St. Louis Nonprofit Builds Housing for Struggling Artists

A St. Louis nonprofit builds housing exclusively for artists, incorporating an art studio into each home they build. Frank Navarrete describes the project in Shelterforce, noting that “When artists come to Kaveh Razani, the initiative’s co-director, some haven’t filed their taxes in years, others don’t know where to find an affordable studio, and few know how to get their ducks in a row to buy a house.”

The St. Louis Art Place Initiative “acquires city properties that have lain vacant for years and rehabilitates them for occupancy. These homes are built for artists of all types: painters, dancers, hairdressers, architects, chefs.” These artists usually meet low- or middle-income requirements that allow the program to receive federal funding. 

“But the nonprofit’s focus on artists wasn’t just a creative way to capture a slice of the low- to middle-income population that’s in need of housing,” Navarrete adds. “It was also a path to access funding for housing opportunities from art-related groups, like The Incarnate Word Foundation, the Carnegie Mellon Arts Foundation, and the Regional Arts Commission.”