Justine PETERSEN

Our organization is named after the late Justine PETERSEN, a community social worker who bridged the gap between the community and the lending world. One might say she was a bohemian economist. Justine worked in the housing industry for a local nonprofit and served as the voice of the people as she advocated for affordable housing for all.  Justine PETERSEN is headquartered in St. Louis and we focus our work on the three key areas. Credit Building & Financial Education  Homeownership Preparation & Retention Microenterprise Lending & Training When we were founded in 1997 we started with homeownership preparation and retention, then we added our microenterprise lending and training in 2001 when we became an SBA microloan intermediary. We’ve grown that program to be the largest microloan intermediary in the country.  In 2015 we made over 850 microloans. From the beginning credit has been a focal point as we work with clients on the path to financial stability.  We pull credit reports for everyone that walks through the door, providing credit building counseling to over 1200 people a year and offer small dollar credit products that meet the needs of our clients. We have “Life Loans” to address life happens situations and to serve as an alternative to payday/ predatory lenders.