St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page announced $28 million in new distributions from the county’s $173.5 million in federal stimulus grant funding for COVID-19 relief at a press briefing at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Ferguson Empowerment Center on Friday, July 17. Page said the pandemic is a public health, humanitarian and economic crisis. Humanitarian assistance for seniors, children, housing stabilization and technology are the focus of the latest distributions.
“For the humanitarian program, we are focusing on senior and homebound programs. This includes providing meals, cleaning supplies, protective equipment and medical transportation services,” Page said. Humanitarian grants are also focusing on housing stabilization, including rent and utility assistance, and legal services for foreclosure proceedings and domestic violence law.
Regarding technology, Page said, “These funds will focus on communications and communications access needs for accessing health care, social services, emotional and support networks, including providing prepaid cell phones, tablets, Wi-Fi and hotspots.”
To address the social and emotional needs of children, Page said, the county will fund “in-home childcare providers and any other needs for social and emotional needs for our children, youth in St. Louis County related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He added they are in the process of sending out $19 million in grants to small businesses that applied for the relief and are in the process of distributing $2.5 million to federal qualified healthcare centers that partner with the county for COVID-19 testing. The county has also $7 million for access to healthcare in the county’s most vulnerable zip codes and allocated $5.9 million for child care and child care services.
“As this pandemic continues, we will continue to work with our community to determine where the needs are and services that will support those needs,” Page said. He said they are working as fast as possible to get the funds out to the communities that need them the most.
Additionally, 60 recipients received a portion of $9 million in grants designed to address needs of the county’s most vulnerable residents. The local Urban League is getting $350,000 to address housing needs for individuals in the county.
“We are going to focus on seniors and children – so mothers with children who are trying to keep them in their homes, keep them in their apartments,” said Urban League President and CEO Michael P. McMillan.
“As we know, so many people have lost their jobs and they need food, they need housing, they need utility assistance, so we are working with our partners Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis to provide resources so that the basic necessities that individuals need will be provided.”
In large distribution events at Jamestown Mall and other locations in the area, the Urban League has distributed food, masks and sanitizer to 42,000 families, in part from a previous half-million-dollar grant from the county.
“For individuals that cannot get out to these distributions – seniors, disabled and individuals that do not have transportation – you can call the Urban League at 314-615-3600 and we are making home deliveries,” McMillan said. “And, in addition to that, we are now providing 50 different sets of these items to neighborhood churches in St. Louis County and St. Louis city in very poor areas, where individuals who do not have transportation can go to the neighborhood church.”
McMillan said the Urban League is going to neighborhood churches to expand its Federation of Block Units program, “focusing on public safety, focusing on resources, focusing on having the neighborhood come together.”
