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 after having been closed since November 2024.

The closure of the wait list came as a recommendation from the U.S. Department 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 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Phelps County PHA office, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James, Mo. 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. 

Osage County Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin serves as chair of the board.