211 Housing & Utilities
Resources Guide
The possibility of being evicted can cause stress and fear for anyone. It is important that you know your rights as a tenant.
Eviction Process
To legally evict you, your landlord must file a lawsuit in court. If sued, you should receive a Petition and Summons, telling you when and where to appear in court, and what your landlord is demanding. If you ignore the suit, a default judgment may be entered against you. Contact an attorney as soon as you are sued or notified that your landlord plans to evict you.
Usually the judge will hear your case on the first court date and not continue it. If you have a claim against your landlord, you must file it in writing with the court by the court date.
If the summons was only posted on your property (not hand-delivered to you or your family by a process server), your landlord may only be able to get a judgment for “possession,” but no rent. Possession means possession of the apartment or house, not your property.
A landlord is prohibited from illegally evicting you without a court order, i.e., by locking you out, removing doors to your home, shutting off your utilities, or removing you or your property. You should call your local police or city officials if this happens.
Source: Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Kansas City, MO Right to Counsel
Residents in Kansas City, MO with an eviction can apply online themselves or call 211 for assistance with intake for the Right to Counsel Program. Right to Counsel works with local legal agencies to pair those with an eviction case with legal representation at no cost to them.
Eviction Process
The first step of the eviction process in Kansas is the delivery to the tenant of what is called a three-day notice (notice to vacate). The notice advises the tenant that she must correct a lease violation or vacate the premises within the three-day period of time set forth in the notice. For example, if the notice is provided because the tenant failed to pay rent, she must pay the rent due and owing within the three-day period or move out of the property. If the tenant fails to comply with the provisions of the three-day notice, the landlord has the legal right under Kansas law to pursue an eviction lawsuit. Notice must be given at least 3 days before the initiation of the lawsuit.
The second phase of the eviction process in Kansas is a forcible detainer case. Forcible detainer is an eviction lawsuit in the state of Kansas. A forcible detainer case is filed in the county or district court in the county where the property is located. The case is filed pursuant to the provisions of the Kansas limited actions law, found at Kansas Statutes Annotated, Chapter 61. A preliminary hearing and ultimately a trial is scheduled for the case. If the landlord prevails, the court issues both an order granting a judgment in his favor as well as what is known as a writ of assistance/restitution.
The writ of assistance is an order directing the county sheriff to remove the tenants from the rental property if they do not voluntarily vacate following the court judgment. The writ of assistance directs the sheriff to remove the tenant within 10 days of the issuance of that order. Entry to the property may be by whatever means necessary to affect the court order.
Source: Johnson County, KS Sheriff’s Department
Senior Living & Long Term Care Options
There are many senior living and long term care options for people as they age. This guide provides information on options that are available and resources for evaluating them.
Many organizations and websites offer information on available housing and care options for seniors. United Way 211 does not endorse any specific senior housing referral organization. Following are some options to help find and evaluate your choices.
Find Senior Housing
Compare Options
In Missouri LIHEAP is administered by Community Action Agencies in most areas. It consists of 2 components:
- Energy Assistance (EA) is a general assistance program in which the assistance amount is determined based on income level. EA begins October 1st for people 60+ or with a disability and November 1st for everyone else. General Energy Assistance ends March 31st.
- Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) is designed to assist those households who are at-risk of losing energy service. Applicants must be threatened with disconnection or be currently without service.
Winter ECIP: Begins October 1st for people 60+ or with a disability and November 1st for everyone else and ends May 31 and helps pay for heating a home.
Summer ECIP: Summer program is for electricity and begins June 1 and ends Sept. 30 or when all funding is distributed.
Important Notes
- To qualify to apply in November because of a disability, it can be by any member of the household who has a documented disability.
- To qualify to apply in November because of age, the person applying for LIHEAP must be 60 or over.
- LIHEAP covers heating in the winter with the following sources: gas, electric, kerosene, fuel oil, tank propane, cylinder propane and wood.
- Individuals who filled out an application for the winter assistance program and still reside at the same address do not have to fill out a new application for summer assistance; they should be automatically eligible for the Summer Program if they seek assistance and have a disconnect.
Documentation Requirements for all LIHEAP programs:
- Verification of the previous month’s gross income for everyone in household (wage stubs, grant letters, assistance award letters, Social Security award letters, etc.)
- Social Security cards for every household member
- Head of household’s picture ID
- Current bill (Disconnect notice or final notice will be required for ECIP/summer assistance)
***Depending on their current situation, a client may be required to make a co-payment towards the bill or receive assistance from an outside agency if the amount to keep service on for 30 days exceeds the maximum amount Community Action Agency can assist with.
LIHEAP application is available here OR you can go to dss.mo.gov and then click on “Families” and then “Energy Assistance” and see a button for “Paper Application”
All Missouri counties – the application return addresses can be found here or on the last page of the current application.
People can also visit the Family Support Division offices in Clay, Jackson & Platte Counties for applications and assistance information.
Complete application online, mail, fax or return in person:
DCF-LIEAP
402 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
FAX: 1-866-652-0715
DCF.KSLIEAP@ks.gov
LIEAP application is available here
DCF-LIEAP
500 SW Van Buren
Topeka, KS 66603
FAX: 1-888-543-3087
DCF.LIEAPEast@ks.gov
Kansas only offers a winter LIEAP program, which usually begins in mid-January and runs through the last business day of March each year.
In order to qualify, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- An adult living at the address must be personally responsible for paying the heating costs incurred at the current residence, payable either to the landlord or the fuel vendor.
- Applicants must demonstrate a recent history of payments toward purchase of the primary heating energy.
Documentation Requirements:
- Social Security numbers for everyone in your household that has one
- Income information such as wages, child support
- Utility account information (Vendor name(s) and account number(s))
- Primary fuel type that heats your home
- Landlord`s name, address, and phone number (If utilities are in their name)