Invest STL recently piloted a program called “Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place,” which aims to help long-term Black residents in St. Louis build wealth and stay in the neighborhoods they already live in.

Scott Shelton has lived in St. Louis his entire life, and he has firsthand experience with rent hikes and gentrification in the neighborhood where he grew up. He hopes Invest STL’s Rooted program can help keep Black residents in their homes.

St. Louis non-profit organizations search for tangible ways to combat gentrification and anti-displacement.

Michael Pagano and Derek Laney are part of Invest STL’s Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place project in St. Louis, which seeks to empower Black homeowners in the West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods with financial assistance that can combat displacement.