Construction of a New Emergency Rental Assistance Center
The City has recently constructed an Emergency Rental Assistance Center inside the headquarters of the Housing and Community Development Department. Volunteers and staff members will assist those in need throughout the application process.
The Center is only open during planned appointments. To talk with someone about scheduling an appointment, call (816) 513-4501. COVID-19 regulations apply (please wear a mask).
Bring the following items:
- Identification documentation (such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, etc.)
- Proof of Long-Term Residency
- Documentation to Support Your Earnings (pay stub, W-2 forms, 2020 tax return)
- Needs Documentation
Assistance with Rent and Living Expenses (may provide other services too)
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, is distributing funds for emergency rental and utility assistance through the many community organizations that are already in place.
Please complete this form so that we can assist you as soon as possible.
CHES, Inc. (816) 533-7417
Community Linc (816) 531-3727
Community Assistance Council (CAC)
(816) 763-3277 ext. 108
Greater Kansas City Housing Information Center
(816) 931-0443
Guadalupe Center
(816) 421-1015
Hope Faith (816) 540-6915
Journey to New Life
(816) 960-4808
Metro Lutheran Ministries
(816) 931-0027
reStart (816) 886-9943
Reconciliation Services (816) 931-4751
Save, Inc.
(816) 531-8340
A Different Kind of Help (eg. Deposits, Utilities, Legal Services)
Kansas City, the Kansas City Missouri Tenant Rights/Evictions/Fair Housing Section has information on rent/utility assistance as well as legal services for evictions.
Tiffany Drummer can be reached at (816) 513-3026 or by email: tiffany.drummer@kcmo.org.
Nicole Woods, the Tenant Advocate, can be reached at (816) 513-3046 or by email at Nicole.Woods@kcmo.org.
Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom (816) 278-1092 (legal services for evictions)
Legal Aid of Western Missouri (legal services for evictions)
Phone: (816) 474-6750
Mattie Rhodes Center (816) 471-2536 (homelessness prevention)
Mid America Assistance Coalition (816) 474-5112 (utility assistance only)
reStart Inc. is a corporation that assists people in regaining their footing (homeless prevention, rapid rehousing)
Email:rentalassistance@restart.org
(816) 472-5664
Fill out an application for Spire (rent and utilities assistance) here.
NOTE: Residents in the CCED Sales Tax District (from Ninth St. to Gregory Blvd. north-south/Indiana to The Paseo east-west) can apply for up to $3,000 in rent, mortgage, utilities, groceries, transportation, or quarantine-related lodging expenses under CCED’s Essential Services Fund. Click here to learn more.
Requirements for Eligibility
The financing comes from the COVID-19 assistance package approved by Congress.
Those who wish to receive assistance must meet the following income and eligibility requirements:
An “eligible household” is a renter home in which one or more people meet all of the following requirements:
- Has qualified for unemployment benefits, experienced a decrease in household income, incurred significant costs, or suffered financial trouble as a direct or indirect result of the COVID-19 epidemic?
- Can show a danger of homelessness or housing insecurity by providing evidence such as the following:
- A past-due utility bill
- Either the rent or the eviction notice
- Dangerous or hazardous to healthy living conditions
- Any new information that points to this danger
- Has a household income that is 80% or less of the region’s median income (AMI)
Those who are qualified must additionally demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability (past due rent, eviction notifications) as part of the application process.
Households that qualify for assistance can receive it for up to a year, plus an additional three months if they meet certain criteria:
- These additional months are required to ensure that housing conditions remain stable.
- Money is still available
Every three months, income eligibility must be reviewed.
Funding for emergency help can be used for:
- Rent is both current and past due.
- Utility bills, both current and past due
- Trash collection
Emergency assistance funds CAN NOT be used for the following:
- Telephone
- Cable
- Internet
The City of Kansas City, Missouri, received an additional $14.8 million in emergency rental assistance. At the moment, we are partnering with the groups with which we regularly engage to provide relief funding to both landlords and tenants.