WHAT TO EXPECT

In October, legal notices announced the sale of four houses owned by Community Sweat Equity Housing Corp., a not-for-profit organization designed to help low- to moderate-income families purchase homes in Cape Girardeau.

The announced public auction, prompted by foreclosure on the properties, brought the total to 10 homes the organization was in danger of losing since its incorporation in 1993.

With this news, the Southeast Missourian began what turned into an in-depth look into Community Sweat Equity Housing Corp. The purpose was to understand how a corporation that began with the intention of providing housing could purchase, rent and then be threatened with the loss of 10 homes in less than five years.

The reporting effort by staff writer Jeffrey Jackson led beyond the housing corporation itself and grew to include the public funding of a senior adult day-care center and an investigation by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

Over five days, the Southeast Missourian is presenting its in-depth report about CSEH -- how it began, what happened to it and what the future holds for the corporation.