In 1990, the Sisters of Loretto invited interested religious congregations in the St. Louis area to collaborate in the conversion of the former Loretto Academy building into low-income family housing with supportive services. The Dominicans of Sparkill joined with eighteen other congregations to form the Intercommunity Housing Association (IHA) in 1991. Pillar Place Apartments welcomed its first families in 1993. Sparkill Dominicans served on its Board of Directors until the 2008 economic recession made it impossible for the financial institutions backing the IHA housing development to continue. Without any viable alternative to keep the housing and its many support programs going, the decision was made to close Pillar Place in 2009.