The City of St. Louis
Project R&R
Information regarding the application process will be available soon.
Program Overview
What is Project R&R?
The City of St. Louis recognizes that the Retention and Recruitment of employees is extremely difficult. To assist vulnerable city residents who rely upon a wide variety of In-Home Care Services in order to remain in their homes, the City of St. Louis has approved ARPA funds to provide an incentive program, Project R&R aimed at helping In Home Services Care agencies to Retain current employees on the job and to Recruit new employees, who are providing this valuable resource.
The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services and the St. Louis Area Agency of Aging (SLAAA) have partnered with FORWARD to administer an Employee RETENTION & RECRUITMENT (R&R) incentive program for the IN HOME CARE SERVICES employees, who are City Residents and work for eligible organizations. Employees who are approved for the incentive will receive a $100 gift card for every verified 80 hours they work. Employees can re-apply for the incentive up to a maximum of 10 times, each time they complete 80 hours of work, after enrollment in the program, until the funding is exhausted.
IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER
If you would like to ensure that your employees have access to this incentive program please go to the AGENCY OPT IN link and apply to participate. Once you are an approved agency, your organization will be listed on the Project R&R website. It is that simple.
Approved Employers will be contacted by FORWARD to confirm that an applicant (employee) is in fact a current employee of your agency.
FORWARD will provide the $100 gift card incentive to eligible employees directly. Employers simply confirm the employee is currently employed by their company.
IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE
Information regarding the application process will be available soon.
Eligibility Requirements
Individuals must meet all the criteria to be eligible for the incentive:
Employees must have worked 80 hours with at least one eligible organization.
Employees must live within the city limits of St. Louis.
Must have a total income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
| St. Louis County | ||
|---|---|---|
| Household/Family Size | Per Month Income Max | Per Year Income Max |
| 1 | $2,248 | $26,973 |
| 2 | $3,040 | $36,482 |
| 3 | $3,833 | $45,991 |
| 4 | $4,625 | $55,500 |
| 5 | $5,417 | $65,009 |
Required Documents
The following documents will be used to verify the above eligibility:
Pay stub must have been issued from an eligible organization in the last XX days of application submission.
Download the W9 form from the IRS website
Copy of photo ID to verify identity. Examples of eligible forms of ID include the following:
- Valid Driver’s License
- Birth Certificate
- State-issued Identification Card
- Student Identification Card
- Military Identification Card
- Passport or Passport Card
You can store documents in your profile so that you can easily find them to include in your applications. These file formats are supported: .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .xls, and .xlsx
Frequently Asked Questions
FORWARD has extensive experience administering government programs across the nation and can process applications at scale, prevent fraud, securely process payments, and provide reporting that meets ARPA requirements.
If you need help with identifying if you work with an eligible organization or need assistance applying, please contact SLAAA.
Yes, as long as you worked for a combined total of 80 hours.
No. Full-time, part-time employees and homecare employees are eligible, as long as they work with an eligible organization.
After submitting your application, it will move through the following four steps:
1. Application Review
2. Applicant Outreach – someone will contact you if more information is needed.
3. Eligibility Determination – your application moves to the next step if you meet the eligibility criteria. If not, you will receive a written denial which you can appeal.
4. Payment Processing
Employees will need to continue to apply for future incentive payments.
No. Currently, you can only apply online.
Yes, when the online application is available, you will be able to use your phone’s browser to submit an application. Please note you will need to upload documents as a part of your application, so those documents should be readily available on your phone.
No. However, if you need to correct an error, please contact the stlouis-support@livestories.zendesk.com, and our team can work with you to provide additional and correct information to your application.
If you would like to check on the status of your application, please log into your FORWARD account and click the “My Applications” tab to see your status.
Yes. You will receive an email confirmation from the forward-support@livestories.com once your application is received. Check your spam/junk folder if you are still waiting to receive an email shortly after submitting your application. You will receive a separate notification for each application period.
You will receive a notification from forward-support@livestories.com
Payment options include a refillable debit card that will be sent directly to the applicant, or an e-card. Please note that eligible applicants will receive a new debit card if they are approved for a 5th payment.
No, the incentive will not be considered taxable income.
There are no restrictions on the use of incentive funds.
We will be utilizing a fillable debit card, that way it automatically receives new funds after each payment period. As a reminder, you will need to apply for future incentive payments.
There is a maximum of $1,000 for 800 hours worked with eligible organizations.
We need the W-9 in order to pay you. PLEASE FILL OUT THE W-9 AS YOURSELF, NOT YOUR EMPLOYER. An improperly filled W-9 will delay your application approval.
- Download the W9 form from the IRS website
If your W-9 was filled out incorrectly, it will need to be amended.
- In that case, our staff may call you from a number you do not recognize. We will never ask you for private information, only how to properly re-submit your W-9. Please keep an eye out for this phone call. Please sign, date, and upload the completed form into the Forward application platform
The federal poverty level (FPL) is an economic measure used to decide whether the income level of an individual or family qualifies them for certain federal benefits and programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updates its poverty guidelines, illustrating the set minimum amount of income that a family needs for food, clothing, transportation, shelter, and other necessities, once a year, adjusted for inflation.
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD is administering Project R&R on behalf of the City of St. Louis.
ABOUT FORWARD
FORWARD is the leading Integrated Program Administration solution that incorporates all essential components, people and technology into a single streamlined workflow to effectively, securely, and equitably administer critical resources to help communities thrive.