Hundreds of eviction filings are expected once the courts begin once again to process actions by landlords in early July, according to the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office.
Around 75 were previoiusly scheduled prior to a ban on evictions introduced following the COVID-19 March shut down, the office said.
With the office dealing with 40 every in normal times, it can be expected that as many as 600 eviction filings will be made on and after July 7, Deputy Sheriff Gregg Christian told the St. Louis Record.
"But a lot of people anticipate that with the state of the economy there will be more than normal...anticipated that there are going to be a lot evictions," said Christian, the public information officer for Sheriff Vernon Betts.
Employments and earnings for those on low income have plummeted in Missouri over the last number of months, more than those in the middle and high brackets, according to a databse compiled by Opportunity Insights, a project led by Harvard and Brown universities tracking the economy during the coronavirus crisis.
According to the database, low income employment has dropped 33.9 percent across all sectors from the beginning of the year to June 1. This includes a 25.1 percent in the restaurant and hospitality sectors, though that number was 55 percent in mid-April.
Earnings are down 28 percent over the same period, Opportunity Insight reports.
Christian said 150 evictions were sceduled before the ban, but that approximately half were withdrawn, either because the parties came to an agreement or the tenants vacated. These will be rescheduled without any further court action.
Starting in July, landlords can begin the process once again, first filing in court, then a hearing ten days later. If a judge rules against the tenant, the eviction is scheduled and the sheriff's department will post notices twice.
"We have one eviction unit, and if we are looking at hundreds...we are already working with a skeleton crew," Christian said.
Circuit court officials are working with social service agencies to offer programs and support for those facing eviction, according to a report in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Mayor Lyda Crewson hs announced a $5.4 million fund to health with rent and mortgage payments but that must be approved by the Board of Aldermen, city spokesman Jacob Long told the newspaper.