St. Louis Lifts Up Key Investments in Youth, Community Violence Intervention, and Infrastructure on Second Anniversary of Historic American Rescue Plan

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, which has resulted in historic economic recovery, job growth, and transformative investments led by state and local governments across the country. Enacted to help American families recover from the COVD-19 pandemic, the $1.9 trillion act directed $65.1 billion towards cities and localities, including $498 million to St. Louis.

“St. Louis is using the American Rescue Plan to help our city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting working families and local small businesses, creating better opportunities for our youth, and expanding community violence intervention programs in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “Thanks to President Joe Biden and Rep. Cori Bush, St. Louis has the resources we need to improve our infrastructure and make the long-lasting change residents can see and feel in our city.”

To date, St. Louis has used these funds to:

• Support 9,300 households with direct payments to help put food on the table, pay the bills, and get the stability they need to reenter the workforce
• Fund 8 community violence intervention groups funded to expand services into 11 neighborhoods
• Assist 56 St. Louis childcare providers with an average reimbursement of $36,000 per provider 
• Distribute 800 $5,000 grants to city small businesses 
• Connect 168 youth to summer jobs, register more than 1,400 for free public transit, and stand up new sports leagues at recreation centers
• Expand services for unhoused neighbors by bringing more beds online, and requiring shelters to remain active 24/7 during the winter months
• Invest in City employees with a $2,000 retention incentive

Last year, Mayor Jones worked with the Board of Aldermen to dedicate funding to help working families recover from the pandemic, expand access to healthcare, repave and improve our roads, support St. Louis’ world-class arts industry, create safe, educational opportunities for youth, maintain our recreation centers, and reverse decades of disinvestment in our neighborhoods.

The City received its first tranche of $249 million in June 2021 and the second in June 2022. A list of expenditures can be found on the City’s transparency website. According to the Brookings Institution, the City’s rate of both allocation and spending is in line with municipalities and counties across the country. Municipalities have spent 10 percent of their total ARPA allocations, or 20 percent of their available first-tranche funds. Funds must be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2026.