Renovated homes on the 8700 block of Annetta. Photos courtesy of St. Joseph Housing Initiative.
On the 8700 block of Annetta Avenue in the Baden neighborhood, three long-vacant houses now stand restored—fully renovated side by side and sold to first-time homebuyers. Completed between mid-2023 and early 2025 by the St. Joseph Housing Initiative (SJHI), the project marks the organization’s first homes in North St. Louis and its fourteenth through sixteenth renovations citywide.
For years, the Annetta block had suffered from deep disinvestment, foreclosure, and vacancy. By 2019, nearly half the homes stood empty, and residents were grappling with rising crime and safety concerns.
In early 2020, the Revitalization of Baden Association (ROBA) partnered with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to initiate court actions to transfer abandoned properties into responsible ownership. Through that process, SJHI acquired three vacant homes for renovation, joining a coalition of nonprofit and for-profit partners committed to bringing stability back to the block.
Renovating all three houses at once created both efficiency and visible transformation. Each property required a full gut rehab costing roughly $150,000, with total project budgets of about $180,000 including acquisition. SJHI drew strength from relationships with mission-minded businesses like Streib Electric, which donated complete electrical rewiring for two homes, and Maplewood Plumbing, which provided new water heaters for all three. Volunteers also played a vital role, helping prepare the homes for new families.
The Annetta project built on momentum from other organizations active in Baden—Lutheran Development Group, SLACO (St. Louis Association of Community Organizations), and Circle of Light Church—who are also renovating homes for rent and sale. Community-based groups such as Assisi House, Living With Purpose, and ROBA have further strengthened the neighborhood through ongoing investment and direct support to residents. Together, these efforts have made visible progress in reversing years of decline.
All three homes sold quickly—two in December 2024 and one in March 2025—to single women purchasing their first homes. “This whole experience has been such a blessing, and I will never forget the kindness shown to us,” said one new homeowner, a mother of two. “This is truly the work of the Lord, as I had been trying to purchase a house all year and was starting to believe there was no hope. He blessed us! I appreciate you all so much through this process—you’ve been so uplifting, optimistic. And I love that you think of everything, absolutely everything.”
For SJHI, these three homes represent more than just successful renovations—they embody the power of collaboration, community faith, and focused reinvestment to restore both housing and hope in St. Louis neighborhoods.
For years, the Annetta block had suffered from deep disinvestment, foreclosure, and vacancy. By 2019, nearly half the homes stood empty, and residents were grappling with rising crime and safety concerns.
In early 2020, the Revitalization of Baden Association (ROBA) partnered with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to initiate court actions to transfer abandoned properties into responsible ownership. Through that process, SJHI acquired three vacant homes for renovation, joining a coalition of nonprofit and for-profit partners committed to bringing stability back to the block.
Renovating all three houses at once created both efficiency and visible transformation. Each property required a full gut rehab costing roughly $150,000, with total project budgets of about $180,000 including acquisition. SJHI drew strength from relationships with mission-minded businesses like Streib Electric, which donated complete electrical rewiring for two homes, and Maplewood Plumbing, which provided new water heaters for all three. Volunteers also played a vital role, helping prepare the homes for new families.
The Annetta project built on momentum from other organizations active in Baden—Lutheran Development Group, SLACO (St. Louis Association of Community Organizations), and Circle of Light Church—who are also renovating homes for rent and sale. Community-based groups such as Assisi House, Living With Purpose, and ROBA have further strengthened the neighborhood through ongoing investment and direct support to residents. Together, these efforts have made visible progress in reversing years of decline.
All three homes sold quickly—two in December 2024 and one in March 2025—to single women purchasing their first homes. “This whole experience has been such a blessing, and I will never forget the kindness shown to us,” said one new homeowner, a mother of two. “This is truly the work of the Lord, as I had been trying to purchase a house all year and was starting to believe there was no hope. He blessed us! I appreciate you all so much through this process—you’ve been so uplifting, optimistic. And I love that you think of everything, absolutely everything.”
For SJHI, these three homes represent more than just successful renovations—they embody the power of collaboration, community faith, and focused reinvestment to restore both housing and hope in St. Louis neighborhoods.
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