Rental Assistance

It’s a familiar rule: People should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing. But for many who rent in St. Louis, that percentage has long been higher.

Eviction filings have always come fast and cheap in Missouri — a legacy of Missouri’s long history of weak tenant protections. Now, eviction filings are happening faster than before the pandemic.

University City-based Matthew Chase is one of the busiest eviction attorneys in both St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County — as evidenced by the fact that many of the area’s biggest landlords have picked them as their go-to guy.

The Board of Aldermen returns in September, when a handful of bills designed to help tenants are likely to be introduced.

Over 2,300 households have been evicted in St. Louis and St. Louis County since the beginning of the pandemic. Some people have received rental aid from federal programs, but city and county officials say if not for eviction moratoriums and rental assistance programs, more people would have lost their homes.

The Illinois Department of Human Services is distributing additional rent help through faith-based organizations.

St. Louis County officials have distributed more than $18 million in emergency rental assistance funds, exceeding the amount the federal program requires the county to spend by September. Another round of funding is coming soon.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush has introduced a bill that would give federal health officials the authority to implement federal eviction bans during a public health crisis.

St. Louis County officials have until the end of the month to distribute about $8 million more in federal rental aid. If the county does not do so, the money will be returned to the federal government.

The measure replaces the national moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 26.