Rich Nigro carefully measured a board before cutting it with a miter saw. On the opposite side of the backyard of a home under rehab, Gary Nipper measured the extra wood on the top of a post that needed cutting.

The two members of the Holy Name Society at St. Stephen Protomartyr Parish in St. Louis volunteered to lead a fence-building day Aug. 29 at the home in the Dutchtown neighborhood being renovated by St. Joseph Housing Initiative for a family who are first-time homebuyers. The four-bedroom house and two other houses in the same neighborhood, the fourth, fifth and sixth to be renovated since the formation of the faith-based, nonprofit entity, will be completed this summer.

Nigro said he volunteered at a benefit for St. Joseph Housing Initiative last year and was attracted by its mission to produce quality housing for low- and moderate-income families in the St. Louis area. He recruited Nipper, his neighbor, who just built a fence in his yard.

Nigro had helped Nipper with his fence, so they had recent experience. A local Lowe’s store helped with material selection and delivery, and additional volunteers came from First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood. The posts already were installed, so the process involved installing rails, pickets, gates and hardware. The process went quick, and Nipper referred to the phrase, “Many hands make light work.”

The Holy Name Society is an organization of men at the parish that seeks to meet needs that go unnoticed and to address big-ticket items, he said. Giving back to the community is important to him. His parish supported his family at one point when they needed help, and “whatever charity things I do, I feel like I’m trying to repay them in some way.”

The St. Joseph Housing Initiative grew from conversations Archbishop Robert J. Carlson had with Bridget Flood, executive director of the Incarnate Word Foundation. The aim is to provide increased homeownership and added stability in neighborhoods with high rates of rental housing and vacancies.

“It’s a wonderful example of the community coming together for a good cause,” said Maureen McCuen, executive director of St. Joseph Housing Initiative. The volunteerism helps keep the homes affordable, she added.

The fence-building and yard work observing social distancing guidelines was the first volunteer effort for the housing initiative since COVID-19 restrictions were initiated. Sharon Croissant of First Presbyterian said she was attracted to the housing initiative’s ability to make an impact. “And we like the ecumenical factor,” she said of volunteering with the St. Stephen parishioners.

Annie Purcell, administrative coordinator for St. Joseph Housing Initiative, said “I feel so overwhelmed by the generosity of folks, willing to come and spend a Saturday doing this. We’re a staff of two, and when I go out trying to fund raise or whatever, this makes it easier because I can tell people how hard people are working to help provide a good opportunity for homeownership.”

Most people have had some help obtaining a home — an uncle who lent them money or a mom who taught them about saving money, Purcell said. “Everyone deserves some help.”

The rehab also means the neighbors no longer have a vacant house on their street.

In a little more than a year, St. Joseph Housing Initiative sold three homes to families and now is planning to acquire its seventh and eighth homes.

>> How to help

St. Joseph Housing Initiative seeks volunteers to help with cleaning, yard clean-up, landscaping and more.

Other ways to help include making a financial contribution or donating property. The initiative is holding its third annual Raise the Roof fundraiser, virtual this year, on Sunday, Oct. 18. For information, email [email protected] or call (314) 529-1861.

To donate or volunteer, visit www.stjosephhousing.org, write to St. Joseph Housing Initiative, 4701 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63111 or call (314) 919-6176.