The struggle to own and keep a home has long been one of the most pressing issues for Black America — and St. Louis is no exception.
Following its 2022 apology for its role in discriminatory housing practices, St. Louis Realtors has released Reimagining St. Louis: Increasing Black Homeownership, a new report aimed at reversing decades of inequity and building pathways to generational wealth.
“The purpose of Reimagining St. Louis is clear: to increase African American homeownership in the St. Louis region,” said Stacey Sanders, St. Louis Realtors president. “Our industry has a responsibility to acknowledge the facts, respond to them with transparency, and lead with measurable action. By expanding homeownership pathways, strengthening financial education, and investing in mentorships, we can ensure our profession works for all communities.”
The report comes amid national efforts for Black residents to overcome the lasting effects of redlining, exclusionary zoning and other discriminatory policies that robbed generations of Black families of the chance to build and sustain wealth through homeownership. Across the country, many Black homeowners still face threats not only from predatory lending and gentrification but from a quieter danger — the loss of homes due to unclear ownership, missing wills and fraudulent transactions.
A local and national crisis
According to the National Fair Housing Alliance’s State of Equitable Homeownership 2025 report, recent gains in Black and Latino homeownership have begun to slip. In the second quarter of 2025, the Black homeownership rate dropped to 43.9% — the steepest year-over-year decline since 2021. The white homeownership rate, by contrast, remains 74% — a 30-point gap that translates directly into intergenerational inequality.
That national picture mirrors the situation in St. Louis, where decades of redlining, restrictive covenants and uneven access to mortgage credit have left a lasting imprint. The Reimagining St. Louis report documents how those inequities continue to shape who can buy, keep and pass down a home today. Lower Black homeownership rates have weakened generational wealth and limited access to quality schools, healthcare, and opportunity across the region.
“This initiative signals a serious commitment to closing the homeownership gap and confronting the legacy of housing discrimination,” said Nate Johnson, 2011 president of St. Louis Realtors and chair of the advisory group behind the report. “Progress will depend on strong partnerships with financial institutions, sustained community engagement and rigorous accountability. Together, we can translate these commitments into durable, equitable outcomes for families across our region.”
How families lose homes — and wealth
The barriers to sustaining Black homeownership go beyond mortgages and down payments. Across the nation, families are losing property through heir’s-property disputes, deed confusion and title fraud — often without realizing their legal vulnerability.
In Houston, Brandon Cofield, public probate administrator for Harris County, has seen up close how this pattern affects Black property owners. “They can’t sell, can’t get repair assistance, can’t access benefits. The property just gets stuck,” he said.
A recent Texas study found four times more heir’s-property cases in Black and brown neighborhoods — and foreclosure rates 30 times higher than in white areas.
Such stories are echoes of what many St. Louis families know all too well. For decades, discriminatory lending, undervaluation of Black-owned homes and rising taxes in gentrifying neighborhoods have eroded ownership stability. The Reimagining St. Louis report acknowledges that history head-on, describing how “discriminatory real estate policies and practices created a legacy of exclusion that continues to shape the housing landscape today.”
From acknowledgment to action
Local leaders say data must lead to measurable results.
Jason Purnell, president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation, tied the St. Louis housing report’s findings to the region’s broader well-being.
“The Reimagining St. Louis report lays out a factual foundation for change,” he said. “It reminds us that equity in housing is a key component of quality healthcare, education, and economic stability. By working together on these priorities, we can strengthen the future of St. Louis for all who call it home.”
That call for coordinated action reflects a broader national push to equip Black homeowners with the tools and knowledge to protect their assets. In Houston’s Fifth Ward, for example, the Community Redevelopment Corp. recently hosted a “Know Your Rights” panel to help residents understand title protection and estate planning.
“There’s a lot of activity in the housing market right now, and we want our people educated and well-equipped to deal with these challenges,” said Naseeka Cox, the group’s program director.
It’s a message that resonates in St. Louis: building generational wealth requires both fair systems and informed families.
The road ahead
The release of Reimagining St. Louis could mark a turning point for the city’s housing industry — one that moves from apology to accountability. By confronting its past, the region’s real estate sector is taking a rare public stand to repair trust and expand opportunity.
As Sanders put it, “This is about building generational wealth and creating a housing market that is equitable and sustainable for everyone.”
Yet, the challenge remains urgent — both locally and nationally. The decline in Black homeownership and the persistence of property loss underscore how fragile progress can be. From tangled titles in Houston to long-denied mortgages in St. Louis, the pattern is painfully familiar.
Whether through policy reform, education or partnership, housing advocates say the goal is to keep Black families not only in their homes, but in control of their futures.
Aswad Walker of the Houston Defender contributed to this report.