Callaway County residents seeking housing help have few options, according to data from United Way's 2-1-1 line.
United Way 2-1-1 is a free service that connects people in need with local services. Kate Rollins, community partnerships coordinator for United Way of Greater St. Louis, said 2-1-1 handled 255 calls from Callaway County in 2017.
"Rent and utility assistance requests make up the bulk of the calls," Rollins said during a Thursday meeting of the Callaway Resource Network.
Electric utility assistance was the top caller need in Callaway County, with 64 people calling to request help. Central Missouri Community Action has an energy assistance program for just that purpose: showmeaction.org/services/energy-assistance.
The top three agencies Callaway County callers were referred to include Salvation Army Jefferson City (69 callers), SERVE, Inc. (42 callers) and Central Missouri Community Action (39 callers).
However, the second most common need cited by callers is one Callaway County often can't provide. In 2017, 34 people called to inquire about motel vouchers for the homeless. Of those 34, 30 ended the call with that need unmet.
Several closely related needs also frequently went unmet: rent payment assistance (30 callers, 12 unmet), at risk/homeless housing related assistance programs (17 callers, 17 unmet), community shelters (33 callers, 17 unmet), and rental deposit assistance (11 callers, 11 unmet).
Reasons needs go unmet vary, according to the 2-1-1 data. About 14 percent of callers are ineligible for the service they request; 10 percent face personal barriers such as lack of documentation.
But for about 63 percent of the callers whose needs aren't met, there's simply not a resource to help them.
"There definitely needs to be something to (meet housing needs)," said Brittany Abbott, who until recently was the outreach director at SERVE, Inc. "I don't know what that route is."
Before leaving SERVE, she said she was looking into options for a rental assistance program. However, providing housing help is more complicated than providing, say, utility assistance.
"It's harder to manage," Abbott said. "With utility assistance, you're working with utility companies. But with rentals, you're working with landlords."
It's hard to ensure that money actually goes toward paying rent, she said.
While options may be limited in this particular category, there are still many resources available for people in need in Callaway County. To learn more, dial 2-1-1 or visit 211helps.org.