Board of Aldermen approve rental assistance for tenants impacted by the tornado. The program with the cash sits incomplete.
The Impacted Tenants Fund was first introduced to the Board of Aldermen in December of 2023. Nearly a year and a half later, the program sit sits without a finalized application.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -On Tuesday, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted to green light financial assistance for thousands of St. Louisans impacted by the May 16 tornado, but the money will not yet be dispersed.
One week after the legislation was introduced, the board voted to expand the eligibility for the city’s Impacted Tenants Fund to those tenants displaced by the tornado.
“Right now, we know homeowners are struggling but we also know that our renters are struggling,” said Alderman Rasheen Aldridge of the 14th Ward. “Everyone can’t afford to be a homeowner, and we know in the city of St. Louis, we have a lot of tenants. We want to make sure we are ing out tenants.”
However, Aldridge cautions those who may potentially qualify, because the program is not yet open for applications. He does not know what caused the delay in getting an application designed, approved and made public prior to the tornado taking place.
“This was something that should have been set up in 2023 when we originally ed it but we’re here now, and we’re working to figure out how do we get this program set up in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
Last fall, the city selected Employment Connection as the vendor overseeing the program. Since then, the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee have yet to see an application for the program. The committee is required to approve the application before it can be made public.
First Alert 4 asked a city spokesperson for an update on the timeline of working with the vendor to get an application finalized and put in front of the committee. It has not yet heard back.
The delay is not welcome news to many city tenants, who are being forced out of their homes every day due to damage.
“Every morning I get up like what am I gonna do, where do I start, who do I ask because the days are getting short,” said Christina Scott, who has been renting a home on the city’s north side for 11 years.
She said her landlord has given her 10 days to move out due to damage to her home. On disability and with a four-year-old son, she’s unsure where she’ll end up.
“I am very worried that me and my four year old son will be on the streets,” she said, “We’ll be in a tent, somewhere.”
The fund was originally intended for tenants who were forced out of their homes due to negligent landlords. It currently has $100,000 in it.
Qualified applicants can receive Fair Market Rent, courtesy of the city, for the first or last month.
Last week, Board President Megan Green said the budget for FY26 allocates an additional $160,000 for the program, but city leaders acknowledge it is no where near enough.
A recommendation was made to the board to add $1,000,000 to the fund in the wake of the tornado, but that has yet to be discussed or voted on.
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