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Jasper County assistance programs

Utility bill assistance
You can receive utility bill help through the Economic Security Corp (ESC's) annual Summer Electric Crisis Program. The assistance program, which begins accepting applications in late Spring, will pays up to $300 each and every summer to help eligible residents pay their electric bills and keep cool during the summer. To be eligible for assistance, the head of the household or spouse must be 65 years old or older, or another criteria is that one or more members of the household must have a documented medical condition. The assistance program will pay to keep electric service on if a utility service shutoff notice has been sent, or the household can receive a free 10,000-Btu window-unit air conditioner for the house.

In addition, Empire District Electric Co. is also funding a separate electric bill program for Missouri residents. The program is called Project Help, and it is also administered through the ESC to keep people's power on this summer. This assistance program will pay up to $200 every six months toward electric bills for people who are 55 or older or those who may be qualified as disabled. ESC has been offering these programs each summer for over 10 years, but many people who need the help and are struggling still don't know about it, which is unfortunate.