Historical November–December 2021 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The federal American Rescue Plan is kicking into gear here in St. Louis.
The final spending bill for the first phase passed out of City Hall with $135 million for improving public health, access to housing, and public safety.
This first phase of spending is intended to support and stabilize families and provide economic relief.
The next phase is focused on infrastructure improvements that will serve the long-term future of St. Louis.
In this first package there is $15 million for the Department of Health, including $4 million to increase vaccination rates, including mobile vaccine clinics, vaccine incentives, and community canvasses to reach people door to door. Additional funds to the Department of Health are focused on violence prevention and behavioral health providers.
There is $49 million allocated for direct economic relief, including housing and utility assistance, support for unhoused neighbors, legal assistance, and a public benefits navigators to help residents connect with these services. For assistance with housing costs, there is over $12 million for rental and utility assistance and $2.5 million for mortgage assistance.
I am also pleased that there will be an additional $15 million for the Healthy Home Repair program, which often has lengthy wait times. Direct payments of $500 will go to 10,000 families hardest hit by the pandemic.
As soon as the application process is available information will be available at www.stlouis-mo.gov.
The Rescue Plan funds give us an opportunity to upgrade systems by adding high speed wireless to the city’s recreation facilities. Improvements in voting technology is also on the way with new machines that will allow for people to vote anywhere and avoid long lines if one polling place is too crowded.
The Parks Department will receive around $1.7 million for learning labs and sports programming.
To boost our local economy, the plan includes $2.5 in a Small Business and Non Profit Revolving Loan Fund and $5 million for a small business grant fund.
The package also fills a $5 million gap for police overtime created during the budget process earlier this year. Other public safety efforts include $11.5 million to address the root causes of crime through increased funding for violence intervention programs and youth programming and jobs.
To see a full accounting of the funds see Board Bill 2 on the Board of Aldermen website.
It includes the line-item detail as well as the items vetoed by the Mayor’s office.
With these funds St. Louis has the chance to not only recover from COVID, but build back better. Getting back to “normal” in St. Louis means too much disparity, inequity, and poverty.
These federal funds can make it possible for everyone in St. Louis to have a path to COVID recovery and success.
We have lost so much in the last year and a half, some more than others, and pooling our resources and directing taxpayer funds to overcome disparity and support families, neighborhoods, and small businesses is going to be how we put this pandemic behind us and embrace a better and stronger St. Louis.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 2021.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Source gives $2.5 in revolving loan fund without million unit; omitted magnitude not invented.
Original source: SD_Times2021_11.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
