Quality housing is a fundamental building block in the revitalization of a community. But neighborhoods need services, amenities, and community support to add vitality, neighborhood identity, and long-term health. That is why MBS engages Urban Strategies Inc. (its non-profit partner and a leader in the field of community service development), to help local communities develop and implement plans for neighborhood stability through strong cultural, educational, and social service resources. Urban Strategies works with residents to identify and address community needs, obtain resources to deal with those needs, and foster resident leadership. Three major MBS/Urban Strategies community initiatives are located in St. Louis: COVAM Community Development Corporation, Jefferson Elementary School, and Adams Park School and Community Center.

COVAM Community Development Corporation (CDC) was created to unify and coordinate community services in the Carr Square, O’Fallon, Vaughn and Murphy Park (COVAM) neighborhoods of North St. Louis. Following the development of more than 1,200 units in this community in the early 1990s, MBS and Urban Strategies worked with area residents to form COVAM CDC to support this new, mixed-income community. COVAM CDC integrates services in one location, acting as liaison and advocate for residents. The CDC secures funding to support programs, and links residents to health care, child care, education, and employment training. COVAM CDC is an excellent model for grass-roots community action that coordinates housing and services, with tangible results for individual residents and the community as a whole.

Quality public education – education that inspires and challenges young people to do their best and instills a passion for life-long learning – seems to be slipping from the grasp of urban communities. MBS wants to change the perception and the reality of failing public schools in the inner city. To that end, MBS and Urban Strategies have fought to create innovative public school reforms so that children in our developments and surrounding neighborhoods can achieve their potential.

Jefferson Elementary School is a successful example of innovation and partnership in the St. Louis public schools. The school is located in the center of the Murphy Park neighborhood where MBS has developed or renovated more than 1,200 units of housing. Through Richard Baron’s and Urban Strategies’ leadership, a consortium of private companies has contributed funds and equipment to convert the school into a state-of-the-art facility. Air conditioning, Internet infrastructure, computers in every classroom, and an adult computer lab for job training are a few of the improvements that have been made. Teacher training, a full-time technology coordinator, and after school programs have also been instituted at Jefferson. Most importantly, the surrounding community has claimed the school as its own, and parents are very involved in their children’s education. Before MBS and Urban Strategies became involved, 80 percent of Murphy Park elementary-age children attended schools outside the area, and children from throughout the city were bused to Jefferson. Today, about three-quarters of Jefferson students are from the surrounding neighborhood – they can walk to school, their parents can attend conferences and events, and the entire community can feel proud of the school’s achievements.

Adams Park School and Community Center is located in the Forest Park Southeast (FPSE) neighborhood near the Washington University Medical Center. McCormack Baron Salazar is leading the neighborhood master planning process and is redeveloping housing in the area. The historic Adams School, built in the 1880s, had been closed for nine years when, working with neighborhood residents and the St. Louis Public Schools, Richard Baron and Urban Strategies secured funds needed to re-open the school and build an adjoining community center. Today the school is open, 85 percent of students are from the surrounding neighborhood, and it is considered a “school of excellence” within the public school system. The community center attached to the school has become a neighborhood gathering place, offering recreational programs for youth, adult education, and day care. Sports facilities include a new gymnasium and the Jim Edmonds Ballfield, built by Cardinals Care, the philanthropic arm of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

The Center for Urban Redevelopment Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania (CURE) was established in 2003 by Richard Baron, working with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania. CURE’s goal is to develop and support the next generation of urban redevelopment leaders. CURE places promising young professionals in two-year Fellowships at some of the country’s top private and non-profit redevelopment organizations. The Fellows work in project management and are mentored by senior staff. Fellows also receive training in building human capital through a curriculum developed by Sandra M. Moore, President of Urban Strategies and Mindy Turbov, President of Turbov and Associates. The CURE program provides technical training, leadership development, and case studies before and during the fellowship. The Fellows interact with each other during the program and learn from each other as well. They emerge from the program able to use their experiences and insights as effective urban redevelopment entrepreneurs.

McCormack Baron is also responsible for the creation of an innovative community arts program in St. Louis. The Center of Creative Arts (COCA) is a nationally-recognized visual and performing arts center located in University City, an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis. COCA reaches more than 17,000 children and adults annually through its dance, theater, visual arts, cooking and exercise classes. Richard Baron spearheaded the founding of COCA in 1986 and developed its facility – a renovated, historic former synagogue designed by architect Erich Mendelsohn. Baron brought COCA’s highly-regarded programs for young people out into the community, creating the Urban Arts Program. Through Urban Arts, COCA expands its engaging arts instruction to public housing developments and public schools in St. Louis, serving 9,000 children each year in after-school and summer programs.