Following the recent receipt of a $12,000 grant to support regional housing vouchers, officials with Ozark Action Inc. say finding safe, affordable rental units for local residents remains a growing challenge across south-central Missouri.
The grant — nominated by Great Southern Bank in West Plains and matched 3-to-1 by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines’ Member Impact Fund — was formally presented to the Howell County Public Housing Authority (PHA) on July 29 at Ozark Action's main office in West Plains. The PHA operates under the umbrella of Ozark Action.
While the funding boosts the agency's Housing Choice Voucher program, housing officials emphasize that money alone cannot solve the area's shrinking rental supply.
"Our clients are desperately needing landlords who have safe, affordable housing available to rent," said Ed Button, director of the Howell County PHA and Ozark Action’s Housing Division.
Button noted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, available housing stock across the region has dwindled. Rising material and repair costs have priced out some smaller, local landlords, while other properties have been purchased by out-of-state buyers or converted into short-term vacation rentals like Airbnbs and Vrbos.
“While we appreciate visitors to the region, we can’t forget the folks who work here and call our beautiful region home,” Button said, adding that voucher recipients are primarily working families balancing low-wage jobs or elderly residents living on fixed Social Security incomes.
Over the past year, housing voucher programs administered by Ozark Action and the Howell County PHA helped offset the cost of nearly 4,100 months of rent for more than 330 households across Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Texas, Wright and Shannon counties.
Income eligibility for the program is capped at $27,150 annually for a single-person household and $38,750 for a family of four.
“This is a wonderful surprise for our agency and for our program,” Button said of the grant award. “We’re currently developing a plan to use this money to help the maximum amount of people we can.”
Landlords interested in participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program, or residents seeking housing assistance, can contact Ozark Action at 417-256-6147, email HUD@oaiwp.org, or visit oaiwp.org/housing.
