09/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2024 08:22
The purpose of the AER is to determine the impact of ARPA funds on addressing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19.
Today, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones' administration released the 2024 American Rescue Plan Annual Evaluation Report (AER). The purpose of the AER is to determine the impact of ARPA funds on addressing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and the long-term effects of historic disinvestment in much of the City of St. Louis.
"We're more than four years removed from those first shutdowns and the initial shock of the pandemic," said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. "This report exists to show the work St. Louis City has done with the help from the Biden-Harris administration COVID relief funds. The City of St. Louis received $498 million, a significant infusion of resources to help the City reverse the negative impacts of the pandemic."
The AER was created to measure progress against four goals and their corresponding evaluation questions:
This report shows key performance indicators (KPIs) for the seven Impact Investment Areas identified by the Jones administration - public safety, economic justice, housing stabilization, infrastructure, youth and family support, public health and wellness, and city services.
KPIs include $18 million for new, affordable housing, helping more St. Louisans be able to afford a home; $63 million for street improvements, including the redesign and repaving of 30 miles of main roads like Kingshighway, Jefferson, Union, and Goodfellow; $5.8 million for improvements to City parks; and more.
Future AERs will provide more in-depth, interactive analyses of these goals and evaluation questions. Interested residents can visit arpa.stlouis-mo.gov for a direct line of sight into how these funds are being deployed to grow and foster resilience within our communities. The deadline to commit ARPA funds is the end of this year, and the funds must be spent by the end of 2026.