As of December 8, 2020, the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program is no longer accepting applications or new assistance requests.
The COVID-19 Assistance Program is funded by federal dollars through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was authorized by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and this funding expires on December 31, 2020. Local administrators need the rest of December to review and process as many applications as possible.
Local program administrators continue to process applications in January 2021. (Applications being processed in January 2021, met submission deadlines in December 2020.)
To qualify for this Program, households must meet all of the criteria listed below:
- Be a Minnesota resident.
- Be a renter or homeowner with household income at or below 300% of federal poverty guidelines, with preference given for households below 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
- Have a housing related expense incurred after March 1, 2020 that is past due. Program funds may only be used for expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020 pursuant to the CARES Act, as it may be amended.
- Be unable to make the payment(s) owed because of the public health emergency due to unemployment, illness, or another COVID-19 related issue.
Households currently receiving rental assistance that adjusts with income (i.e. Housing Choice voucher, project based assistance, or another form of state or federal rental assistance), are generally not eligible to apply for rental assistance in this Program. Households receiving rental assistance that adjusts with income are still eligible to apply for assistance with eligible utility expenses.
* The application process will calculate this information based on your gross monthly income.
