On the Road Across America
A Daily Journal from the Homeownership Express!

It's the spot from which explorers Lewis and Clark began their journey across the vast Louisiana Purchase in 1804. The 1904 World's Fair took place here, and 20 million visitors got a glimpse of amazing new technologies - at the same time they tasted exotic, new creations like hot dogs and ice cream. In 1927, 12 of this city's businessmen sponsored a young pilot who dared to believe he could be the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic; so began the legend of The Spirit of St. Louis and its pilot, Charles Lindberg. The famed Gateway Arch was completed in 1967 and has served as a reminder of the city's pioneer past, and a nod to the possibilities of tomorrow, ever since.

The city is St. Louis, of course. You might say that the "Homeownership Express" tapped into that pioneering spirit when it arrived in town. That's because just as the journey west represented new hope and opportunities for Missourians in the past, owning a home represents the pathway to prosperity and a better quality of life for many Missouri families today.

At the Trinity Place Homebuyers Educational Street Fair, sponsored by Metropolitan Congregations United, families had the opportunity to learn how to navigate the homebuying process and what the Bush Administrations is doing to make buying a home less complicated and less costly for consumers.

The weekend event spotlighted a $6 million housing development in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The development - the work of a faith-based organization - is the first step in revitalizing the neighborhood surrounding Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Eventually, 20 homes will be created, and 20 families will learn for themselves that homeownership can transform lives.

More than 400 people attended the homeownership fair over the weekend, and Mayor Francis Slay joined in the festivities by proclaiming June as National Homeownership Month in St. Louis.

Joining HUD Regional Director Macie Houston at today's St. Louis stop were Fannie Mae, the Homebuilders Association of Greater St. Louis, and other representatives of HUD's Blueprint for the American Dream Partnership.

Tomorrow: Gumbo, jambalaya, and a city full of potential homebuyers await the Homeownership Express in New Orleans.

Content Archived: May 3, 2010