For immediate release
For more information, contact
Tammy Rigsby
or
Caitlin Jones
Phelps County PHA to re-open waiting list April 6
ST. JAMES—The Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA) will re-open its wait list and begin accepting applications for housing assistance on April 6, 2026, after having been closed since November 2024. The closure of the wait list came as a recommendation from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency that provides the rental assistance funding, to head off a projected funding shortfall in 2025.
Applications are accepted online at phelpsco.housingmanager.com or in-person Monday through Friday 8:00 to 4:00 at the Phelps County PHA office, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James, MO, 65559. Applicants must provide social security numbers and birth dates for every household member. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Individuals with a drug arrest in the last three years may be ineligible for assistance.
The Phelps County PHA provides HUD Section 8 rental assistance to about 609 families in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps (outside the city of Rolla) and Washington counties at a cost of $2.3 million annually. Persons needing more information should contact Tammy Rigsby at 573-265-4200 or via email at trigsby@meramecregion.org.
Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) provides staffing to the Phelps County PHA. Steve Black, presiding commissioner of Crawford County, chairs the PHA board. The PHA also offers the Family Self-Sufficiency Program where clients develop a goal-oriented, five-year plan that moves them toward self-sufficiency and independence from government programs.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Osage County Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin serves as chair of the board. A professional staff of 24 offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.
To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.
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