The COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program provides housing assistance payments to help prevent eviction, prevent homelessness and maintain housing stability for eligible renters and homeowners.
Local administrators around the state will review applications from individuals and families requesting assistance, verify eligibility and process payments for eligible expenses on behalf of households, according to a Minnesota Housing news release. The Wadena Housing and Redevelopment Authority is working with individuals located in Wadena.
To qualify for housing assistance, households must meet all of the criteria listed below:
- Be a Minnesota resident.
- Be a renter or homeowner with an income at or below 300% of federal poverty guidelines, with a preference for those at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. To see if your income qualifies, see the FY 2020 Federal Poverty Guidelines .
- Have an eligible expense that was incurred after March 1, 2020 that is past due. Housing assistance funds can only be used for eligible expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 and Dec. 30, 2020.
- Be unable to make the payment(s) owed because of the public health emergency due to unemployment, illness or another COVID-19 related issue.
If you currently receive rental assistance that adjusts with income such as a Housing Choice voucher, project-based assistance or another form of state or federal rental assistance, you are generally not eligible to apply for rental assistance in the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, according to the release. You may still apply for assistance with eligible utility expenses.
The expenses that may be eligible include rent payments, mortgage payments, contract for deed payments, manufactured home park lot rents, manufactured home payments, utility payments, homeowners association fees, homeowners insurance and additional housing related costs approved by Minnesota Housing, according to the release.
For complete details on who is eligible to apply and what costs are covered by the program, visit www.211unitedway.org .
ADVERTISEMENT
Interested applicants may also call 211; toll free: 1-800-543-7709; local: 651-291-0211 or text "MNRENT" or "MNHOME" to 898-211 to learn more. The 211 helpline has dedicated multilingual staff available to answer questions about the COVID-19 Housing Assistance Program, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, call the Wadena Housing and Redevelopment Authority at 218-631-7723.
