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 on 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 $500 gift card for every verified 250 hours they work. Employees can re-apply for the incentive the next time they complete 250 hours of work, after enrollment in the program, until the funding is exhausted.
IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER
The Agency Opt-in Period has closed as of Friday, June 30th at 5 pm CDT.
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 $500 gift card incentive to eligible employees directly. Employers simply confirm the employee is currently employed by their company.
IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYEE
Applications are now open. Please note that you must have worked 250 hours since April 1st, 2023 with at least one eligible organization to apply. Also, all applicants must review the SLAAA Information Presentation available here. If approved, applicants will receive a $500 gift card that must be used within 6 months.
NEED SUPPORT?
If you need help with this online application, please email us at support@forwardplatform.zendesk.com or call us at 1-855-582-3973.
Eligibility Requirements
Individuals must meet all the criteria to be eligible for the incentive:
Employees must have worked 250 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 80% of Area Median Income (AMI).
| City of St. Louis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Household/Family Size | Per Month Income Max | Per Year Income Max |
| 1 | $4,688 | $56,250 |
| 2 | $5,359 | $64,300 |
| 3 | $6,030 | $72,350 |
| 4 | $6,696 | $80,350 |
| 5 | $7,233 | $86,800 |
Must provide proof that they have reviewed the SLAAA Information Presentation in the application.
Required Documents
The following documents will be used to verify the above eligibility:
Pay stub must have been issued from an eligible organization during the application period.
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.
Yes, as long as you worked for a combined total of 250 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 will be sent to the mailing address of the approved applicant.
No, the incentive will not be considered taxable income.
There are no restrictions on the use of incentive funds.
Yes, all funds must be used within 6 months of receiving the gift card. Please note, that there are no fees associated with the gift card, and you will have access to all $500.
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 500 hours worked with eligible organizations.
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.