Linda Mertz

East Side Heart & Home is dedicated to making a positive impact and bringing hope to the community of East St. Louis, IL through a model that helps low-income families become homeowners.  The program provides maintenance and budget counseling, helps families establish credit and equity, and builds a new home annually in the Olivette neighborhood.  Seventeen new homes have been built since its inception, and the Markham Mark of Distinction grant would help fund the next.