County and State Assistance

Child Care and Food or Cash Assistance
Families who qualify or participate in MFIP/DWP may also qualify for Child Care Assistance as part of the MFIP/DWF program. More information about MFIP/DWP can be found underneath the "Food and Cash Assistance" tab below. MFIP/DWP can be applied for at this link.

Child Care Assistance
The Basic Sliding Fee program can help families pay for child care while they look for work, go to work, or attend training or school to prepare for work.

Hennepin County has a waiting list for this program. It is provided on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are allocated fully. Additional applicants are put on a waiting list. If more funds become available, Hennepin County will contact families on the waiting list.

The Minnesota Child Care Assistance application can be filled out here.

Other options to pay for child care
Some families may be able to receive other assistance paying for child care. Find out more about financial aid and tax relief programs.

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Unemployment Benefits

The Unemployment Insurance program is ready to assist workers who can’t work, workers who have had their hours reduced, and workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your employment has been affected by COVID-19, you can apply for unemployment benefits. After you apply, you will be notified if you are eligible.

Apply for unemployment benefits as soon as you can; waiting may result in you losing some benefits.

You can apply online, Monday-Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or with our automated phone.

If you have questions, call one of our Customer Service representatives. We can assist you in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, or any other language you prefer. Customer Service representatives are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Twin Cities area: 651-296-3644

Greater Minnesota: 1-877-898-9090;

TTY users: 1-866-814-1252

Go to this link: Unemployment Insurance

When you apply for financial help through MNsure, you will find out if you qualify for low-cost or no-cost health insurance either through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) manages these two programs. Get details about these programs at the following links:

• Medical Assistance (MA) is Minnesota's Medicaid program for people with low income. MA does not require you to pay a monthly premium. MA members have small co-pays for some services, usually $1 - $3.

• MinnesotaCare is a program for Minnesotans with low incomes who do not have access to affordable health care coverage. MinnesotaCare may require you to pay a monthly premium, and it is based on your household size and income. MinnesotaCare members may have small co-pays. The MinnesotaCare Premium Estimator Table (PDF) will help you estimate your premium amount.

• TEFRA allows MA eligibility for children with disabilities in families with incomes too high to qualify for MA. TEFRA is short for the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the federal law that set the rules for this option.

See If You Qualify

You can get an idea of whether you qualify for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare based on your household size and income by using MNsure's plan comparison tool or the income guidelines.

(To get a final determination of whether you qualify for financial help you'll need to apply through MNsure using an application WITH financial help.)

To use MA under the TEFRA option, a child must meet all the following requirements:

• Be otherwise ineligible for MA when parents’ income is counted

• Be under age 19

• Live with at least one biological, adoptive or stepparent

• Be certified disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the State Medical Review Team (SMRT)

• Need a level of care to stay at home that is similar to the level of care provided in a hospital, nursing home or intermediate care facility for people with developmental disabilities (SMRT makes the level-of-care determination)

How do I apply for MA with the TEFRA option for my child?

Apply in either of these ways:

• Apply online through MNsure, Minnesota's health insurance marketplace. Here are some tips for completing the MNsure online application.

• Fill out and return the MNsure Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs (DHS-6696) (PDF) to your county or tribal office.

If your child is found ineligible for MA when counting parental income, you will be asked to fill out and return the Supplement to MNsure Application for Health Coverage and Help Paying Costs (DHS-6696A). Your county or tribal office will then use the information provided on the MNsure application and the supplemental form to determine whether your child is eligible under the TEFRA option. If an SMRT determination is needed, SMRT will contact you directly to request any information they need.

If you applied for MA through MNsure and were found eligible for MinnesotaCare or a qualified health plan (QHP), you do not have to reapply for MA under the TEFRA option. The county or tribal worker will request additional information, and if appropriate, make a referral to the SMRT. SMRT will contact you directly to request any information they need.

Find Free Help Near You

MNsure has a statewide network of expert assisters who can help you apply and enroll. The assister you choose can be a navigator or a broker. They can give you help over the phone or in-person.

After enrolling, your assister can continue to act on your behalf by submitting changes to your account, helping you understand notices, walking you through a renewal, and more.

The following programs can be applied for at this link.

Diversionary work program (DWP)

DHS offers cash support and other resources to low-income families for as long as four months to help them actively look for jobs. The goal of the diversionary work program is to stabilize incomes so families do not need to apply for broader benefits from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).

Participants work with a job counselor to develop an employment plan before benefits can be issued. In a two-parent family, both must participate, and each family member must have a social security number or an application for one.

Participants may also be eligible for other programs, including food support, health care programs, child care assistance, and child support.

Enrollment in the diversionary work program generally is required before participation in the Minnesota Family Investment program, with the following exceptions:

• Child-only cases

• A one-parent family that includes an infant younger than 12 weeks (this is a one-time exception)

• A minor caregiver without a high school diploma or its equivalent

• A caregiver who is older than 60, or a caregiver 18 or 19 years old without a high school diploma or its equivalent, who chooses to have an employment plan with an education option

• A family with a parent who already has received diversionary work program or Minnesota Family Investment Program benefits within the past 12 months

The amount of each family's cash grant depends on the number of people in the family, monthly household needs, personal needs allowance, and countable income. Applicants must provide verification of expenses including phone, rent/mortgage, and utilities.

Once a grant amount has been determined, increases in income generally will not decrease the benefit, if the initial benefit amount was based on the best information available at the time. These benefits do not count toward the MFIP 60-month lifetime limit.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)

DHS helps families by providing a cash income supplement, helping with food support, child care costs, health care coverage, and employment services. The goal is to reduce long-term public assistance use and to encourage personal responsibility.

Families may be referred when they first apply for assistance or after they finish four months of the diversionary work program. It can take up to 30 days to process an MFIP application. Benefits are limited to 60 months.

MFIP supports work. The program provides help with child care costs and medical coverage, in some cases as long as a year after the family transitions out of the program. Income-earning families also may receive additional incentives.

MFIP encourages personal responsibility. For most participants, program expectations include developing an employment plan with an employment services counselor. Failure to cooperate with program requirements can result in sanctions. The program has a 60-month lifetime limit.

Household asset limits for Cash Assistance

The asset limit for the Diversionary Work Program and Minnesota Family Investment Program is $10,000.

The following assets could count towards the asset limit:

• Cash

• Bank accounts (such as checking and savings accounts, debit cards, money market accounts, and matured certificates of deposits)

• Stocks and bonds that can be accessed without a financial penalty

• Vehicles (1 vehicle is excluded per assistance unit member who is age 16 or older)

Emergency programs

When Hennepin County residents are in a financial crisis that poses a direct threat to their physical health or safety, the county may be able to help by providing short-term aid.

Services may include:

• Emergency temporary shelter

• Housing costs like rent payments, damage deposits, home repairs, and utility bills

• Foreclosure prevention, moving expenses, and transportation to relocate

• Extra food support for people on special diets

If you’re a Hennepin County resident and have tried all other options, shelter may be available. To be placed in a shelter, you must provide your children’s birth certificates and a photo ID for the adult(s). Any income you have will be used to pay for your shelter stay.

For questions, call 612-348-9410. On holidays, weekends, and evenings until 11 p.m., call 211 (mobile: 651-291-0211) and ask for the after-hours shelter team.

claudett.gordon@hennepin.us

Phone: 612-596-1300

Other community agencies can help with emergency assistance.

WIC is a nutrition and breastfeeding program that helps young families eat well and be healthy. WIC can help:

• Pregnant women learn about nutritious foods for a healthy pregnancy and birth.

• Support breastfeeding and help new moms meet their breastfeeding goals.

• Families provide nutritious foods to their young children so they are healthy, happy, and ready to learn.