ST. LOUIS — Families facing eviction will be able to stay in their homes in the City of St. Louis for at least the next two months.
A St. Louis Circuit Court judge signed a ruling Friday that reinstates an eviction moratorium beginning Monday, Aug. 9 and going through Oct. 3.
The ruling acknowledged the CDC’s recent announcement that bans evictions for most of the U.S. through the same date.
“Directives from various levels of government and from the Joint Board of Health and Hospitals have declared that evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic create a public health crisis and… the implementation of the following precautionary measures is necessary to combat the spread of the disease and for the protection of the public,” the St. Louis order states.
Earlier this week, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones addressed rental assistance needs after the federal eviction moratorium expired over the weekend, saying there are 3,000 eviction cases in the city.
Jones said her administration is setting aside $1.5 million to help speed up the process of getting rental assistance to those who urgently need it, along with legal help and mediation as needed. The effort also includes setting up walk-in clinics where people can go to get help.
Previously, federal rules required rental and utility assistance to go directly to landlords and utility companies. Updated U.S. Treasury guidelines now allow funds to go directly to the tenants. The city’s walk-in clinics can help make that process easier for renters needing aid.
The ban on evictions both locally and nationally comes after Congresswoman Cori Bush slept on the steps of the U.S. Capitol calling for the moratorium to be extended.
"On Friday night, I came to the Capitol with my chair. I refused to accept that Congress could leave for vacation while 11 million people faced eviction. For 5 days, we’ve been out here, demanding that our government acts to save lives,” she tweeted after the CDC extended the moratorium. “Today, our movement moved mountains.”
Congresswoman Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District, which includes the City of St. Louis and parts of St. Louis County.
The city’s ban on evictions allows for exceptions, such as evictions of commercial properties, for criminal activity or for violating some health or safety codes.