If you get Housing Support (formerly Group Residential Housing) benefits that help pay for your room and board in an approved location, you may also qualify to have Housing Support help you pay for services you may need.

You may qualify if you:

• Have low income and assets
  • Note: People who either get General Assistance (GA) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) automatically meet the income and asset limits. Disability Benefits 101 has detailed information about qualifying for Housing Support.
• Live in a location approved for Housing Support that also offers services
• Need services, and
• Don’t get services paid for by MA-Waiver programs or get personal care assistance (PCA) through Medical Assistance (MA).
  • Note: Most people on Housing Support do get their services paid for by MA-Waiver programs, meaning Housing Support doesn’t pay for their services.

Services Housing Support May Pay For

If Housing Support pays for services, your housing location must be willing to provide you with certain services that you need and request. These include help with:

• Transportation
• Arranging meetings and appointments
• Arranging medical and social services
• Medication reminders, and
• Up to 24-hour supervision.

These are just examples of the most common types of services a Housing Support housing location may help you with. Your housing may offer other services. Housing Support will usually pay a maximum of $494.91 per month for services.

Note: Most people who get Housing Support benefits that pay for their room and board have their services paid for by MA or MA-Waiver programs, not by Housing Support.

Application

You can apply for Housing Support online using MNbenefits. You can also fill out the Combined Application Form and turn it in to your county or tribal human services office.

When you fill out your application, note that you are requesting Housing Support and put down the name, address, and telephone number of the location where you plan to live. If you do not mention that you are applying for Housing Support, the county may not check if you are eligible. Both MNbenefits and the Combined Application Form have locations where you can add this kind of information. You do not need to apply separately to get services paid for by Housing Support — the county will check and see whether the housing location offers services and if you qualify.

After you submit your application, you should be contacted shortly by the county to set up an interview if they think you might qualify for Housing Support.

Note: If Housing Support currently helps pay for your room and board, but does not help pay for services you need, contact your local county or tribal human services office to see if you can get help paying for services.