ST. LOUIS – FOX 2 continues to follow the growing frustration over delays with the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program as new information surfaces regarding what is causing a holdup.
Tonia Coleman has rented her Baden home for six years. Come February, she could be headed for eviction.
“It’s very frustrating. It’s disheartening. I’m a nervous wreck—I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point,” she said. “It’s so hard to catch up because you’re trying to pay bills here, car note, and it’s just ongoing.”
She’s one of more than 5,600 St. Louisans waiting to find out if they’ll receive funding from the City of St. Louis’ Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Applications closed Dec. 16.
Coleman saw our story about a south St. Louis mom in the same situation who received $1,000 from a stranger, and now she is hoping for her own last-minute miracle.
“I said, ‘Maybe I can reach out to him and see if he can help me,'” she added.
A spokesperson for the City of St. Louis says none of the $3.3 million in federal funds have been paid out yet. Around two dozen applicants have been approved, but it’s unclear when they might receive the money.
FORWARD, a company out of Seattle, Washington, partnered to administer the program and are allegedly working on hundreds of cases at a time.
“The leasing office called me back and said, ‘We have not heard from FORWARD. So if you don’t give us $3,800 by Feb. 1, you’re going to have to move out; we’ll have the sheriff at your house, and you have to be gone,'” Coleman said.
According to the city, every application FORWARD has reviewed has been incomplete, creating significant additional work and delays. Applicants with active eviction cases and those with less than 50% of the area median income take priority.
The city has yet to agree to an on-camera interview about this issue, but our invitation stands.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. 10 days. I’m lost. I don’t know where I’m going to get that money from in 10 days,” Coleman added.