Sanctuary In The Ordinary

What Sanctuary In The Ordinary does

Sanctuary In The Ordinary (SITO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affordable housing organization headquartered at 1023 N. Grand Blvd in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1990 by Jim Roos to own and manage rental buildings for low-income residents. SITO's core offering is its Selective Rehab methodology, a cost-effective renovation approach that targets distressed but sound multi-family buildings for targeted improvements (windows, doors, insulation, kitchens, bathrooms, mechanical systems) rather than gut rehab or new construction, delivering renovated units at $40,000-$80,000 per unit (acquisition and rehab combined) in 4-6 months, compared to roughly $231,000 per unit for gut rehab and $596,486 per unit for new construction in Los Angeles.

The organization serves households at or below 50% of the St. Louis City area median income, including childcare workers, medical technicians, warehouse workers, and grocery store clerks earning $15-20/hour, as well as refugee and immigrant families resettled through partner agencies such as the International Institute of St. Louis. SITO's go-to-market is community-led: it identifies distressed multi-family buildings in partnership with local nonprofits, government agencies, and neighborhood organizations, then layers a novel financing stack — bank mortgages (75% LTV), 10-year interest-free loans from individuals and public entities (including the Jim Roos Legacy Loan Fund), and foundation grants — to deliver affordable rents without ongoing public subsidies.

The business combines rental income, tax-deductible donations, grants, and interest-free loans; rental revenue from owned properties covers mortgages, property management, and maintenance. Following a 2018-2020 dormancy and strategic refresh, SITO was relaunched with a 24-unit pilot project in St. Louis, transitioned leadership to Jeff Buck as Executive Director in July 2022, and in January 2024 became an official affiliate of Justine PETERSEN Housing and Reinvestment Corporation, a $18 million net-asset St. Louis CDFI that guarantees SITO's no-interest loans.

Name

Sanctuary In The Ordinary

Legal name

Sanctuary In The Ordinary

Website

https://sitohousing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sanctuary In The Ordinary is a St. Louis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses a Selective Rehab methodology to convert distressed multi-family buildings into affordable rental housing for low-income households at or below 50% of area median income and refugee families resettled through partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Rehab-to-Rent / Fix-and-Rent Financing (FSALAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Housing Rehabilitation, Weatherization & Home Repair Grant/Loan Programs (FSALAKAJ)

Keywords

• Affordable housing
• Selective rehabilitation
• Rental property management
• Nonprofit community development
• Low-income housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Rental Income: Rental income from renovated properties is used to pay mortgages, property management, and maintenance costs without requiring ongoing subsidies.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting affordable housing mission.
3. Interest-Free Loans: 10-year interest-free loans from individuals and public entities fill the gap between total acquisition/rehab costs and conventional bank mortgage amounts.
4. Grants: Grants from foundations and public housing entities for equity and development costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sanctuary In The Ordinary (SITO) identifies and acquires distressed but sound multi-family apartment buildings in St. Louis and renovates them using its proprietary Selective Rehab methodology, then rents the resulting units to low-income individuals, families, and refugees at affordable rates. Units are created for $40,000–$80,000 per unit (acquisition plus rehab) and completed in 4–6 months. The organization also operates the Jim Roos Legacy Loan Fund, a 10-year interest-free loan program guaranteed by affiliate Justine PETERSEN that fills financing gaps.

Product overview

Sanctuary In The Ordinary (SITO) is a nonprofit affordable housing organization offering a portfolio of housing-related programs centered on its Selective Rehab methodology. The organization provides no-interest loan financing through the Jim Roos Legacy Loan Fund, operates a 24-unit Pilot Project to demonstrate viability, and manages affordable rental housing units for low-income residents in the St. Louis metro area. SITO partners with public and private entities, including affiliate Justine PETERSEN Housing and Reinvestment Corporation, to fund selective rehabilitation projects that transform distressed buildings into dignified rental housing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Justine PETERSEN Housing and Reinvestment CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SITO became an official affiliate of Justine PETERSEN in January 2024, formalizing a decades-long partnership. JP is a St. Louis-based CDFI with $18 million in net assets that has made thousands of loans to individuals, families, and businesses. JP guarantees the no-interest loans that supporters provide to SITO. The partnership enables exponential value creation, with SITO gaining resources to transform distressed buildings into affordable housing while JP gains expertise to create purchasable housing for clients to foster generational wealth.
• International Institute of St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe International Institute is the refugee relocation agency for the St. Louis metro area. SITO has collaborated with them for decades, renting to Vietnamese families in the 1980s and currently housing an Afghan refugee family of six. This partnership addresses housing needs for refugee families resettled in St. Louis.
• St. Patrick CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Anthony D'Agostino serves as a board member of SITO. This nonprofit provides services to homeless individuals in St. Louis.
• St. Louis City Continuum of Care (CoC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSITO collaborates with members of St. Louis City Continuum of Care, which provides services to homeless individuals. SITO provides housing for people whom CoC serves, creating a partnership for political strength and comprehensive support.
• Lutheran Development GroupminorOthersIn 2018, SITO sold or donated its buildings to Lutheran Development Group and transferred private financing to Justine PETERSEN as part of organizational restructuring before its rebirth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lutheran Development Group: St. Louis faith-based nonprofit affordable housing developer that received SITO's buildings during its 2018 restructuring and continued operating them. Direct historical and operational peer in the same St. Louis affordable housing ecosystem.
• Doorways: St. Louis nonprofit providing housing and supportive services for low-income individuals and families, including persons living with HIV/AIDS. Comparable mission of delivering dignified housing to vulnerable low-income populations in the St. Louis metro.
• Justine PETERSEN Housing and Reinvestment Corporation: St. Louis-based CDFI formed in 1997 with $18M in net assets and a mission to provide affordable housing credit. SITO is an official affiliate and JP guarantees SITO's no-interest loan program; the two share the same patient-capital-plus-nonprofit-operator model.
• Habitat for Humanity St. Louis: Affordable housing nonprofit in St. Louis focused on creating affordable ownership and rental opportunities for low-income households. Operates in the same city, same customer income brackets, and same donor/mission orientation as SITO.
• St. Patrick Center: St. Louis nonprofit providing housing and supportive services to homeless and low-income individuals; CEO Anthony D'Agostino sits on SITO's board. Strong structural overlap as both stabilize vulnerable residents through housing in St. Louis.
• Beyond Housing: St. Louis-area nonprofit that develops and manages affordable rental housing across distressed North St. Louis neighborhoods. Closest direct competitor on geography, mission (low-income affordable rental), and rehab-driven development playbook.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit developer, owner and financier of affordable housing founded by developer/author Bart Harvey; SITO consulted with Enterprise Foundation's Peter Werwath in 2019-2020 on its business plan. National scope dwarfs SITO but pursues the same low-income affordable housing mission and cost-discipline philosophy.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI that finances and supports local community development organizations producing affordable housing. Operates the same community-led, intermediate-finance model as SITO but at dramatically greater scale and a multi-state footprint.
• Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA): National nonprofit HUD-certified counseling agency creating affordable homeownership and counseling for low-income borrowers. Operates a similar mission of expanding affordable housing access in low- and moderate-income communities, though focused on ownership rather than rental.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Sanctuary-In-the-Ordinary-100087074223478
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sanctuary-in-the-ordinary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sanctuary In The Ordinary