 A pair of seemingly unrelated events — a global pandemic and international outrage over the killing of George Floyd — have led to an unexpected outcome: Minnesotans are clamoring to end homelessness.
Read more in this op-ed by Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead; Jennifer Ho, commissioner, Minnesota Housing; Jan Malcolm, commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health; and Cathy ten Broeke, assistant commissioner and executive director, Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Children who qualify for the federal free and reduced-price meal program can get additional benefits thanks to the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer. The Minnesota departments of Human Services and Education, with Code for America, launched the program to help families purchase healthy food during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more in the department’s news release.
To continue to help provide child care for essential workers and meet increased demand as businesses reopen, the Minnesota Department of Human Services expanded eligibility criteria and doubled the amount of grant dollars in the third round of Peacetime Emergency Child Care Grants.
Read more in the department’s news release.
Families still have time to apply for additional food assistance benefits to help feed their children this summer when they are not receiving school lunches. Due to a deadline extension up to 150,000 families have until July 31 to apply for Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer, also referred to as P-EBT. The benefits are issued by the Minnesota Department of Human Services in a lump sum of $325 per child to purchase food within a year of the date issued. More than 200,000 families have already applied for or received P-EBT.
Read more in the department’s news release.
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