ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Spire Missouri offers rent and utility bill help for residential customers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The State Assistance for Housing Relief (SAFHR) program allows renters across Missouri assistance with past-due rent and utility bills dating back to April 2020 and up to three months of future rent and energy expenses.

Missouri’s Housing Development Commission administers the SAFHR program.

Customers can apply through the SAFHR program or through similar programs throughout the state to access relief. The federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the U.S. Department of Treasury fund these programs.

(Related: Missouri rental assistance, Kansas statewide rental, utility assistance for families affected by COVID-19)

“With so many people experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic, help with rental and utility expenses is critical to our customers and communities,” said Scott Carter, president of Spire Missouri. “Fortunately, there are great resources available through the State Assistance for Housing Relief program to assist people with past-due bills when they need it most.”

Qualifications

To qualify for SAFHR, an individual must currently live in a residential rental property in Missouri and have a household income at or below 80% of the area median income (based on the most recent 30 days or the 2020 annual income). In addition, a tenant must be receiving unemployment benefits or have experienced a reduction in household income and incurred significant costs or financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Applications for assistance are available now through Sept. 30, 2021. To learn more about the SAFHR program and how to apply, visit https://spireenergy.com/missouri-rental-assistance.

About Spire

Spire is a natural-gas utilities company. They serve 1.7 million homes and businesses in Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. You can learn more at SpireEnergy.com.