ST. LOUIS — City residents having trouble covering mortgage payments or rent due to the coronavirus pandemic can apply for up to $3,500 in aid from a new city program rolled out Wednesday.
The federally funded program is making $5.4 million available for such housing grants.
Applicants must demonstrate financial hardship due to the coronavirus. Examples include a loss of wages due to layoffs or furloughs, delayed unemployment payments, a physician's note requiring the applicant be quarantined or proof of hospitalization.
All aid payments will be made directly to the rental landlord or the lender in case of mortgages.
"As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë families and residents are facing eviction or are at risk of losing their homes through no fault of their own," Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a statement.
"This program is designed to get them the financial assistance they need to keep a roof over their head during this extraordinarily challenging time."
The city Department of Human Services and Affordable Housing Commission will work with various housing organizations and service providers to distribute the money.
Up to three months of rent or mortgage payment can be paid per household. Â
To apply, go to the website. A City CARES representative will contact applicants to schedule an appointment to provide detailed information and later let them know if they are approved for aid.
The program is part of a spending plan approved last week by the Board of Aldermen for $64 million in federal coronavirus aid.
The mayor’s office said about 4,200 applicants so far have been determined eligible for relief.
St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë sheriff's deputy Gregg Christian looks through items on a counter in an apartment whose occupants are being evicted in St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The officer performing the eviction does a sweep of the residence to make sure no firearms or drugs are left on the property. In the case of firearms the resident can petition the court for their return, if drugs are found the case is handed over to the St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë Metropolitan Police. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com