Missouri Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from Kansas City to the Bootheel
A layoff, a tornado or a stack of unpaid medical bills can throw a Missouri household off track. Helping Hands matches you with Missouri assistance programs that fit your situation and explains how to reach them.
Tell us what's going wrong right now. We point you to the programs, the basic rules and the Missouri offices that can help you.
Our guidance covers all 114 counties in Missouri, and the City of St. Louis too. You might live in Kansas City, Springfield or Columbia, in Jackson, Greene or St. Charles County, or on a back road in the Ozarks. You pay nothing for it.
Missouri help comes from Family Support Division programs, MO HealthNet, federal benefits, local charities, food banks and community action agencies. We help you work out where to start.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
FSD, MO HealthNet and local agencies all use different rules. Your income, the size of your family, age, disability, housing and work history each play a part in what you can get.
We help you narrow the field to programs that may fit and tell you where to start.
Missouri Financial Assistance Programs
A lost job, an injury or storm damage can empty your savings in a hurry. Missouri families can turn to several kinds of financial help, depending on what happened.
If the basics have slipped out of reach, we match you with resources that fit and tell you where to apply.
Helping Hands can help you locate information about programs and resources involving:
Missouri Food Assistance and SNAP Benefits
The grocery bill keeps climbing, and it hits a tight budget first.
Helping Hands explains Missouri food assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which many Missourians still call food stamps. Missouri issues SNAP benefits on an EBT card, and you swipe it like a debit card at approved grocers.
Worried about running out of food before the month ends? Check your SNAP eligibility now.
You can apply for SNAP, Temporary Assistance and MO HealthNet through the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division (FSD), online at myDSS.
We can also help Missouri residents locate:
Missouri Utility Bill Assistance
Missouri swings from sticky summer heat to hard winter freezes, and your utility bills follow. Falling behind on electric, gas or propane can lead to a shutoff notice.
We can show you electric, gas and propane help that Missouri households may qualify for.
Resources may include information about:
LIHEAP Help in Missouri: Energy Assistance and ECIP
Missouri runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through the Family Support Division as two parts: Energy Assistance (EA) for regular bills and the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) for shutoffs and emergencies.
You apply through the community action agency that serves your county. Funding, rules and seasons change, so check current details with that agency.
We help you find your agency and start the application.
Missouri Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
Rent eats up a paycheck fast when your hours get cut or an emergency hits.
Behind on rent, facing eviction, or hunting for an affordable place? We help you find Missouri programs and organizations that may step in.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Missouri residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Missouri
Missourians looking for lower rent should know about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
Local housing authorities run these programs, and rules and wait lists differ from Kansas City to the smallest county seat.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Missouri Eviction Assistance
Got an eviction notice or fell behind on rent? Act fast. Eviction cases don't wait for you to catch up.
Ask about rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency housing, legal aid and local community resources near you, and we'll help you find them.
In Missouri, that help might come from a community action agency, a legal aid office, a local nonprofit or a housing program.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Missouri
Homeowners going through a hard stretch should look at their options before the missed payments pile up.
We can connect Missouri homeowners with foreclosure prevention and housing counseling before the lender sets a sale date.
Scared of losing your home? Phone a housing counselor and your mortgage servicer before the next payment comes due.
Missouri Assistance for Seniors
Older Missourians may qualify for help with health care, food, housing, transportation and everyday bills.
For free Medicare counseling, call Missouri SHIP (formerly CLAIM) at 1-800-390-3330.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Missouri MO HealthNet (Medicaid) and Medicare Resources
Medical bills can bury a Missouri family, and seniors, people with disabilities and lower-income households feel it first.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, MO HealthNet (Missouri's Medicaid program), health care assistance and other medical resources that fit your situation.
Medicare and MO HealthNet follow different rules, so review the current requirements for the program you want.
Disability Assistance in Missouri
If you have a disability, Missouri programs may offer home care, specialized services and community support.
Every program sets its own qualifications, so check them one at a time.
Helping Hands can help Missouri residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Missouri Residents
A benefit denial, a housing dispute or a debt lawsuit can leave you needing a lawyer.
Legal services programs cover every part of Missouri, and we can help you reach legal aid and free legal resources if you qualify.
Each one decides who it can represent for free or at low cost.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
Lasting stability usually takes more than a one-time check.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that can help Missourians find better work and steadier income.
Resources may include:
Missouri Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Missouri food banks and pantries serve both big metros and rural towns across the state.
We help you find a pantry or meal site close to home, with options for families, seniors, people with disabilities and anyone going through a rough patch.
If you need food, shelter or help with a bill today, dial 2-1-1 in Missouri. United Way 211 connects you with local services day and night.
Assistance Available Throughout All 114 Missouri Counties
Our program information and guidance cover all 114 counties in Missouri, from the Iowa line to the Bootheel.
Our Missouri resources cover cities, suburbs and river towns, including:
- Kansas City
- St. Louis
- Springfield
- Columbia
- Independence
- Lee's Summit
- O'Fallon
- St. Joseph
- St. Charles
- Blue Springs
- Joplin
- Jefferson City
- Cape Girardeau
- Chesterfield
- Rolla
- St. Louis County
- Jackson County
- St. Charles County
- Greene County
- Clay County
- And communities throughout Missouri
From a St. Louis row house to a farm near Cape Girardeau, the help you can get depends on your household and the programs in your area.
How Helping Hands Can Help
Tracking down the right program can mean a string of phone calls, forms and wait lists.
Helping Hands keeps those details straight so Missourians can get to the right office sooner.
Our goal is to help you:
- Identify programs that may match your situation.
- Understand basic eligibility requirements.
- Find the appropriate agency or organization.
- Learn where and how to apply.
- Locate additional resources if one program does not meet your needs.
You pay nothing for our help or resource information anywhere in Missouri.
Need Help in Missouri? Start Here.
Struggling to cover food, rent, utilities or medical bills? You don't have to dig up every program on your own.
Tell us what's happening, and we'll show you which agencies and organizations to call first.
Common Missouri Assistance Programs
Food & Nutrition
- SNAP / Food Stamps
- EBT information
- Food banks
- Food pantries
- Emergency food assistance
Housing
- Rental assistance
- Section 8
- Low-income housing
- Eviction assistance
- Foreclosure prevention
- Emergency housing
Utilities
- LIHEAP (EA and ECIP)
- Electric assistance
- Gas assistance
- Utility bill assistance
Financial Assistance
- Emergency financial assistance
- Cash assistance
- Family assistance
- Single-parent resources
- Community grants and assistance
Health & Senior Services
- Medicare
- MO HealthNet (Medicaid)
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Missouri Assistance
Facing an emergency? Dial 2-1-1 and ask United Way 211 about local food, shelter and utility help in your county.
For SNAP, Temporary Assistance and MO HealthNet, contact the Missouri Department of Social Services, Family Support Division (FSD) or apply at myDSS.
For Medicare questions, call Missouri SHIP (formerly CLAIM) at 1-800-390-3330.
Helping Hands turns a pile of Missouri programs into a short list you can act on.
See what you may qualify for and get started with Missouri assistance programs.
Helping Hands is a resource and information service. Program eligibility, availability, funding, and application requirements are determined by the applicable government agency, nonprofit organization, housing authority, or other program administrator. Providing information about a program does not guarantee eligibility or approval.
