If you’re already dreading the first cold-weather utility bill, mark your calendar now: Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) is about to open its next round of home heating help, and it covers Rocheport’s whole corner of the map.
CMCA runs the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for eight mid-Missouri counties, including Boone, Cooper and Howard. The program that’s helping people with bills right now closes September 30 — but the next cycle opens right behind it. Households with a member who is 60 or older, or living with a disability, can start applying October 1. Everyone else can start November 1.
The rules carry over from the current cycle: you need to be the one responsible for paying the heating or cooling bill, be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, and have $3,000 or less in savings, retirement accounts or investments combined. Income limits scale with household size — a single person can earn up to $2,840 a month and still qualify, and a family of four can earn up to $5,461 a month.
Applications go to the Boone Resource Center at 800 N. Providence Rd. in Columbia. You can apply online, mail or drop off a paper application, or fax it to 573-370-1212 — CMCA says to expect about 30 days for processing once your file is complete.
Questions about where an application stands go to 573-200-6655, option 1. If the power company has already sent a disconnection notice, option 2 connects to emergency assistance instead of the regular queue.
Full details and the application itself are on CMCA’s energy assistance page.
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