Public Programs for Unemployed Missourians

Access Crisis Intervention Hotlines

Missouri Department of Mental Health

Find numbers for important hotlines- suicide prevention, mental health crisis, gambling problems, alcohol or other drug abuse, and mental retardation or other developmental disability crisis.

www.dmh.mo.gov/crisis.htm

800-279-8255 (suicide hotline)

Adult Education and Literacy Programs

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The Missouri Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) Program provides assistance that helps Missouri adults get the basic skills they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens. The major areas of support are Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English Language Acquisition. These programs emphasize basic skills such as reading, writing, math, English language competency, and problem-solving.

http://www.dese.mo.gov/divcareered/ael_programs.htm

Big Brothers and Big Sisters

Research shows that one-on-one mentoring has a positive effect on children's lives. Visit their website to volunteer as a mentor or enroll your child.

www.bbbs.org

215-567-7000 (national office)

Boys and Girls Club

Boys and Girls Club is designed to help improve graduation rates in America's youth by providing a variety of programs and activities to prepare young people for real-world successes.

www.bgca.org

404-487-5700 (national headquarters)

Child Care Assistance

Missouri Department of Social Services

This program provides eligible parents/guardians with assistance with payment for child care to enable families to gain employment or remain employed.

www.dss.mo.gov/cd/childcare/pdf/ccare.pdf

800-735-2466

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

CSFP is a supplemental nutrition program providing services to older persons (age 60 and above) and pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children up to their 6th birthday. Primary services include a package of mostly nonperishable food, nutrition education and referrals to health and assistance programs. Eligible women, infants and children cannot participate in both WIC and CSFP at the same time.

http://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/nutrition/foodprograms/csfp/

573-751-6269 or Toll Free 800-733-6251

Dress For Success

Dress for Success is designed to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

www.dressforsuccess.org

212-532-1922 (worldwide)

Family Friendly America

A family friendly site listing family friendly activities, restaurants where children eat free and travel tips.

www.familyfriendlyamerica.com/missourifree.html
http://www.kidseatfreeplaces.com/missouri.htm

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)

FQHC's are centers or clinics that provide primary care and other services.

http://www.mo-pca.org/tools/find/

Food Stamps

Missouri Department of Social Services

The food stamp program is designed to promote the general welfare and safeguard the health and well-being of the nation's population by raising the levels of nutrition among low-income households by providing an allotment of food benefits

www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/fstamp

800-392-1261

Free Health Clinics

The Missouri Multi-Cultural Network

A list of free and other low-cost medical clinics in Missouri.

http://www.needymeds.org/free_clinics.taf?_function=list&state=mo

GED® Testing Information

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Many people who did not finish high school have knowledge and skills comparable to people who did graduate. Most employers, colleges and universities, and the military accept a General Educational Development (GED) certificate as being equivalent to a high school diploma. GED tests are a battery of five tests which (when passed) certifies that the taker has high school-level academic skills.

http://www.dese.mo.gov/divcareered/ged_about.htm

Get Help Paying Your Taxes

Internal Revenue Service

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes that many people may be having difficult times financially. There can be a tax impact to events such as job loss, debt forgiveness or tapping a retirement fund. IRS can help you in meeting your tax obligations.

800-829-1040

Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (HIPP)

Missouri Department of Social Services

This program is available to provide assistance with your insurance premiums, co pays and deductible.

http://www.dss.mo.gov/mhd/participants/pages/hipp.htm

View flier

573-751-2005

Kansas City Project Hope - Homelessness Prevention Program

Serving Clay County and Kansas City residents

If you or someone you know recently became unemployed or fell behind in rental or utility payments and are facing homelessness as a result, there is hope. While the program cannot pay for late mortgage payments, it can assist you with finding other housing if foreclosure is unavoidable. If you are already homeless, assistance is available to get you into a permanent, suitable place to live. Contact the United Way by dialing 211 or calling 816-474-5112

Library Locator

U.S. Department of Education

Searching for a public library? Use this tool to find the nearest one.

nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/librarysearch

List of Missouri Homeless Shelters

A list of homeless shelters in Missouri. Many are emergency shelters, and the recession has caused some to form waiting lists. Please call before going to the shelter.

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/missouri.html

Loan Modification Scam Alert

It's a growing problem across the country: Homeowners facing foreclosure are losing their money – and their homes – to loan modification scams. Information is your best defense. If you see the signs of a scam and know the facts, you can protect yourself. Read more about how to spot scams- 6 Things You Should Know.

http://www.loanscamalert.org/

888-995-HOPE(4673)

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Missouri Department of Social Services

LIHEAP can provide financial assistance to help pay heating bills for eligible Missourians from October to March. Eligibility is based on income, family size, available resources and responsibility for payment of home heating costs.

www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/liheap.htm

573-751-6789

Making Home Affordable (MHA)

Through these federal programs, families can avoid foreclosure and modify their mortgages by allowing qualifying homeowners to reduce or suspend mortgage payments for 12 months or more.

www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov

888-995-HOPE(4673)

Medicaid

Missouri Department of Social Services

Medicaid is a state-governed program for pregnant woman, children under the age of 19, people age 65 and older, and people who are blind, disabled, or need nursing home care.

www.dss.mo.gov/mhd/index.htm

573-751-3425

Medicare

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Medicare is for people age 65 and older, people who are permanently disabled and cannot work, or people of any age who have kidney failure or long term kidney disease. Medicare is applied for at the local Social Security office.

www.medicare.gov

800-MEDICARE

Missouri Association of Social Welfare (MASW)

MASW believes all Missourians should have access to quality affordable health care, decent housing, fair treatment and shared prosperity.

www.masw.org

573-634-2901 or Toll-Free 888-634-2901

Missouri Food Banks

The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri

A listing of hunger-relief agencies and food pantries to help Missourians in need by county.

http://www.sharefoodbringhope.org/

573-474-1020 or Toll-Free 800-764-3663

Six food banks serve Missouri with a variety of assistance programs through Feeding America whose mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Search for the nearest food bank by zip code.

http://feedingamerica.org/

Toll-Free 800-771-2303

Missouri Health Insurance Pool

Managed health care coverage for Missourians who are unable to obtain standard health coverage because of high-risk health conditions, exhaustion of COBRA benefits, or other lack of availability.

http://mhip.org/

Missouri Homeownership Preservation Network (MoHFP)

If your family is facing foreclosure there may be options to help you keep your home. The key is to communicate with your lender and be proactive in exploring your options. A non-profit HUD certified housing counseling agency can help you evaluate your individual situation and help you talk to your lender about foreclosure prevention options. There is no cost for our services.

http://missourihomenetwork.org/index.html

Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC)

The MHDC functions as a bank to assist with financing, development and preservation of affordable housing for Missourians.

www.mhdc.com

816-759-6600

Missouri Public Transportation

Missouri Department of Transportation

A list of Missouri rural public transit systems with contact information. They are independently owned and operated, and receive funding through MoDOT.

http://www.modot.mo.gov/othertransportation/transit/rptransportation.htm

Share-A-Ride Carpooling

Missouri Department of Transportation

Looking to carpool to work or school and save some money? Sign up for Share-A-Ride Carpooling.

http://www.modot.mo.gov/services/carpools/CarpoolConnections.htm

Show Me Healthy Women (SMHW)

SMHW is a free breast and cervical cancer screening program for the state of Missouri.

http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/chronic/showmehealthywomen/index.php

Temporary Cash Assistance

Missouri Department of Social Services

The purpose of the Temporary Assistance Program is to provide assistance to needy families with children so they can be cared for in their own home and to reduce dependency by promoting job preparation, work and marriage.

http://www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/tempa.htm

Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program

VFC helps families of children who may not otherwise have access to vaccines by providing free vaccines to doctors that serve them.

http://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/immunizations/vfc-providers.php

WISEWOMAN

Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) provides heart disease and stroke prevention health screenings and education to the clients of the SMHW program.

http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/chronic/wisewoman/index.php

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

WIC is a supplemental nutrition program providing services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children up to their 5th birthday based on nutritional risk and income eligibility. Primary services provided are health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to health care. Supplemental food is provided free to participants.

www.health.mo.gov/living/families/wic/

1-800-TEL-LINK (1-800-835-5465) or 573-751-6204 or Toll-free 1-800-392-8209