ST. LOUIS – Lavon Royal-Reed of St. Louis City is tired of seeing the eyesore across the street from the home she owns in Fountain Park.

"When I'm inside my home, I feel great. I've created my own oasis, but then when I step outside, it's a harsh reality that hits me every day. Lord knows whatever else, whoever else could be residing there," Royal-Reed said. "We have a stray vehicle that's been abandoned just sitting over there. I don't have any idea of what kind of activity actually happens over there."

In 2023, Building The Dream Equity Management was granted more than $830,000 by the St. Louis Community Development Association to rehab three properties in Royal-Reed's neighborhood. One of the buildings is the one she sees daily. She wonders what the large grant could mean for the area.

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"Of course, we want a nicer neighborhood, but how can I still afford to live here? What would I need to do to be a resident?" Royal-Reed said. She is also curious when the estimated $1.2 million cost of the rehab projects will start. "Now that I know the money has been made available, why has the work not started?" she wondered.

Building The Dream Equity Management did not want to talk about the projects. Community Development Administration Executive Director Nahuel Fefer said federal funding is complex and multiple elements need to be in place.

"We are designing the tools simultaneously to strengthen the market so we can bring amenities, we can improve quality of life, we can make the market, while creating the tools to ensure that longtime residents aren't displaced," Fefer said.

Despite a Facebook page with one review in the last year and not having an official website, Fefer is confident in his agency's decision in awarding Building The Dream Equity Management.

"It was an extremely competitive application process. We received over 250 applications, totaling over $250 million for our neighborhood transformation grant cycle. We awarded 66 of those applications a total of 30 million dollars in federal funds," Fefer said.

Fefer provided a timeline when he expects the projects to get underway. "We would actually like to start construction spring of 2025 and have construction completed spring of early 2026," he said.

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Royal-Reed hopes the contractor and rehabs are legit. "Don't just slap lipstick on the pig. Really be reasonable about the prices and the expectations too. Don't drive out the people who belong here," she said.

When we asked Royal-Reed how much faith she has in the city getting this right, she replied, "Not much."

After decades of disinvestment in the city, Fefer said he understands the frustration. "I can't blame them given our history. We didn't get here overnight, and so we're not going to change overnight either. So give us the time and grace to get it right," Fefer said.