News from DHS for March 2021

Minnesota Department of Human Services sent this bulletin at 03/31/2021 10:00 AM CDT
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NEWS FROM DHS

MARCH 2021

News from DHS archive

In this issue:

New community hubs connect families with resources

woman talking on cell phone as girl mimics her with a phone made of Legos

New federally funded Community Resource Hubs are now available to help pregnant and parenting families with children age 8 and younger navigate Minnesota’s fragmented early childhood system. This shifts the burden of finding help from those seeking services to organizations that connect them with the supports they need. The $6 million outlay is part of a $26.7 million total investment that will occur over the next two years.

Read more in the department's March 25 news release.

Hope, help available for problem gambling behaviors

casino worker dropping ball on roulette wheel

Gambling until the last dollar is gone. Attempting – unsuccessfully – to stop gambling. Feeling remorseful after gambling. These are just some of the signs that a person has a gambling problem. During March, Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the Minnesota Department of Human Services worked to spread the word that hope and help are available.

Read more in the department's March 4 news release.

In social media

The words P-EBT Update with the State of Minnesota logo and a drawing of a sandwich, apple and juice box.

Posted March 18 on the DHS Facebook page:
The P-EBT Hotline is now open! The hotline can help you understand notifications you may receive or answer questions about the 2020-2021 P-EBT program.

The hotline can be reached Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can contact the P-EBT Hotline by completing the P-EBT Help Form or calling 651-431-4608 or 833-454-0153.

In addition, families who are eligible to receive September or October P-EBT benefits will begin to receive text messages and emails this week and next. Please see our FAQ for more details.

To see more posts like this and for timely updates on DHS news and events, follow DHS on Twitter and Facebook.
newspaper beside a coffee cup

In the news

Here are links to some news articles about DHS during March:

  • Minnesota ranks first in the nation for protecting children amid COVID-19 pandemic. A recently published study found that Minnesota consistently ranked first in the nation for protecting children from hunger, learning loss and financial stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more in Save the Children’s COVID Child Protection Ranking.

  • ‘Coffee Talk’ phone line helps older adults cope with loneliness, isolation. This winter, with financial support in the form of a $107,000 matching grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Little Brothers created Coffee Talk, a spinoff of sorts of the organization’s popular Elder Friends Phone Companions program. The DHS funding came in recognition of the toll that the pandemic has taken on the state’s aging population. Read more in this March 1 MinnPost article.

DHS fact sheets

Fact sheets summarizing human services proposals for the 2021 legislative session are available on the DHS website. The fact sheets have been updated to reflect the supplemental budget released by Governor Tim Walz on March 18.

Other fact sheets recently updated:

Get email updates

For accessible formats of this publication or assistance with additional equal access to human services, write to dhs.communications@state.mn.us, call 651-431-2911, or use your preferred relay service.

To stay abreast of the State's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on people whom DHS serves and supports, sign up for email updates.