services to the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. The Restoration Group's strategic plan has been instrumental in guiding the continuous growth and development of the organization.