St. Louis Tornado Leaves a Lasting Impact on Black Homeownership
In the wake of last year’s destructive tornadoes, residents of a predominantly Black neighborhood in St. Louis are grappling with the aftermath, which threatens to diminish homeownership rates in the area. Decades of neglect and underinvestment have left these communities particularly vulnerable.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
A year after a deadly tornado swept through St. Louis, thousands of homes lay in ruins. The city’s historically Black neighborhoods bore the brunt of the devastation, and recovery has been sluggish. Reporting for St. Louis Public Radio, Andrea Henderson explores the growing concerns among residents about the future of homeownership.
ANDREA HENDERSON, BYLINE: In 2007, Christie Jefferson-Bay purchased a home in North St. Louis, a predominantly Black area long plagued by neglect and vacancy. Her two-story, white-paneled house, close to an elementary school and her mother’s residence, seemed ideal at the time.
CHRISTIE JEFFERSON-BAY: We had to fight to look and find this place or whatever, and this turned out to be the ideal. This was our ideal place.
HENDERSON: Today, that dream home has turned into a nightmare. It was among approximately 1,000 homes destroyed by last year’s tornado. Despite having insurance, Jefferson-Bay found it insufficient for the repairs needed. Unable to manage both mortgage payments and rent, she forfeited her home to the bank, which is now in foreclosure.
JEFFERSON-BAY: The reality of it is you couldn’t even afford to get it back together. The entire house is gutted.
HENDERSON: Historically, Black Americans have faced systemic barriers in homeownership, including redlining and racially restrictive covenants. In St. Louis, the Black homeownership rate is 30%, significantly lower than the 61% for white homeowners, based on recent census data. For many Black homeowners displaced by the tornado, rising mortgage and insurance costs are a further obstacle to reentering the market. Ana Kent, an economic disparities consultant based in St. Louis, fears investor interest in these properties could lead to further displacement.
ANA KENT: That, of course, might create this pressure where they might be putting in a lot of money, which seems like a good thing on the surface, but it might displace other Black homeowners who maybe were able to or wanted to stay in that area.
HENDERSON: Initial delays in demolition were due to the city’s hopes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to handle debris removal. The city also sought reimbursement from FEMA for demolishing homes already damaged before the tornado, which FEMA typically does not cover.
(SOUNDBITE OF CONSTRUCTION MACHINES OPERATING)
HENDERSON: Demolitions began this spring but have progressed slowly, with only about 100 homes cleared so far. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer recently expressed gratitude for state partnerships aiding in the demolition of properties not eligible for FEMA assistance.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR OPENING)
HENDERSON: Meanwhile, residents like Debra Dupree remain in limbo. Her red brick two-story home was also destroyed. Despite having insurance, the prolonged wait for demolition has made her reconsider homeownership.
DEBRA DUPREE: Take the sore sight off the block. Maybe the block can look a little better without this house with the roof missing on it.
HENDERSON: At one point, Dupree considered placing a container home on her lot but ultimately decided against it.
DUPREE: I got to thinking, I’m 74 years old. Why do I want a home again? And I was like, well, let me just go to an apartment.
HENDERSON: The city plans to demolish an additional 120 tornado-damaged properties, including Jefferson-Bay’s. She worries about the potential loss of generational wealth for her children.
JEFFERSON-BAY: I kind of, like, feel disappointed, like I failed them.
HENDERSON: While her children weren’t particularly attached to the home, she had hoped it would serve as a future refuge for them.
For NPR News, I’m Andrea Henderson in St. Louis.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE SHADY RECRUITS’ “DECISIONS”)
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
