ST. LOUIS – Kristie Shackelford’s situation needed an alteration. The single mom has three teenagers, four jobs, and one big problem: She’s behind on rent and just weeks from eviction.

“Sometimes you’re looking for your next gig as an artist, and in trying to live in that world, things got really tight. It was hard. It’s Christmas. I don’t have anything to give my kids,” Shackelford said.

On Dec. 3, Kristie applied for the City of St. Louis’ Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The city partnered with FORWARD, a Seattle, Washington, company, to administer the program and its $3.3 million in federal funds.

The program’s website said applicants and landlords would be notified of their application status “after the review process that may take up to 10 days.”

50 days later, Kristie still doesn’t know if she’ll get the help she desperately needs.

“It’s hard to feel like I have so much to give, but I don’t feel like my world around me values me,” Shackelford said.

A generous viewer wanted to prove to Kristie just how valuable she is. Minutes after we aired Kristie’s story Tuesday night, the viewer, who asked to remain anonymous, called FOX 2’s Mike Colombo, saying they’d like to help her out.

We picked up the money and met Kristie to share the good news.

“They feel for you. They want to help you as much as they can. They wanted to share some money with you to help with the situation,” Colombo told Shackelford.

“I’m speechless. Thank you so much. I’m grateful. For the first time I exhaled. I think I’m going to sleep tonight. I’m looking forward to that, honestly. It’s been a really rough couple of weeks,” she replied

With $1,000 in her hands, what seemed like a dream is now reality.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. Now I’m not going to have to try and push back different bills to pay other bills. I can get caught up and make sure my lease gets renewed and that I’m in good standing. I’m just so grateful. So very grateful. Thank you so much,” Shackelford added.

Despite this rewarding resolution for Kristie, the city’s emergency rental assistance program is still delayed.

In a statement, a spokesperson said, “While the City and FORWARD recognize the frustration delays may cause, we remain committed to processing applications as efficiently as possible to maximize the program’s impact on the St. Louis Community.”

The city has yet to agree to an on-camera interview about this issue, but our invitation stands, as does our promise to follow this story every step of the way.