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Services & Programs

Homeless and Homelessness Prevention Services

Services & Programs

 

A few facts about homelessness prevention services:

Prevention programs are less expensive than emergency shelters or transitional housing.

Prevention programs lower the rate of those becoming homeless, allowing shelters to more effectively aid those who are currently homeless.

Prevention efforts reduce the human and social costs of homelessness and help people maintain steady employment and self-sufficiency.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is dedicated to helping people find and sustain a home.

Director of Housing Programs Cindy VanBuskirk walks through a room at the Rancho Temporary Emergency Shelter in Springfield. The shelter, originally intended for use during the 2020-2021 pandemic winter, is the former Rancho Motel, re-purposed to house homeless families and women in need of medical respite. PHOTO: John Farmer de la Torre/CCSOMO

We help those who without our help would become homeless

Many of our neighbors in southern Missouri have low-income jobs and live paycheck to paycheck. One financial setback, such as an illness or the loss of a job, can put them at risk of homelessness. Sometimes, a single month's rent or security deposit is all a family needs to overcome the crisis and regain stability in their lives.

Our mission is to help families and individuals who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness to achieve housing and financial stability.

CCSOMO Case Manager Jemmalee Anderson surveys another highway underpass in her search for unsheltered people. PHOTO: John Farmer de la Torre/CCSOMO

Housing Assistance

Eligible assistance includes rent and utilities assistance, housing stability case management, and financial counseling.

Eligibility

The Homelessness Prevention Program is available to those individuals and families who:

  • Are at imminent risk of losing their primary residence
  • Have a household income below 30 percent of their county's median income or the media family income for their area
  • Lack the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing.

Rent and Utilities Assistance for Persons Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

CCSOMO is helping Missouri renters with applications for rent and utilities assistance from Missouri's State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR for Renters) Program.

Learn more about this assistance here.

Homelessness Prevention Services

Call your local Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri office to learn if we are able to provide assistance.

 

Greene, Christian and Webster Counties
Springfield
417.268.9998

Cape Girardeau County
Cape Girardeau
573.335.0134

Jasper and Newton Counties
Joplin
417.624.3790

Carter and Shannon Counties
Van Buren
573.323.4044

Mississippi and Scott Counties
Sikeston
573.481.0659

This program is partially funded through an Emergency Solutions Grant from the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC); and is administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).