In a quiet office park in Bridgeton, Missouri, the noise of construction fills the air. Laurie Phillips, MBA ’99, MSW ’09, is thrilled. As executive director of Room at the Inn, a nonprofit serving homeless families, Phillips knows what this project will mean for her clients.
After renovations are completed, Room at the Inn will be equipped to house up to 35 children and adults at a time, a substantial increase from the current capacity of 20. The updated space will provide a refuge where families can rest, reset, access needed services and connect with stable housing. New sets of adjoining bedrooms will provide a comfortable space for families of all sizes. An expanded kitchen will allow for cooking classes and shared meals.
The need is great, Phillips says, especially following the lapse of COVID-era eviction moratoriums. “Family homelessness increased 13% from 2023 to 2024 in St. Louis County,” she says. “There are not enough shelter beds in the St. Louis metro, not even close, to accommodate the need.”
Room at the Inn clients include children and their caretakers, whether couples, single parents or grandparents. These families may be escaping a violent situation, be overwhelmed by medical debt, be no longer welcome living with family members, or have lost their housing due to a host of other reasons.
“There’s no cookie-cutter reason why people fall into homelessness, and there’s no perfect solution to get everybody out of it,” Phillips says. “We provide a very individual and holistic approach for each client.”
With both an MBA and an MSW from WashU, Phillips is uniquely able to tackle the challenges of running an agency that provides social services. She attended Olin Business School during an earlier phase of her career, while working full time as an accountant at what was then the Monsanto Company.
Years later, while she was still at Monsanto, a volunteer experience through the United Way opened Phillips’ eyes to the work of nonprofits. In her late 30s at the time and with two young children at home, she was deeply affected by a conversation with a woman similar in age whose life had drastically changed following a stroke. She committed to a career shift, enrolling full time at the Brown School.
“Going back to school to study social work is the best decision I ever made,” she says. “It was broadening for me in a lot of different ways.”
Phillips’ financial skills and nuanced understanding of social issues led to a variety of nonprofit roles, including a nearly five-year stint as CEO of St. Patrick Center in downtown St. Louis. In fall 2023, she accepted her current role at Room at the Inn. She made strides during her first year on the job, shepherding an ongoing capital campaign and securing a temporary home for the organization during the current renovations.
“It’s been a year of immense change for everybody, me included,” Phillips says. “I’m really looking forward to what comes next.”
