City Of Argyle issued the following announcement on Oct 28.
Minnesota Housing Finance offering assistance with unpaid housing bills. Please read below and contact them. Phone numbers & websites listed at end.
The COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program Has Over $30 Million in Requests to
Cover Overdue Housing Payments in First Month
Funds Still Available for Minnesotans Seeking Assistance with Unpaid Housing Bills
• Of the $30.3 million in total requests, 53% is for rental assistance, 26% for mortgage assistance,
14% for utility assistance and 7% for all other eligible housing expenses.
• The State has disbursed over $10.3 million of the $100 million program in the first month of the
program to cover rent, mortgage and utilities as well as program costs.
• Applicants come from all 87 counties in the state. 57% of applicants live in the 7-county Metro
and 43% in Greater Minnesota.
St. Paul, Minn., October 1, 2020 – It’s the first of the month and rent and mortgage payments are once
again due. As housing bills pile up for those affected by the economic downturn, many Minnesotans are
applying for help from the state’s COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, which covers overdue housing
payments for eligible applicants.
In mid-July 2020, Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan made $100 million available to
cover overdue rent, mortgage and other housing-related bills to help people maintain their housing
stability and prevent eviction and homelessness. The support comes from the Coronavirus Relief Fund,
which was authorized by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The
program will run until the funding is no longer available.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on people’s health and financial stability, leaving thousands of
Minnesotans unable to keep up with their housing payments. Falling behind on rent, mortgage or other
housing-related costs can jeopardize an individual or family’s housing stability.
“We recognize that it’s a huge stressor for households that are falling behind on their housing payments,
so we’re working with local administrators to act as quickly as we can. We want families to know they
can still apply for help,” says Housing Commissioner Jennifer Leimaile Ho. The program covers unpaid
bills incurred on or after March 1, 2020.
Shellie Rowe, Housing Stability manager at Neighborhood House, a St. Paul administrator of the
program for Ramsey County, spoke with an applicant whose daughter is ill with COVID-19 and is worried
about her family’s overdue rent. “My heart goes out to this family, but I was so happy to let them know
their rent is not a problem and they can worry less about that piece of life right now.”
“The stress, anxiety and uncertainty Minnesotans are experiencing is real,” says James Collins, Director
of 211 at Greater Twin Cities United Way, whose team fields calls from prospective applicants.
Data about the Housing Assistance Requests as of Sept. 23, 2020
• More than 33,500 people have been screened for initial eligibility and produced more than
22,000 applications through phone, text and website connections.
• 211 United Way, the central intake and referral point for the program, has processed more than
16,400 phone screenings and received an additional 4,300 texts from individuals requesting
housing assistance in the first month of the program.
• As of September 28, more than 33,500 people have been screened for initial eligibility,
producing 22,000 applications initiated in the system with requests totaling $30.3 million of
assistance. This number includes applications in process as well as the approved applications for
which payments are underway or have been issued.
• About half of the funds requested are for overdue rent and a quarter is for help with mortgages:
53% is for rental assistance, 26% for mortgage assistance, 14% for utility assistance and 7% for
all other eligible expenses.
• Minnesota Housing has disbursed approximately $10.3 million, which includes housing
assistance disbursements to the grantees but also includes program administration for the
housing administrators, 211 United Way for their central intake and referral work, and
HousingLink for the technology system supporting the program.
• As of September 23, 61% of the applicants are below 100% of federal poverty guidelines. To be
eligible for the housing assistance, applicants must be below 300% of federal poverty guidelines.
The program has a priority for households under 200% of Federal Poverty Levels.
• Nearly a quarter of the applicants (24%) note they have experienced homelessness at some
point. Eight percent of applicants report having previously been evicted.
• In terms of race and ethnicity, 57% of applicants statewide are Black, indigenous and people of
color (in the 7-county Metro it is 71%). Black, indigenous and people of color account for about
21% of the state’s population.
• Applicants come from every county in the state, with 57% of applicants residing in the 7-county
Metro and 43% in Greater Minnesota. Overall an estimated 54% of people live in the 7-County
metro and 46% in Greater Minnesota.
Funds are Still Available for People in Need of Housing Assistance
For complete details on who is eligible to apply and what costs are covered by the program,
visit www.211unitedway.org. Interested applicants may also call 211 (Toll Free: 1.800.543.7709; Local:
651.291.0211) or text “MNRENT” to 898-211 to learn more. People who have already applied but have
incurred new housing payments they cannot pay are encouraged to call 211 to make an additional
application and get connected to other critical community resources. For more information and
frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, please visit
www.mnhousing.gov.
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About Minnesota Housing: Minnesota Housing collaborates with individuals, communities and partners
to create, preserve and finance housing that is affordable. Find out more at www.mnhousing.gov.
Follow us at Minnesota Housing and on Twitter @mnhousing.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City Of Argyle
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