What they do: ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) teams offer a wide range of mental health services for people who live in the community, including housing access support.

Who they help: Adults with certain mental health conditions that significantly impair them, have need for high-intensity services, lack other services, and have a written need by a mental health professional.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

The basic tasks of everyday life, such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and moving. When people are unable to perform these activities, they need help with them from services such as personal care assistance (PCA).

Housing for one to five individuals with disabilities and seniors who each live in their own bedroom and get some services from an on-site caregiver. AFC is for people who need some daily care, but do not need skilled nursing care. Adult Foster Care is sometimes called Community Residential Settings (CRS).

Learn more about Adult Foster Care.

A federally and state-funded program that provides services to people 65 or older who do not yet qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in a nursing home.

Learn more at the Department of Human Services (DHS).

A request to have a third party review an agency’s decision. Requests may be verbal or written. Typically, appeals are requested when benefits, services, or treatments are denied, stopped, or reduced.

What they do: ARMHS (Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services) workers help people with mental health needs with basic living skills, assessments, planning, medication education, peer services, and transition to community living.

Who they help: Adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness and have significant impairment in functioning.

How you find them: Call the MHCP Call Center at 1-651-431-2670 to find an ARMHS certified provider. You may also contact your health plan to locate a certified provider.

The maximum amount of assets you're allowed to own while staying eligible for a particular benefits program. Also called a "resource limit."

Things that you own, like a car or a house. You can only own a certain amount in assets and still qualify for many benefits programs. The home you live in and the car you drive to work are exempt under most benefits programs. Also called "resources."

Assisted living is a type of housing that provides services on site. Assisted living can look like individual apartments, or it can look like a house where five or more people live. In the past, assisted living facilities were called “housing with services establishments.”

While services can be different from one facility to the next, they all must always have a staff person who is awake and available to help residents. They also must do a daily “I’m okay” check with each resident.

Assisted living may offer other services that help with your daily living, such as:

• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Help taking medications, and
• Personal care assistance services, like help during meals, toileting, bathing, and dressing.

Any place that calls itself assisted living must be licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Some assisted living specializes in services for people living with memory loss such as Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. These facilities have a special assisted living with dementia care license.

Learn more about assisted living.

Technological devices that help people with disabilities carry out daily activities.

Eyesight that is very limited. To be considered legally blind, you must:

• Have a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in your better eye, even while you are wearing a correcting contact lens or glasses in that eye; or
• Have a limitation in the field of vision of your better eye, so that:
  • You have a contraction of peripheral visual fields to 10 degrees from the point of fixation, or
  • The widest diameter of your visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees, or
  • You have a contraction of peripheral visual fields to 20% or less visual field efficiency.

Social Security and other agencies use this definition of blindness to decide if you qualify for benefits programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Some people with vision impairments that do not meet these standards may still qualify for benefits.

Housing for five or more people who may have individual or shared bedrooms, depending on the facility. Other spaces, such as living rooms, dining rooms, or cafeterias, are shared. Some Board and Lodge facilities offer services.

Learn more about Board and Lodge.

A long-term care facility for people who need 24-hour skilled nursing. Boarding Care Homes are generally smaller than nursing homes.

Learn more about Boarding Care Homes.

An MA-Waiver program that provides services to people with a brain injury who qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in a nursing facility or neurobehavioral hospital (a hospital that offers long-term rehabilitation to people who have a brain injury).

Learn more on Disability Benefits 101.

A program that helps people with mental illness pay for housing until they can get a Section 8 voucher. Like the Section 8 housing choice voucher program, Bridges helps pay rent for a home or apartment in the community, while allowing the beneficiary to pay only about 30% of his or her income on rent. The Bridges program is run by the same local public housing authorities (PHAs) that run the Section 8 program, but is financed by the state government, not the federal government.

Learn more about the Bridges program.

What they do: Case managers coordinate services you need and works with financial workers to see what benefits can help pay for these services.

Who they help: People receiving state and/or county programs or benefits.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

A single person or family that includes an adult with a disability who has either been:

• Experiencing homelessness for a year or more, or
• Experienced homelessness at least four different times during the last three years.

A disability can include:

• Substance abuse disorders
• Mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Developmental disabilities, and
• Physical disabilities or illnesses, including HIV/AIDS or Brain Injury.

An MA-Waiver program that provides services to people with disabilities who qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in a nursing home.

Learn more on Disability Benefits 101.

An MA-Waiver program that provides services to people who are chronically ill and qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in a hospital.

Learn more on Disability Benefits 101.

A form of sharing ownership of a set of residences. Residents of condos directly own a specific unit in a building or development. Residents also have a share in and a right to use common areas, like hallways, elevators, gardens, and swimming pools. Condo residents make monthly payments for the upkeep of shared spaces and infrastructure, like the roof, windows, and hallways.

Learn more about condos.

A form of sharing ownership of a set of residences. Residents of co-ops do not own a specific unit in the building or development, but own shares of a cooperative housing corporation that owns the buildings and all the units. Residents lease an apartment or unit from the cooperative of which they are a shareholder.

Learn more about co-ops.

The Coordinated Entry System (CES) helps people who are experiencing homelessness get into housing. Coordinated Entry lets you contact one office to get into a system that matches people with housing in many different programs. This makes it easier for you to get connected with a program that can help you find a place to live.

Coordinated Entry works statewide, but is run separately in ten different regions. With Coordinated Entry, you contact one office in your region. If you qualify, they do an assessment to see what type of help you need and put your information into the system.

Coordinated Entry prioritizes people based on their needs and situation. How long you have to wait depends on when there is a program that has a place available for people in your situation with your needs.

Use HB101’s Homeless Services Map to contact the Coordinated Entry System.

Learn more about Coordinated Entry.

The amount of income that Social Security or the state counts when figuring out if you qualify for benefits and, if so, the level of benefits you should get. Not all of your income counts.

A government employee who works for the State Department of Veterans Affairs and can help veterans and family members with preparing and filing claims for federal and state benefits. A CVSO can also coordinate help from local agencies for employment, housing, and social services.

Find a CVSO near you.

The ability to borrow money based on your history and promise of repayment.

A record that shows when and how you borrowed and repaid money.

The maximum amount of money that a financial institution or other lender will make available to you.

A state program that gives short-term housing help to people with mental illness whose income is being used to pay for inpatient psychiatric treatment that is expected to last 90 days or less. The Crisis Housing Assistance Program may help pay for rent, mortgage, or utility expenses.

Learn more about the Crisis Housing Assistance Program.

An MA-Waiver program that provides services to people with developmental disabilities or related conditions who qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in an Intermediate Care Facility for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD).

Learn more on Disability Benefits 101.

To get Housing Stabilization Services, a person must have a documented disability or disabling condition, defined as one of the following:

• A person who is aged, blind or has a disability as described under Title II of the Social Security Act.
• A person with an injury or illness that is expected to cause extended or long-term incapacitation.
• A person with a developmental disability (or related condition) or mental illness.
• A person with a mental health condition, substance use disorder or physical injury that required a residential level of care and who is now in the process of transitioning to the community.
• A person who is determined to have a learning disability according to policy adopted by Department of Human Services (DHS); or
• A person with a substance use disorder and is enrolled in a treatment program or is on a waiting list for a treatment program.

To get Housing Support, a person must have a documented disability or disabling condition. Your disability can either meet Social Security's definition of disability or it can meet the standards of the General Assistance (GA) program for at least one of these situations:

• Permanent or temporary illness or incapacity
• Pending application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Medically certified as having a developmental disability or mental illness
• Drug or alcohol addiction
• Require services in residence
• Learning disability impacting employment
• Advanced age (55 or older) impacting employment
• Unemployable

The inability to engage in any Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or last for a continuous period of at least 12 months.

A person must not only be unable to do their previous work but also cannot, considering age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of SGA that exists in the national economy. It doesn't matter whether such work exists in the immediate area, or whether a specific job vacancy exists, or whether the worker would be hired if he/she applied for work. The worker’s impairment(s) must be the primary reason for his/her inability to engage in SGA.

Learn more about how Social Security determines whether an adult has a disability on Disability Benefits 101.

What it does: Disability Hub MN helps with information and connections to services and supports for people with disabilities.

Who it helps: People with disabilities and their friends and family members.

How you contact it: Hub experts are available by phone, live chat and email. Call 1-866-333-2466 or visit disabilityhubmn.org.

Social Security benefits for adults who:

• Became disabled before turning 22, and
• Have a parent who died or who gets retirement or SSDI benefits.

Also called "Childhood Disability Benefits" (CDB).

Learn more about DAC on Disability Benefits 101.

The initial payment you make when you buy something on credit.

Help offered by some cities and counties that may reduce a homebuyer’s portion of the down payment to as little as 1% of the purchase price. The rules are different for every program, but usually the homebuyer does not need to repay this financial help until the homebuyer sells the home or finishes paying off the original mortgage. In some cases, the homebuyer may not have to repay it at all.

The Earned Income Disregard (EID) was a rule that helped some people with disabilities living in public housing, or who had a Section 8, HOPWA, or other qualifying voucher. With an EID, a person who got qualifying housing benefits whose earned income increased (because they got a job or started getting paid more at work), wouldn't have all of their earnings counted when their rent was calculated. An EID would help a person for up to 24 months (two years).

People who started getting help from an EID before 1/1/2024 and haven't yet used up their 24 months will continue to get help from it until they finish their 24 months. No new people can get an EID, but they may qualify for the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program instead.

An MA-Waiver program that provides services to people 65 or older who qualify for Medical Assistance (MA). The services help people live in the community instead of in a nursing home.

Learn more at the Department of Human Services (DHS).

The fundamental job duties that an employee must be able to perform alone or with the help of a reasonable accommodation. An employer cannot refuse to hire you because your disability prevents you from performing duties that are not essential to the job. At the same time, you cannot ask for an essential function to be removed from your job description as a reasonable accommodation.

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program helps families who get help with their rent from HUD-funded programs and whose whose income goes up because of work.

When the family income goes up and the program starts paying less for rent, the FSS program takes the money that it saves on rent and sets that money aside for the family. The family can use these savings for purchases, such as the down payment on a home or a car.

The FSS program can help people who get help from programs like:

• Public housing
• The Section 8 housing choice voucher program
• Section 8 project-based rental assistance
• Some project-based housing programs, and
• Some special purpose vouchers, including Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Family Unification Program (FUP), Foster Youth to Independence (FYI), and Mainstream.

You apply for the FSS through your public housing authority (PHA) or your housing provider. Learn more about the FSS program on Disability Benefits 101 (DB101).

Rental assistance that helps families at risk of being separated due to lack of housing and former foster youth ages 18 – 21.The program is funded by the federal government and administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs).

If you qualify, you get help paying for rent in any privately owned housing that accepts FUP as payment and that meets the PHA’s standards for your household. That means you will end up spending 30% – 40% of your income on your housing and the government will pay the rest.

Learn more about the Family Unification Program.

What they do: Financial workers check if you qualify for state or local benefits. You may or may not have direct communication with a financial worker.

Who they help: People applying for or receiving state and/or county programs or benefits.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

A situation in which a mortgage lender (or financial institution) takes possession of the property because the borrower has not made payments on interest or principal for a certain period of time. Once the lender takes over the property, it usually sells at a discounted price to recover the amount lost on the mortgage loan.

Learn about how to prevent your home from being foreclosed.

Money that does not have to be repaid. Government agencies and foundations give grants to programs and individuals who need financial help.

Housing that includes services where seniors or people with disabilities live in the same building. This is a generic term and does not refer to any particular type of state-licensed or regulated housing.

The following types of regulated housing settings are sometimes called group homes:

• Adult Foster Care (AFC)
• Board and Lodge facilities
• Assisted Living
• Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DDs).

If you live in a group home and are not sure how it is licensed or regulated, ask the housing management.

A person who has the legal authority and duty to care for another person.

For programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), people who are experiencing homelessness are in at least one of these situations:

• They are living in a place not meant for humans to live in, in an emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are exiting an institution where they resided for less than 90 days.
• They are losing their primary nighttime residence, which may include a motel or hotel, within 14 days and don’t have the resources or support networks to stay in housing.
• They are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, have no other residence, and don’t have the resources or support networks to get other permanent housing.

To qualify for a specific HUD program that helps people who are experiencing homelessness, you may have to meet additional eligibility requirements.

Learn more about HUD homeless programs.

A group of people who live together as a family. Eligibility rules for benefits programs often vary depending on how many people live in your household.

The exact rules for who counts as a member of a household depend on the program. For most programs, your household includes the following people if they are living with you:

• Yourself
• Your spouse
• Your children
• Your spouse's children

If you are under 18, for most programs your household also includes the following people if they are living with you:

• Your parents
• Your stepparent if your other parent lives with you
• Your siblings and stepsiblings

For some programs, other people living with you, such as grandparents, cousins, or others, may also be considered part of the household.

What they do: Housing agencies manage benefits programs that help pay for housing and property managers manage housing.

Who they help: People who live in housing.

How you find them: Your housing agency or the property where you live.

See public housing authority (PHA).

A program that gives housing grants and rent help to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Learn more about HOPWA.

A Medical Assistance (MA) benefit for people with disabilities and seniors who are experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, at risk of institutionalization, or living in an institution. Housing Stabilization Services help people find and keep housing.

There are three types of Housing Stabilization Services:

• Housing transition services: A housing transition services provider (a person or agency) helps a person plan for, find, and move into housing.
• Housing sustaining services: A housing sustaining services provider (a person or agency) helps a person keep their housing after they have moved in.
• Housing consultation: A housing consultant helps a person without MA case management develop a person-centered plan that addresses their needs, wants, and goals for living in the community.

For more information, see HB101’s article on Housing Stabilization Services.

What they do: Housing Stabilization Services housing consultants help you make a person-centered plan about your needs, wants, and goals for living in the community.

Who they help: People on MA who do not have waiver-funded case manager and need help to create a person-centered plan.

How you find them: Use HB101's Getting Started with Housing Stabilization Services tool.

People who get Housing Stabilization Services Transition Services may be able to get help paying for up to $3,000 in moving expenses if they move out of an institution and into their own home that they own, rent or lease. Approved moving expenses are reimbursed to providers.

What they do: Housing Stabilization Services sustaining services providers help you keep your housing after you've moved in.

Who they help: People on MA who would benefit from receiving support keeping their housing.

How you find them: Use HB101's Getting Started with Housing Stabilization Services tool.

What they do: Housing Stabilization Services transition services coordinators helps you plan for, find, and move into housing.

Who they help: People on MA who are transitioning housing settings.

How you find them: Use HB101's Getting Started with Housing Stabilization Services tool.

The Housing Support program helps pay room-and-board costs for people with disabilities, and people aged 65 or over, who have low income and assets and live in certain Adult Foster Care or other facilities.

Learn more about Housing Support.

The Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Rental Assistance program helps people pay for rental housing of their choice. Some HTF Rental Assistance is provided at certain existing sites, and some is provided in settings that the participant finds. It is funded by the state of Minnesota.

The HTF Program can help with temporary rental assistance, security deposits, and other housing-related expenses for High Priority Homeless (HPH) families and individuals who are assessed as needing permanent supportive housing by the local Coordinated Entry (CE) system.

This program works in partnership with service providers to help participants maintain housing stability and to transition to permanent affordable housing. If you qualify for HTF Rental Assistance, you will spend about 30% of your income on your housing and the program will pay the rest.

Learn more about HTF Rental Assistance.

The highest income you can have while still qualifying for a particular benefits program.

A savings account in which your deposits are "matched" at a certain rate. If you have a two-to-one match, for example, an additional $2 will be deposited for every $1 that you deposit in your account. IDAs are usually used to save for going to school, purchasing a home, or starting a business.

Learn more about IDAs on DB101.

Types of housing where help or services are provided as part of the housing. HB101 usually uses the terms “facility” and “group home” when describing these types of housing.

Institutions can include facilities such as:

• Nursing homes
• Hospitals
• Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD), and
• Homes for people with mental diseases.

Other facilities with different names may also qualify as institutions.

Note: Some benefits programs have their own definitions of institution.

Integrated community supports (ICS) are MA-Waiver services that help adults 18 and older with living in the community. These services are for people who live in supported apartments in an ICS setting (a multi-family housing building where the ICS provider owns, leases, or manages the ICS housing units).

For more information:

• Get the answer to frequently asked questions about ICS.
• See the eligibility manual for detailed information about ICS.

A charge for a loan, usually a percentage of the amount loaned.

A residential long-term care facility that provides services to people with developmental disabilities or related conditions.

Learn more about ICF/DDs.

A review of your situation to see what long-term care programs and services are best for you. The LTCC can help you figure out what services and programs might help you live in the community, including MA-Waiver programs, Medical Assistance (MA), personal care assistance (PCA) services, or other benefits. Even if you are not eligible for public benefits, the LTCC can help you understand what services, accommodations, and resources exist.

Note: MnCHOICES assessments are replacing the LTCC throughout Minnesota.

A place where people who need 24-hour skilled nursing can stay. To be admitted into a long-term care facility, you must go through a pre-admission screening to make sure you need this level of care.

There are three types of long-term care facilities:

• Nursing homes
• Boarding Care Homes, and
• Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/DD).

Some people who live in long-term care facilities may be able to live in the community by getting similar services in their own homes or apartments.

Learn more about long-term care facilities.

An insurance policy that may cover long-term care facility costs. When and if you need long-term care services, the policy may cover the cost, letting you keep your personal savings. You may purchase an individual policy or may have a policy as a job benefit or retirement benefit.

Learn more about long-term care insurance.

The state of lacking a permanent place to live for a year or more or at least four times in the past three years.

The price of a product or service as set by the owner. This price is usually based on what the owner would like to charge and what the owner thinks people would be willing to pay. When many sellers and buyers negotiate over similar products or services, they will tend to have similar prices based on what the real value is.

Market-rate rental housing includes single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments. With market-rate rental housing, the cost of rent is what the owner wishes to charge and the rent is not subsidized or reduced based on your income or situation.

Learn more about market-rate rentals.

Additional services beyond what's covered under standard Medical Assistance (MA) to help people with disabilities live in the community. These services can include Personal Care Assistant (PCA) services, extended home health aide and nursing services, extended homemaker services, medical equipment and supply services, and more transportation services.

Here are four MA-Waiver programs available to Minnesotans with disabilities:

• The Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver provides services to people who are chronically ill and need the level of care provided in a hospital.
• The Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver serves people with disabilities who need the level of care offered in a nursing facility.
• The Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver provides services to people with developmental disabilities or related conditions.
• The Brain Injury (BI) Waiver provides services to people with brain injuries.

Note: Not all people with disabilities will qualify for an MA-Waiver program.

Learn more about MA-Waiver programs.

What they do: MA-Waiver support workers can help you learn about basic skills you need to live and work in the community.

Who they help: Minnesotans that receive MA-waiver services (BI, CADI, CAC, and DD). Individualized home support (IHS) is for people who live in their own home, while integrated community supports (ICS) are for people who live in provider owned settings.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

A law that created funding for programs that help people who are experiencing homelessness. These programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Learn more about HUD programs for people who are experiencing homelessness.

A state-run health care program that pays medical expenses for people who are disabled, young, elderly, poor, or pregnant. If you meet program requirements, MA will help pay for a variety of medical services including visits to the doctor, hospital stays, medical equipment, home care services, and prescription drugs.

Learn more about MA on Disability Benefits 101.

A program that gives Medical Assistance (MA) health coverage to employed people with disabilities. To qualify you must:

• Be considered disabled by Social Security or the State Medical Review Team (SMRT)
• Earn more than $65 a month
• Have less than in assets, and
• Pay a monthly premium.

MA-EPD covers the same services as standard MA, but lets you have higher income without losing your coverage.

Learn more about MA-EPD on Disability Benefits 101.

A federal program that provides health insurance for people 65 or older and many people under 65 who have disabilities. If you get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you will be eligible to get Medicare after a two-year waiting period.

Learn more about Medicare on Disability Benefits 101.

Minnesota's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (sometimes called "welfare-to-work"). MFIP provides cash and food assistance to low-income families with children, and also helps with job training and finding employment.

Learn more about MFIP on Disability Benefits 101.

A state program that provides monthly cash benefits to people who are aged, blind or disabled, and who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Some people who don't get SSI benefits may still be eligible for MSA if their income is low enough and they meet other program criteria.

The MSA benefits you get depends on your living arrangements, the amount you get in SSI (if you get SSI benefits), and whether or not you have any special needs expenses. You may also get additional Housing Assistance, depending on your situation.

Learn more about MSA Housing Assistance.

A review of your situation to see what long-term services and supports are best for you. MnCHOICES assessments are for people of all ages who have any type of disability or need for long-term services and supports.

The MnCHOICES assessment can help you learn about the services and programs that would help you live in the community, including MA-Waiver programs, Medical Assistance (MA), personal care assistance (PCA) services, or other benefits. After your assessment, you get a plan that includes service and support options that can help you meet your needs.

You can ask for an assessment by calling your local county or tribal human services office. An assessment should be scheduled within 20 days.

Learn more about MnCHOICES.

Note: Long-Term Care Consultations (LTCCs) used to help people in a similar way. MnCHOICES assessments are replacing LTCCs, Developmental Disabilities (DD) Screenings, and Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Assessments in Minnesota.

What they do: MnCHOICES assessors assess your need for services and supports and helps develop a person-centered support plan.

Who they help: Minnesotans with disabilities who need services and supports.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

A loan for funds used to buy real estate property.

A program that helps people transition out of nursing homes, hospitals, Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled (ICF/DDs), and institutions for mental diseases to community living. It serves people who do not qualify for MA-Waiver programs.

Learn more about Moving Home Minnesota.

What they do: Moving Home Minnesota case managers support you for 365 days after you move to the community. They can also connect you with services you need, such as financial, health, and other supports. You cannot get this service if you have another case manager.

Who they help: People on Moving Home Minnesota who have moved into the community from a qualified institution.

How you find them: This person is assigned to you when you move to the community. If you can't remember who this person is, ask by email to movinghomemn.mfp@state.mn.us.

What they do: Moving Home Minnesota Comprehensive Community Support Services (CCSS) workers support you for 365 days after you move to the community. They can help you keep your housing, connect with your community, budget, and organize your schedule and appointments.

Who they help: People on Moving Home Minnesota who have moved into the community from a qualified institution.

How you find them: If you can't remember who this person is, contact your Moving Home Minnesota case manager or send an email to movinghomemn.mfp@state.mn.us.

What they do: Moving Home Minnesota transition services coordinators support your choice to move into a community setting.

Who they help: People on MA who live in an institution for more than 60 days and choose to move to the community.

How you find them: If you can't remember who this person is, contact your Moving Home Minnesota case manager or send an email to movinghomemn.mfp@state.mn.us.

An additional monthly cash benefit for people who get Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA). Your total shelter costs (rent, utilities, and initial security deposit) must be more than 40% of your household gross income to qualify for Housing Assistance.

Learn more about MSA Housing Assistance.

What they do: Nursing home social workers help you get services, make decisions, and solve problems while you live in a nursing home.

Who they help: People living in or moving from a nursing home.

How you find them: Your nursing home.

A regularly scheduled payment to an insurer or health care plan.

The amount that a person borrows. For example, if you borrow $100,000, the principal amount is $100,000. Interest is calculated over the principal.

A program that helps people with serious mental illness, including people with substance use disorders, who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. PATH helps with:

• Community-based outreach
• Mental health, substance abuse, case management and other support services, and
• Some housing services.

PATH is federally funded, but managed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).

Specific units in privately owned buildings set aside for people who qualify for housing programs that help pay rent.

If you get an apartment from a project-based housing program, you do not get to choose which apartment you will live in. With many project-based programs, you will pay about 30% of your income as rent, and the program will pay the rest.

The Section 8 project-based voucher (PBV) program is a large project-based housing program. Other project-based housing is available through HUD Homeless Programs, HTF Rental Assistance, Section 202, and Section 811.

A service organization that provides and manages personal care assistance (PCA) for people who don’t want to or who aren’t able to do so themselves.

Learn more about personal care assistance.

Rental housing for people with low income that is owned and managed by public housing authorities (PHAs). Public housing comes in many sizes and types, from single-family houses to large apartment buildings. Some public housing units are reserved for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Learn more about public housing.

A local agency that is in charge of assigning Section 8 housing vouchers, taking care of upkeep of public housing, and making sure that the housing is safe, decent, and affordable. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) oversees and assists PHAs. Some public housing authorities are called “housing and redevelopment authorities” (HRAs).

Find public housing authorities.

A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment or modification that enables a person with a disability to participate in, benefit from, enjoy, use, or do something.

• In housing, a reasonable accommodation allows a person to live in and enjoy their place. Examples: Grab bars in a bathroom; accessible parking spaces; a different way to submit a housing application; a change in tenant selection criteria.
• In a job or workplace, a reasonable accommodation allows an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Examples: Screen reader software; sign language interpreters; ramps.
• In education, a reasonable accommodation allows a student to successfully participate in an activity, class, test, or other aspect of school. Examples: Extended time during exams; wheelchair-accessible testing stations; special seating arrangements.

Services or devices which help a person with a health condition to relearn skills that they knew how to do before an illness, accident, or injury.

What they do: Relocation Service Coordinators help you figure out how to move into a community setting.

Who they help: People on MA who live in a nursing home or other institution and choose to move to a community setting.

How you find them: Your local county or tribal human services office.

A rental contract between a landlord and a tenant.

A state tax refund of up to $2,570 for people who rent the place they live in and have annual household income below $73,270. You get your refund for rent paid in 2024 when you file your 2024 taxes (filing by April 2025). Also called the "Renter’s Credit."

Learn more about the Renter’s Property Tax Refund.

A person who gets and manages benefits on someone else's behalf. Social Security does an investigation before making a relative, friend, or other person the representative payee of a beneficiary who needs help managing their benefits. For children under 18, a parent or guardian is usually the representative payee.

See assets.

Housing which includes meals and other household necessities, such as utilities, a bed, linens, and bathroom supplies.

A program that helps people with low income pay for housing. Federally funded and administered by local public housing authorities (PHAs), Section 8 has three main programs:

• The housing choice voucher program, which helps pay for rent in any privately owned housing that accepts a Section 8 voucher. This is the most common Section 8 program.
• Project-based Section 8, which also helps pay for rent in privately owned rental housing, but only in specific privately owned buildings.
• The Section 8 Homeownership Program, which helps buy a home and meet the monthly homeownership expenses.

Learn more about the Section 8 housing choice voucher program.

Also called “tenant-based Section 8,” this is the largest part of Section 8. With this program, you pay about 30% of your monthly household income on rent in privately owned housing, while the government pays the rest. Once you are issued a Section 8 voucher, you can continue to use it even if you move to another city or state. The only limitation is that a public housing authority (PHA) has to be available to service the voucher in the area where you want to move.

Learn more about the Section 8 housing choice voucher program.

A part of the federal Section 8 program that helps people with low income pay for rent in privately owned rental housing, but only in specific buildings or units. If you get a project-based voucher, you don’t get to choose the unit you live in. If you qualify for the PBV program, you will end up spending 30% of your income on your housing and your local public housing authority (PHA) will pay the rest.

Learn more about the PBV program.

A program that pays for the construction of housing developments that serve people with disabilities who have low income. Disabilities can include physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, or mental illness.

Learn more about Section 811.

A program that helps people with disabilities who have extremely low income and their families afford housing by paying for part of their rent in specific privately owned apartment buildings. Disabilities can include physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, or mental illness.

If you are helped by the Section 811 Demonstration Project, you will pay 30% of your income on your rent.

Money you leave with a landlord when you move into a home or apartment you will be renting. Often the same amount as one month’s rent, this money is used to repair any damage you cause to the apartment while you live there. Any money left over after the repairs are completed is returned to you when you move out. If the place doesn't need any repairs when you move out, you should get the full amount back.

Help with certain activities that people with disabilities and seniors need due to physical or mental limitations. This help is done by a person or people who may be paid or unpaid. Examples of common services include:

• Help with bathing
• Home-delivered meals
• Help taking medication
• Transportation
• 24-hour skilled nursing care

A housing setting may include services, but you can also often get the services you need in your own home.

Learn more about services.

Services that require the attention of a registered nurse. These can include making medical evaluations, providing medical services, planning for future care, and informing doctors of a person’s needs. Skilled nursing is included in certain settings, including nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities (SNF), which may be paid for by Medicare.

A care location covered by Medicare that includes a semiprivate room, meals, skilled nursing and rehabilitative services, and other services and supplies. All skilled nursing facilities are also licensed as nursing homes in Minnesota, but some nursing homes are not considered skilled nursing facilities by Medicare.

A federal government agency that runs important programs like:

• Social Security retirement benefits
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and
• Disabled Adult Child (DAC).

Social Security offices also handle some aspects of Medicare.

To contact SSA, call 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) or visit your local Social Security office.

Learn more on SSA.gov.

Wage replacement income for individuals who have worked and paid FICA taxes and who now have a disability that meets Social Security disability rules. SSDI provides a variety of benefits to family members when a primary wage earner in the family becomes disabled or dies. SSDI is financed with Social Security taxes paid by workers, employers, and self-employed people. SSDI benefits are payable to disabled workers, widows, widowers, and children or adults disabled since childhood who are otherwise eligible.

Learn more about SSDI on Disability Benefits 101.

What they do: Special education teachers provide support in school for students to learn about life, set future goals, and create plans.

Who they help: Youth who receive special education.

How you find them: Your special education teacher is assigned by your school.

Extra costs you have that Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA) will help you pay for. Special needs expenses can be things you need just once or they can be ongoing expenses you have each month.

Special needs expenses must be approved by your county or tribal human services office before MSA will pay for them. Examples of things that might be approved include:

• Medically prescribed diets (foods you must have for health reasons)
• Fees you pay to a representative payee who collects your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments
• Needed home repairs, furniture, or appliances
• Emergency basic needs expenses like food and shelter.

You must fully document all special needs expenses with receipts or other proof.

The amount of money you have to pay for health care expenses each month before Medical Assistance (MA) starts to pay for the rest of your health care bills. If you have countable income that is greater than the income limit for disability-based or age-based MA, you may need to pay a spenddown.

Read more about how a spenddown works on DB101.

A group within Minnesota's Department of Human Services (DHS) that decides whether or not the state considers you blind or disabled for state benefits programs. SMRT uses a standard process to decide whether people who are not already considered disabled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) meet the state's disability standards.

If you already get benefits from Social Security based on your disability, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), your disability automatically meets the state’s standards and you do not need to be reviewed again by SMRT.

Contact your local county or tribal human services office to request a SMRT review.

The amount of monthly earned income that shows a person is doing significant work according to Social Security. People who cannot earn more than SGA due to their disabilities may be considered disabled by Social Security and other agencies that use Social Security’s definition of disability.

In 2024, SGA is $1,550 per month ($2,590 for people who are blind).

Learn more about how Social Security determines whether an adult has a disability on Disability Benefits 101.

A county-run, federal program that helps people with low incomes buy food. Formerly called Food Support (in MN) or Food Stamps.

A Social Security Administration (SSA) program that gives cash benefits to people with disabilities who have limited income and resources. The amount you get in SSI benefits is based on your financial need and your living situation. The maximum monthly SSI benefit is $943 for individuals and $1,415 for eligible couples.

Learn more about SSI on Disability Benefits 101.

Services to help people with disabilities find jobs or stay employed. Examples are job skills training, job coaching, or help requesting reasonable accommodations from an employer.

Supportive housing is affordable rental housing that includes services which support residents in improving their quality of life. It is often for people who are experiencing homelessness and have difficulties getting and keeping housing. If you live in supportive housing, you pay a portion of your income for rent and you get services for free.

Supportive housing is available in many locations across the state. In some cases, all apartments in a building could be supportive housing. In other locations, a few supportive housing units might be in a mixed-use building that includes market-rate rentals or offices. Elsewhere, you may be able to choose your own apartment, get help paying for it, and get free supportive services.

Learn more about supportive housing.

What they do: Transition coordinators help to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) plan that outlines goals for different areas in life, including housing.

Who they help: Youth who are in a transition program.

How you find them: Your transition coordinator is assigned by your school.

A state agency that helps people with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep jobs. To apply for services, call or visit a vocational rehabilitation counselor at a Minnesota CareerForce location.

Learn more about VRS on Disability Benefits 101.

The amount of time you have to wait before getting a benefit. For example, you begin getting Medicare coverage two years after you start getting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).