Between Private Equity and Housing Discrimination: The Long-Term Crisis in St. Louis and Beyond

Authors

Harold BraswellFollow
Alexandra McNameeFollow
Charitha BodepudiFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

On December 15, 2023, Northview Village, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Saint Louis region, closed abruptly, leading to the nighttime discharge of 170 residents. This emergency, while unique to that facility, is indicative of a broader crisis in both local and, to a significant extent, national nursing homes. This crisis has partly been catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it rests on underlying factors that are unfortunately integral to the financing and operation of long-term care. This article will argue that understanding it requires situating long-term care at the intersection of two broader historical processes: the rise of private equity and the persistence of anti-Black housing discrimination. It will conclude by suggesting some strategies to address these trends in a way that might improve the situations of long-term care residents. Of particular importance is the need to include Black long-term care residents in future discussions of reparations for housing discrimination in St. Louis and elsewhere.

Recommended Citation

Harold Braswell, Alexandra McNamee & Charitha Bodepudi, Between Private Equity and Housing Discrimination: The Long-Term Crisis in St. Louis and Beyond, 18 St. Louis U. J. Health L. & Pol'y (2025).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/jhlp/vol18/iss2/4