Evictions

St. Louis County Council passed a bill to pause evictions during the holidays. The council also approved $5 million of federal funds to provide about 30 days of emergency rental assistance.

The St. Louis County Council spent its last meeting of the year passing the 2022 budget and an extension of an eviction moratorium.

The Illinois Department of Human Services is distributing additional rent help through faith-based organizations.

A Sept. 17 executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker scheduled the state's eviction moratorium to expire Sunday, Oct. 3. Rental aid and legal services are still available for renters facing eviction.

St. Louis County officials have distributed more than $18 million in emergency rental assistance funds, exceeding the amount the federal program requires the county to spend by September. Another round of funding is coming soon.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush has introduced a bill that would give federal health officials the authority to implement federal eviction bans during a public health crisis.

St. Louis County officials have until the end of the month to distribute about $8 million more in federal rental aid. If the county does not do so, the money will be returned to the federal government.

The measure replaces the national moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 26.

Some renters in the St. Louis region could be put out of their homes soon now that the U.S. Supreme Court has lifted a federal ban on evictions. Housing advocates expect a wave of evictions if state and local officials do not process renters' aid applications soon.

Some renters in the St. Louis region cannot pay rent because they lost their income during the economic crisis sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. But landlords also are struggling, and without rent payments they may have to evict people after the federal ban on evictions expires in early October.