St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has directed the city’s Affordable Housing Commission to set aside an additional $1 million for its Home Repair Program.
The commission has already authorized more than $2.4 million from its Housing Trust Fund to assist nearly 900 income-qualified applicants to keep their aging homes safe and livable.
According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the additional allotment will be prioritized for nearly 1,900 homeowners to finish needed work.
"It is every bit as important to keep people in their own homes and in their own neighborhoods as it is to create new, affordable housing," said Slay in the statement. "Oftentimes the only investment low- and moderate-income families have is their house. Making sure families can afford to stay in their homes helps strengthen neighborhoods, and strong neighborhoods lead to less crime and a greater sense of community," he said.
The Affordable Housing Commission has sought proposals from community support groups to provide the home repairs for income-qualified homeowners.
“It allows us to help individuals on private property,” said the commission’s Executive Director April Griffin, “but essentially this is an investment in our city and helps us to maintain and improve the stabilization and the preservation of the beautiful buildings that we have in St. Louis.”
Griffin said typical repairs that qualified homeowners can receive funds for include tuckpointing, electrical and plumbing work, and furnace and hot water heater restoration.
“There's also people who just need minor work done so we also provide funds for that," she said.
The city will announce which applicants have been chosen to receive funds by mid-January.
