ST. LOUIS — Money is available to help St. Louis residents who can’t pay the rent due to COVID.
The number of people dealing with that issue could increase after Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling ended the CDC moratorium on evictions.
St. Louis officials recommend residents attend walk-in rental assistance clinics in north or south city.
Tom Nagel works for Mayor Tishaura Jones's administration as deputy communications director.
“Emergency rental assistance is available here in the city of St. Louis through the CARES Act and board bill 2,” said Nagel. “We have millions of dollars in funds to distribute.”
Nagel showed 5 On Your Side the rental assistance application paperwork outside the Wohl Community Center at Kingshighway and Dr. Martin Luther King Saturday morning. Through mid-September, city officials are holding walk-in rental assistance clinics there, and at Horizon Housing at Arsenal and Gravois.
Horizons Executive Director Shanna Nieweg said, “If people are facing immediate eviction, we open up a case that day, start collecting their documents, start working with their landlords to try to mediate some kind of negotiation to keep them housed or get them re-housed before they face eviction or homelessness.”
The clinics have helped more than 200 people with rental assistance over the past two weeks, but now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ended the CDC moratorium on evictions, St. Louis officials anticipate those numbers could be increasing.
Nagel said, “Anyone can apply for the emergency rental assistance program online, however, we found it’s much easier, much smoother when we pair people up with a volunteer to help them with that application.”
Applicants will need a photo ID, a copy of their lease, proof of city residency, and proof of COVID-related financial hardship, if it’s available.
“That can be one of many things,” said Nagel. “It can be a pay stub, tax return, direct deposit statement. It can be a SNAP card or a food stamp card.”
Those rental assistance forms are available on the city’s website. Applicants who have a pending application do not need to attend a walk-in clinic. City officials are recruiting volunteers to help with processing the applications.
Here are details regarding the two clinics:
Horizon Housing
3001 Arsenal, St. Louis, MO 63118
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday & Thursday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; evening clinics: 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Wohl Recreation Center
1515 N Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63113
Monday - Saturday: 9 a.m. - noon
Wednesday & Thursday: 9 a.m. - noon; evening clinics: 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.