🏠 Rent, eviction, or shelter
full guide + updatesFastest path: call 211 — free, confidential, 24/7, interpreters in 150+ languages. Say "housing help."
Can't pay this month's rent
Metro Lutheran Ministry: application form open one hour only: 9:00–10:00 AM on the 15th (next business day if weekend/holiday) — set an alarm. mlmkc.org
Johnson County renters: up to $5,000 back rent · 913-715-8926
Everyone: call 211 — funds change monthly; they know who has money today.
Eviction notice or court papers
DO NOT MISS YOUR COURT DATE — missing it usually means you lose by default.
Free lawyer, Missouri side: Legal Aid of Western MO 816-474-6750 · KCMO residents: call 211, say "Right to Counsel"
Free lawyer, Kansas side: Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953 — call the same day you get any notice; Kansas moves fast.
Need a safe place to sleep tonight
Call 211, say "shelter tonight" — they check live availability. Daytime help downtown: KC Library 3North desk 816-701-3767.
In danger at home? Call/text 988 · DV Hotline 1-800-799-7233
Skip "gkcassistanceprogram.org" and county "ERAP" pages — those COVID-era programs ended. The pages are up; the money is gone.