Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mr. A Earns His Tax Payment

 

Monday, August 10, 2015

Mr. A purchased his Mark Twain Neighborhood home 10 years ago so he could live next door to his mother to help her out with home maintenance and yard work.  But he fell on financial hard times when the job market declined a few years ago, and faced losing his home to tax auction this year.  Last week, PRTR assisted Mr. A in getting a few dollars together, updating his driver’s license, and obtaining other paperwork necessary to enter a payment agreement with the Collector of Revenue in order to save his home from the auction block.  “I love to work!  Never missed a day of work and never been fired from a job.  I used to detail cars,” said Mr. A.  So we found him some employment doing general labor.  Today, one of PRTR’s donors, Mr. Dave in Shaw, asked to hire Mr. A for “an odd job”, as he put it, cleaning up years worth of construction debris that had taken a toll on the interior of his work vehicle.  When Mr. A was finished, Mr. Dave barely recognized his truck.  Mr. Dave’s wife, Mrs. J, even “lifted her ban on traveling in it”!  A hot summer day turned into a pretty cool evening of great conversations and new connections across St. Louis neighborhoods, and Mr. Dave supplied Mr. A with a Black Lives Matter sign for his yard.


Driving Miss Debra

Monday, August 03, 2015

Today, we assisted disabled not-quite-senior citizen Miss Debra by driving her downtown to get on a payment plan for her back taxes.  Since a nasty fall a few months ago, she’s been unable to get around like she used to.  She had just enough money for her down payment, but not quite enough for a taxi or public transportation to make it to City Hall to sign her payment contract.  While cab fare may seem like pocket change to some, for many people, it’s the difference between holding onto their only assets to build wealth for future generations…or facing homelessness and having nothing to leave to their children.  PRTR was glad to help out.  No task too big or too small when it comes to helping our fellow St. Louisans.  Miss Debra will be having hip surgery later this week, and we wish her a speedy recovery!  Looking forward to seeing her on the dance floor soon…

Miss DD Goes to Auction—and WINS!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Yesterday, our executive director, Natalie Vowell, spoke to Miss DD at her Wells/Goodfellow home.  They spent an hour on the porch together, Miss DD recounting all the memories made there.   Miss DD’s grandparents were the second black family to move into the neighborhood.  Their house, built in 1914, has been in the family since.  But it was slated for tax auction the very next day, with an opening bid of $1,786.  Miss DD only had $1100 and had been unable to work out a payment plan with the Collector of Revenue in time.   PRTR tried to raise the other $686 to cover the remaining expenses to purchase it at auction.  But by midnight, we still had no donations, and the chances of Miss DD being able to bid on her grandparents’ home were looking grim…

At 7am today, Natalie received a text from an unfamiliar number.  It was an anonymous donor—whom PRTR wishes we could thank publicly!—offering to supplement the remainder of the starting bid on Miss DD’s grandparents’ house.  Miss DD met Natalie at the courthouse this morning for the tax auction, on a hope and a prayer that no one else would bid on the property.  They anxiously awaited the parcel number to be called… Placed the bid…  “Going once, going twice, SOLD.”  Miraculously, Miss DD got it for minimum bid with no competition, paid for it, and received her Sheriff’s sale receipt!  Thanks to the kindness of two anonymous strangers, Miss DD’s historic home will continue to serve as a family gathering place, making new memories for generations to come…  St. Louisans are some amazingly generous people!

Mr. C Receives 0% Loan to Keep Childhood Home

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Last summer (2014), Tower Grove South house Mr. C grew up in—and eventually inherited—was on the City’s auction block over just a few hundred dollars in back taxes.  Project Raise The Roof was able to hook him up with a generous 0%-interest one year loan (courtesy of Vroman Industries), just in time to remove it from the Sheriff’s tax sale list.  This evening, Mr. C made his final payment, and his home is still in the family!

Mr. T Keeps His Home

Friday, May 08, 2015

Retired senior citizen, Mr. T of Tower Grove South, still lives in the first home he purchased with his wife of 32 years.  He spends his free time driving other seniors to/from the grocery store.  Last fall, Mr. T’s wife passed away, and he fell behind on property taxes.  When we first met Mr. T, he had already tried to give the City every dollar he had to his name…yet it wasn’t quite enough for the Collector of Revenue.  The house was scheduled for the St. Louis City tax auction block on May 19.  But thanks to your generosity, in less than 24 hours, PRTR was able to raise a few hundred dollars to help Mr. T get caught up, and he got to keep his home.  Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family in their time of healing.

Mr. B Becomes A Homeowner!

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Friday, April 24, 2015
Mr. B has rented his Wells/Goodfellow home in the 22nd Ward for over 20 years.  After an absentee landlord stopped paying the property taxes and left town, the house was purchased at tax auction, and eventually donated to Project Raise The Roof.  When we heard Mr. B’s story and how he took care of his previous landlady in her ailing days, today we transferred the deed to his name, and he becamefor the first time in his lifea homeowner!

PRTR Wins Sloup #48

August 24, 2014

Project Raise The Roof is thrilled to have received the winning vote at the 48th monthly Sloup event!  There were so many great ideas exchanged, and we know it must have been a tough decision.  Thanks to everyone who came out to present or support project ideas.  The funding we earned will go toward helping PRTR rehab a house we are giving to a homeless Marine veteran who has volunteered with us over the past year.

If you haven’t heard of Sloup, it’s a monthly soup dinner that crowdfunds arts and community impact projects in St. Louis, MO.  Each month, several groups present their ideas to the crowd. For a donation of $10, attendees enjoy soup, snacks, drink, and a ballot to vote on the proposals.  The proposal with the most votes receives all of the money raised at the door.

For more information, please check out Sloup’s website.

We’d also like to applaud the other presenters and wish them well in their endeavors!  Please check them out and give them your support as well.

Sham Film Festival

The Monthly Cycle – Diva Cup

Beyond Today