If a summer electric bill has you worried about the lights staying on, there’s a local office that exists for exactly that problem — and it covers Rocheport’s whole corner of the map.
Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) runs the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP, for eight counties including Boone, Cooper, and Howard. The program has two parts. The main energy assistance benefit is a once-a-year payment toward heating and cooling costs, worth between $153 and $495 depending on your fuel type. The second part, the Emergency Crisis Intervention Program, is built for the moment a shutoff notice actually arrives — it can pay up to $300 toward a summer power bill to stop a disconnection.
Eligibility is based on household income and modest savings. As a rough guide, a single person can qualify with monthly income up to $2,840; a family of four, up to $5,461, with the limit rising for larger households. Applicants also need to have $3,000 or less in bank accounts, retirement accounts, or investments combined.
The application window for this program year runs through September 30, so there’s still time to apply before it closes. Apply online through the Missouri Department of Social Services at mydss.mo.gov/utility-assistance/liheap, or reach CMCA directly by mail or drop-off at the Boone Resource Center, 800 N. Providence Rd. in Columbia, or by fax at 573-370-1212. To check on an application already filed, call 573-200-6655 and select option 1. CMCA says a complete application typically takes about 30 days to process — worth keeping in mind if a bill is due soon.
It’s not a flashy kind of good news, but for a household weighing a power bill against groceries this summer, knowing exactly who to call is its own small relief.
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