OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — People living in Kansas City, Missouri, who need help paying rent because of financial struggles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, can schedule an appointment with the city’s new emergency rental assistance center this Saturday, September 23.
The center opened earlier this month and is hosting its first Saturday session this weekend. Hosting appointments on the weekend allows people who work during the week a chance to get help without missing work.
Organizers stress the importance of scheduling an appointment and filling out an online application ahead of time. Walk-ins are not encouraged.
“We’re in a pandemic, we have to do social distancing, we have volunteers, we don’t want you to come and wait for four hours," Arletha Bland-Manlove, who helps oversee the center, said. "We want you to be able to come reasonably, come in, get your things done and get on back out."
Saturday’s event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Manuel Tech Center near Truman Road and Troost Avenue.
U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II will visit the event. His office has been instrumental in securing funding, and he supported creating a center like the one which opened this month.
The emergency rental assistance center is a way to connect residents in need with organizations who can help pay their rent and utility bills. Kansas City has received more than $20 million to distribute for this project, about half of which has already been put to use.
Outside of Saturday’s event, the center is open regularly on Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour break from noon to 1 p.m. The center also keeps hours on Thursday afternoons from 1 to 6 p.m. at 4400 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in the city’s Housing and Community Development Department offices.
Visit the city’s website or call 816-513-4501 for a list of eligibility criteria and to schedule an appointment.
