St. Louis County Government: St. Louis County To Receive A Second Round Of Emergency Rental Assistance Funds Doubling The Amount Availab ...

Press release from the St. Louis County Government:

May 20, 2021

ST. LOUIS COUNTY (May 20, 2021) County Executive Dr. Sam Page signed a bill into law this week that will allow St. Louis County to receive a federal grant of $29.8 million for rental and utility assistance, providing critical help to residents during this pandemic.

It marks the second federal grant St. Louis County has received this year to help families stay in their homes.

“Our priorities continue to be Health and Safety, Opportunity for All, and Good Government,” said County Executive Page. “We have already dedicated more than $173 million to offsetting the financial and social burdens caused by COVID 19 in St. Louis County. These additional funds will help stabilize families struggling to stay housed.”

On January 5, the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched the $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance Program to assist households that are unable to pay rent and utilities due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The funds are provided directly to states and local governments with more than 200,000 residents. St. Louis County received $29.7 million.

A second round of funds was recently allocated as part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, and St. Louis County is poised to receive another $29.8 million. The County Council agreed to accept the funds Tuesday night.

To apply for the Emergency Rental Program, households must meet the following criteria:

• One or more members of the household qualify for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID 19.
• At least one member of the household demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
• The household income is at or below 80 percent of the area median.

St. Louis County began sending out ERAP funds this week to residents and landlords from the initial 29.7 million.

The Emergency Rental Assistance grants build on the $6.5 million for food security programs, $7 million in housing stabilization, $24.5 million in grants for small businesses, and $9.5 million in humanitarian relief funds St. Louis County provided through St. Louis County CARES Act funds.

For more information on the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, please go to stlcorona.com.

This press release was produced by the St. Louis County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.