Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Sets Goals for HUD's House America Initiative to Address Homelessness in the City of St. Louis

Federal Resources Will Help the City Re-house 800 Persons Experiencing Homelessness and Develop 500 New Units of Affordable Housing

ST. LOUIS - Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, through the Biden-Harris Administration's House America initiative to reduce the negative impacts of homelessness, has committed to re-housing 800 persons and building 500 new units of affordable housing by December 31, 2022. Mayor Jones previously announced (www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/news/house-america-initiative-launch.cfm) her intent to join House America with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), at the House America virtual launch event in September 2021.

"Through the American Rescue Plan, St. Louis has committed a historic $20 million towards affordable housing and services for working families across the city," said Jones. She also added that, "I had the opportunity to discuss our goals further with Secretary Fudge in Washington, DC recently, and I look forward to continuing this work with the Department of Housing and Urban Development."

$20 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding will go towards affordable housing construction and services for residents. During House America's launch, Mayor Jones stated that the City of St. Louis through the ARP, received directly from HUD, 160 emergency housing vouchers and $10 million in HOME Investment Partnerships grants to help more residents obtain the safety of a stable home. Beyond funding from HUD and other federal agencies, St. Louis also received nearly $50 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) (www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/mayor/news/lihtc-tax-credits.cfm) from the State of Missouri to construct almost 600 new units of affordable housing throughout the city.

Underscoring the need for more resources to rehouse those experiencing homelessness, the most recent Point-in-Time (PIT) count data for St. Louis shows that there are nearly 1,270 persons experiencing homelessness and in need of permanent housing and supportive services. Reflecting upon the relationship between HUD and the city over the years mutually working to combat homelessness, HUD St. Louis Field Office Director, James M. Heard, noted that:

I applaud Mayor Jones and her diverse, equitable and broad agenda to help deliver more affordable housing options to the city. Mayor Jones' partnership with HUD and USICH under House America will help St. Louis City fully participate in the historic funding available through the ARP and other COVID - related funding bills. My office looks forward to assisting the city in its effort to bring much needed affordable housing to the community.

About House America:

House America is a national partnership in which HUD and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) invite mayors, county leaders, Tribal nation leaders, and governors to use the historic investments provided through the American Rescue Plan to address the crisis of homelessness through a Housing First approach by immediately re-housing and building additional housing for people experiencing homelessness.

House America leverages funding from the American Rescue Plan, federal, state, and local resources to re-house at least 100,000 households experiencing homelessness and add at least 20,000 new units of affordable housing into the development pipeline by December 31, 2022. Within those national goals, communities will set and achieve local re-housing and unit creation goals.

About HUD Emergency Housing Vouchers - The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Through EHV, HUD is providing 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in order to assist individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability. For more information about HUD Emergency Housing Vouchers, visit: https://www.hud.gov/EHV.

About HUD HOME Investment Partnerships Programs - The HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) provides formula grants to states and localities that communities use - often in partnership with local nonprofit groups - to fund a wide range of activities including building, buying, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership or providing direct rental assistance to low-income people. HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. For more information about HUD's HOME Investment Partnerships Program, visit: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/home-arp/.

To learn more about House America, visit: https://www.hud.gov/house_america.

For a list of House America participants, visit: https://www.hud.gov/house_america/partners.

To join the initiative, visit: https://www.hud.gov/house_america/signup.

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