St. Paul Public Schools To Offer $300 Monthly Rent Supplement To Families In Need
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The City of St. Paul and St. Paul Public Schools announced the launch of a 'Families First Housing Pilot' on Tuesday. The program will give a $300 monthly rent supplement and housing support services to eligible families in the St. Paul school district for up to three years.
"Safe, stable housing for every child in our community is vital," Mayor Melvin Carter told the media. "Our Families First Housing Pilot provides critical resources to realize this vision, so families and their children can thrive."
Applications for the program will be accepted on a referral-only basis, drawn from designated staff members at each school, according to a media release.
Families are eligible if they:
- Have at least one Pre-K to 3rd-grade student enrolled in a participating Saint Paul Public School
- Have income at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI) which is a household income of $30,000 for a family of four
- Are not receiving another housing subsidy
- Pay 40% or more of their income for rent
Participating schools include:
- Benjamin E. Mays IB World School
- Jackson Elementary School
- Maxfield Elementary School
- Dayton's Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary
- John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary
- Saint Paul City School
- Saint Paul Music Academy
"Keeping students in their homes and their schools is vital for their future success," Saint Paul Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard said. "I am pleased the City of Saint Paul heard the needs in our schools and was a willing and able partner to respond to those needs."
The rent subsidy will be administered by the Saint Paul Public Housing Agency. The program is largely funded by $3 million from the Saint Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority's Housing Trust Fund. In total, estimates predict that the program will support up to 250 families for up to three years.
