St. Louis Alderwoman Laura Keys has proposed a new bill that would authorize the city to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
$500 monthly payments for one year to certain senior citizens who own and occupy their dwellings for ten or more years
The bill, formally known as Board Bill No. 3, would make $12 million in ARPA funds available through Senior Citizens Homeowners Grants to offer such payments. The St. Louis Treasurer’s Office would oversee the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to eligible senior citizens within the city.
The proposed bill justifies the payments by highlighting the negative economic impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on households and small businesses. It further notes that any delay in the receipt and appropriation of these funds would increase threats to public health and welfare by causing a delay in responding to the fiscal and other impacts caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
The bill has not disclosed applicable ages for senior citizens, nor any other criteria for those who might be eligible for payments
The proposed payments are separate from the guaranteed basic income cash program approved by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones late last year. Through this program, hundreds of families who meet the criteria for financial assistance will receive $500 payments for 18 months.
Overall, the proposed bill aims to provide financial relief to senior citizens who have owned and occupied their dwellings for a decade or more and have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains to be seen whether the bill will be approved and how many senior citizens will be eligible for the payments.
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