Heads up, St. Louis Park parents struggling to pay the rent: the Kids in the Park program is throwing you a lifeline. This isn't some pie-in-the-sky promise, it's tangible help, offering up to four years of rental assistance to households with munchkins in school. The greens are courtesy of a blend between the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP) and the local public schools. Landlords, breathe easy; this arrangement doesn't tangle you up one bit—it's all about giving the tenants a boost without sticking you with extra duties.
Now, don't go thinking it's a free-for-all. There are boxes to tick to get this aid—first, you've gotta be renting or ready to rent your place in St. Louis Park, so no roommate situations here, and your kiddos need to be enrolled in the district schools. Your wallet can't be too fat either, with income caps set at or below half of the area's median moola. And let's not forget that one parent or guardian has to be clocking in at least 28 hours at the job a week, though if there's a disability or you're rocking your golden years at the head of the family, you get a pass on the work hustle.
Mark your calendars, the virtual doors to the waiting list swing open at 9 a.m. on August 19. Speed is key, as the early bird gets the worm—applications in by noon on August 30 get first dibs; they'll pick names out of a hat to see who's up first. If you're fashionably late, you'll just trail behind in the pecking order, till they decide enough's enough and close up shop on the list. Keep in mind, just tossing your name into the hat doesn't mean jackpot— you've to meet the nitty-gritty of the eligibility criteria first.
For folks raring to apply, the online gateways open on the same day—the 19th. Brace yourselves though, expect the website to be as crowded as a hot new brunch spot on a Sunday morning. Got questions? You're in luck because Ms. Katie Kline from the St. Louis Park Housing Authority is your go-to, armed with all the answers. Ring her at 952.928.1314 or shoot an email to [email protected]. And for the love of clarity, here's where you can get all the deets you need: click for more information. So get to it, folks, let's keep our young learners housed and our parenting stress levels a smidge lower, shall we?
