These six groups advance priority areas for addressing vacancy and tackle specific projects related to community input and the Vacancy Collaborative’s action plans. Meeting schedule will be published in 2023. Sign up for a project group today. 

Guide to Having Conversations About Displacement and Neighborhood Development
This project group is developing a guide for residents to start conversations with their neighbors about how to create the neighborhood they want without displacement and how to organize themselves to determine the future of their neighborhood.

Meets every other fourth Thursday of the month from 5:30 - 7:00 pm.
​Contact stldisplacementwg@gmail.com for more information.

Policy and Legislation
This project group focuses on strategizing around the Vacancy Collaborative’s policy and legislation efforts.

Recognized Community Organizations
This project group is developing a framework for formal recognition of neighborhood groups by the City. In the initial phase of this project, recognized groups would receive notification and information about certain city-related actions affecting their neighborhood.

Meets on the first Thursday of the month from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.
​Contact: dana.malkus@slu.edu for more information.

Small Grants for Greening Vacant Lots 
This project group is developing a small grants project ($1,000-$5,000) to support neighborhood groups in creating green spaces on vacant lots based on the Vacancy to Vibrancy toolkit released in Spring 2022.

​Meets on the first Tuesday of the month from 10:00am - 11:30 am.
​Contact: Samantha Smugala at samantha.lee@pocketparks.co  for more information.

Strategic code enforcement 
This project groups diagrams and dissects the City’s code enforcement process for vacant properties with the goal of encouraging the City to implement changes that increase effectiveness, efficiency, and equitable outcomes.
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Meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm.
Contact: Laura Ginn at ginnl@stlouis-mo.gov for more information.

Toolkit for Residents, Nonprofits and Business Owners Interested in Small Development and Rehab 
This project group is creating a toolkit that will help residents, community organizations, and small business owners who are interested in rehabbing or developing a property to understand the process.

​Meets on the first Tuesday of the month from 10:00am - 11:30 am.
​Contact: Holston Black at hblack3@mac.com for more information.