St. Louis renters who were forced to leave their homes due to the May 16 tornado are eligible for help from the city – though it’s still not clear when the money will start flowing.
The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday took a delayed vote to expand eligibility for the city’s Impacted Tenants Fund. Approved applicants will get a month of federal fair market rent to help cover up-front expenses like a security deposit or first month’s rent at a new building.
But even though the legislation creating the fund passed in May 2024 and the city selected a vendor in the fall, the program is not operating. Mayor Cara Spencer said Monday that the administration was working through legal hurdles and could not provide a timeline on when applications would be available.
The spending plan that takes effect July 1 currently includes enough money to help about 200 people. The aldermanic budget committee on Monday recommended transferring $1 million from the city’s reserve fund to more than quadruple that number.
“We heard a lot from the public about a need for this board to respond to this disaster in a meaningful way,” said Michael Browning, alderman for the 9th Ward and vice chair of the Budget and Public Employees Committee. “Because this is a bureaucratic process, it does not move at the speed of real life sometimes, and that’s unfortunate in times like this, but this is one case where we can do something.”
The Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the fiscal oversight panel made up of the mayor, comptroller and board president, must approve the transfer. A spokesman said board President Megan Green is supportive. Spencer said she had not had time to closely review the budget committee suggestions. Comptroller Donna Baringer could not immediately be reached for comment.
The budget committee on Monday also proposed transferring about $79,000 from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to the City Emergency Management Agency so the agency could hire another staffer and buy more health and safety supplies.
The agency currently has four employees. The committee also suggested allowing the agency to spend an additional $5,000 in next year’s budget to buy software.
Those requests also require approval by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment.
