Today, the St. Louis Board of Estimate and Apportionment passed Mayor Jones’ $80 million direct relief proposal. The proposal addresses public health, public safety and economic stability; it follows a months-long public comment process that focused on the urgent need to address the compounding, COVID-19-related crises still impacting St. Louis.
“There is an urgent need to get these relief funds to St. Louisans as soon as possible. We must get more shots in arms, keep families in their homes and build out youth programming and jobs to improve public safety this summer,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “With more than 2,500 pending evictions in St. Louis and the Delta COVID-19 variant spreading throughout our state, we need to work together to protect City residents immediately.”
Also passed out of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment today was $200,000 in funding for service providers United Way and Urban League to continue rental assistance programs and prepare for the likely end of the federal eviction moratorium on July 31. Recognizing the importance of increasing vaccination rates in the face of the Delta variant, Mayor Jones also passed a $200,000 emergency contract for vaccine canvasses to make sure disinvested communities can get educated and vaccinated as soon as possible. Roughly 80 percent of new COVID-19 cases in May and June, according to the St. Louis City Department of Health, have been in Black communities.
“The past year and a half has been devastating for St. Louis families and businesses,” said Comptroller Darlene Green. “The relief package presented by Mayor Jones prioritizes addressing the most urgent needs for our residents, and I encourage everyone to work together so that we can quickly put these relief funds to work for our community.”
The proposal passed today now moves onto the Board of Aldermen for approval. Based on clear, demonstrated community need – collected from more than 2,500 feedback comments and multiple public hearings – Mayor Jones urges the Board to move quickly to get relief to St. Louis families and remains ready to work with the Honorable Members of the Board to make it happen.
Highlights of Mayor Jones’ $80 million direct relief package include:
$6.75 million in public health infrastructure to get people the resources they need and vaccinate them with mobile vaccine clinics and community canvasses, meeting St. Louisans in their neighborhoods and homes
$58 million in direct, urgent economic relief, including housing and utility assistance, support for the unhoused, immediate cash assistance, and public benefits navigators to help residents connect with these services
$11.5 million to address the root causes of crime and improve public safety through increased funding for violence intervention programs and youth programming and jobs to keep youth engaged and safe
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