FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Enterprise Bank & Trust, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, Midwest BankCentre, Smith NMTC Associates, LLC, St. Louis Community Foundation, St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), & U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance announce 40 home development”
ST LOUIS, August 2026 — Enterprise Bank & Trust, Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis, Midwest BankCentre, Smith NMTC Associates, LLC, St. Louis Community Foundation, St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), & U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance announce 40 home development, $17 million investment on Evans Avenue, and the largest investment in affordable housing in this neighborhood in over 40 years. Invites community to Framing 40 Futures Community/Press Event Tuesday August 18th 10am.
This development is a true collaboration, almost two years in the making, between financial entities, a long-established non-profit, and dedicated community partners leveraging assets and committing to concentrated homeownership investment in a chronically under resourced neighborhood. Financing for this project includes $17 million in New Markets Tax Credits, consultation and compliance led by Smith NMTC Associates, LLC; combining credits from SLDC pledging $7 million, $6.7 million from Enterprise Financial, $3.3 from U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, and $3.4 million in St. Louis City ARPA funds.
Howard Smith, co-founder and principal of Smith NMTC Associates, LLC, shared how his personal passion for homeownership was nurtured through his decades-long relationship with Habitat Saint Louis, and how important this project is to St. Louis and its residents: “Over my 30 years as a volunteer with Habitat Saint Louis, I have seen how strategic financing can transform tragedy into long-term stability. By blending innovative funding with grassroots dedication, NMTCs are providing the vital capital needed to build 40 new homes following the devastating May 2025 tornado. Closing our company’s 10th NMTC transaction with Habitat Saint Louis, we are not just rebuilding houses together—-we are restoring neighborhoods and strengthening communities.”
“We’re proud to support Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis with New Markets Tax Credit financing for the Evans Corridor affordable homeownership development,” said William Carson, Senior Vice President at U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, the community development division of U.S. Bank. “Redevelopment efforts like this demonstrate how public, private, and nonprofit partners can collaborate to support families and communities that were devastated by the May 2025 tornado and help strengthen them for long term success.”
“We too are proud to leverage our NMTC allocation to bolster Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis’s essential work, opening doors to lasting homeownership and economic stability for residents right here in St. Louis,” says Abby Kepple EVP, President of Specialized Banking, Enterprise Bank & Trust.
Midwest BankCentre provided the essential $8.8 million leverage source loan financing to bring this project to the closing table. “North St. Louis needed meaningful investment long before the May 2025 tornado, and the devastation only reinforced the urgency of work that was already underway,” said Orvin T. Kimbrough, chairman and CEO of Midwest BankCentre. “By bringing together city leadership, public and private resources, nonprofits, community lenders, tax credit partners and philanthropy, this unprecedented collaboration is turning investment into 40 opportunities for families to put down roots, build wealth and create a future through homeownership. Midwest BankCentre is proud to provide the financing that helped bring these partners and resources together, because rebuilding and strengthening communities requires more than capital—it requires all of us working together toward a shared vision. This is the kind of model we should replicate across our region, while sustaining the urgency, trust and momentum that made this moment possible.”
Why is this development special?
Fundamentally each partner in this development is working together towards the goal of generating homeownership opportunities for working families. “We are here to serve our community TOGETHER and what better way to help than to ensure the dignity of access to affordable housing for all, than with concentrated investment,” says Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis CEO Kimberly McKinney. “We have served St Louis for 40 years and being able to celebrate an anniversary milestone with a development alongside our community FOR our community, is a win for everyone.”
“This project is a great example of collaboration and innovation. As we consider our collective commitment to rebuilding our community, this kind of creative thinking and purposeful action is greatly needed. The St. Louis Community Foundation is proud to be one of many partners that has contributed to new quality, affordable housing in north St. Louis city- Kelvin Adams, President & CEO, St. Louis Community Foundation.
“Creating affordable homeownership in historically disinvested communities is a commitment SLDC continues to double down on,” said SLDC President and CEO Stephen Westbrooks. “North St. Louis needed investment long before last year’s tornado. Today, committed partners are working to rebuild and scale housing development in North St. Louis.”
Call to Action: Framing 40 Futures: Community/Press Event
Event Date & Time: Tuesday August 18th 10am
Event Address: 4200 Evans Ave St. Louis 63113
Event Description: Join the development partners to learn more details of the scope, scale, timelines, and the futures impacted by this historic 40 home, $17 million development. Remarks by elected officials and organizational leadership.
Event Action: Those in attendance are invited to view renderings of the proposed home designs and write messages to future homebuyers on framed walls which will be installed into the newly constructed homes.
All members of the community and press are welcome to attend! RSVP is requested.
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Points of contact for questions, arrange interviews, or for additional information.
- Enterprise Bank and Trust: Steve Richardson 314-995-5695 srichardson@enterprisebank.com
- Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis: Harper Zielonko 314-606-6242 Harper@habitatstl.org
- Midwest BankCentre: Sheri Chorlins 314-732-9175 sheri@pr-catalyst.com
- Smith NMTC Associates: Jill Gilbert 314-322-8121 JGilbert@smithnmtc.com
- St. Louis Community Foundation: Week of August 2nd-9th Elizabeth George (314) 880-4956 egeorge@stlgives.org – Rae’Jean Alford 314.944.5230; ralford@stlgives.org)
- St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC): Deion Broxton 314-657-3693 broxtond@stlouis-mo.gov
- US Bank Impact Finance: Kaitlyn Dormer 201-669-8205 kaitlyn.dormer@usbank.com
Enterprise Bank & Trust
Enterprise Bank & Trust is a growing financial services partner focused on guiding people to a lifetime of financial success. We empower privately held businesses to succeed, helping families to secure their financial futures, and invest to advance the quality of life for the communities we serve. Enterprise is built on personal relationships and offers a range of business and personal banking services, wealth management services and a variety of specialized banking services. Enterprise Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ: EFSC), with approximately $17.4 billion in assets, is a financial holding company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri. Enterprise Bank & Trust operates more than 50 branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada and New Mexico, along with SBA loan production offices and deposit production offices throughout the country. Additional information is available at www.enterprisebank.com. Member FDIC.
Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis
Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis (HFHSL) is a not-for-profit housing non-profit working in partnership with engaged individuals and communities to improve housing conditions and provide safe, decent, and affordable housing in St. Louis City and County. With more than 450 homes already built or rehabbed, HFHSL is one of the leading housing developers in St. Louis. HFHSL regularly ranks among the top Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the country. HFHSL donors, volunteers, and partner families work side-by-side to build or rehab homes ensuring that every deserving family in St. Louis has a decent place to live. Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis: Building Homes, Building Hope, Building St. Louis. For more information, visit: www.habitatstl.org.
Midwest BankCentre
Midwest BankCentre’s assets exceed $3.00 billion, with approximately $2.5 billion in deposits as of March 31, 2026. A mainstay of the greater St. Louis community banking scene since 1906, the bank employs about 280 team members across 14 bank locations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis, Jefferson, and St. Charles counties in Missouri, along with a loan production office in St. Clair County, Illinois. Midwest BankCentre also opened a business production office in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2023. The bank empowers people, enables businesses, and energizes neighborhoods through the strength of its financial services, including personalized consumer and business banking, business cash management, mortgage lending, home equity loans, financial planning and investments, insurance services, and digital banking solutions. Since 2001, Midwest BankCentre has earned Bauer Financials’ 5‑Star Superior rating every quarter, reflecting consistent, long‑term financial strength and stability. The bank is widely recognized for expanding access to affordable capital in traditionally underserved markets and for advancing financial inclusion for low- and moderate-income customers. Honors include National Top Workplace awards from Energage and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2021–2026, with multiple distinctions in diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as recognition for Employee Appreciation, Employee Well-Being, and Professional Development for the third consecutive year. For more information, click here.
Smith NMTC Associates, LLC
Smith NMTC Associates, LLC works with mission-driven organizations throughout the country to develop creative financing models and structures that bring affordable homeownership, community facilities, and essential services to low-income communities. In 2008, Smith NMTC Associates, LLC pioneered the first NMTC model for affordable homeownership, in collaboration with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation and Habitat for Humanity International, to deploy $25 million in NMTC allocation that benefited five nonprofit developers in the Gulf Opportunity Zone after Hurricane Katrina. Since then, the Smith NMTC Model has been used to deploy almost $1 billion in NMTCs in partnership with 25 CDEs across 34 states and Washington, D.C.
St. Louis Community Foundation
Founded in 1915, the St. Louis Community Foundation is the second oldest community foundation in the country and a trusted partner in regional philanthropy. The Foundation stewards approximately 800 charitable funds on behalf of individuals, families, and businesses, with more than $775 million in assets under management. In 2025, the Foundation and its donors granted $115 million to organizations and causes shaping the St. Louis region and beyond. The Foundation also powers Give STL Day, which has raised more than $40 million for local nonprofits over the past 13 years. For more information, visit stlgives.org
St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC)
SLDC is the independent economic development agency serving the City of St. Louis, Missouri. It is an action-oriented organization that exists to empower, develop and transform St. Louis through a vibrant, just and growing economy where all people can thrive. For more information, visit developstlouis.org
U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance
U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, the community development and infrastructure finance division of U.S. Bank, is an industry leader in delivering tailored financing solutions that help clients advance their environmental and community impact goals. Its tax credit investments and syndications, financing for community development financial institutions (CDFIs), lending and other solutions help its clients create affordable housing, develop infrastructure, spur economic activity in communities, expand access to capital, restore historic buildings and expand access to capital. Learn more at usbank.com/impactfinance
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