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Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Emergency programs

When Hennepin County residents are in a financial crisis that poses a direct threat to their physical health or safety, the county may be able to help by providing short-term aid.

Services may include:

  • Emergency temporary shelter
  • Housing costs like rent payments, damage deposits, home repairs and utility bills
  • Foreclosure prevention, moving expenses and transportation to relocate
  • Extra food support for people on special diets
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Homeless shelter information

Shelter is meant as a temporary, safe place to stay while you are figuring out your next step.

Youth

There are several youth shelters available throughout Hennepin County. Each have their own eligibility and intake process. For information, visit the Youth Services Network.

Adults without children

There’s now a single point of entry for assessment and placement at a shelter. Visit Adult Shelter Connect

Families

Families living in Hennepin County may be able to access emergency shelter – a temporary, safe place to stay while figuring out next steps towards stable housing.

Connect to a family shelter expert

Call 612-348-9410

Phone hours:

  • Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
  • Weekends and holidays: 1 p.m. – 11 p.m.
  • After hours: Call 211 (mobile: 651-291-0211) and ask for the after-hours shelter team

Families can expect to:

  • Work with a family shelter expert to identify a shelter
  • Be asked to help pay for their shelter stay

Once in shelter:

  • Families will be referred to Coordinated Entry for possible affordable housing
  • Staff will work with families to identify other services needed such as food or health care

Hennepin County doesn't operate shelters, but works with shelter providers to connect families to this critical short-term support to stay safe.

We know shelter is just the first step. Once safely in shelter, families will work with the county and other service providers to help find stable housing and other resources to support their well-being.

More about contracted Hennepin County shelter providers

If you’re fleeing domestic violence

Call Day One at 1-866-223-1111

Day One connects you to the closest available domestic violence shelter near you, and all available domestic violence shelters in the state.


Get help buying food while schools are closed (P-EBT program)

Families with student children

Families with children who received free or reduced-price meals for the 2019-2020 school year, but don’t qualify for SNAP or MFIP benefits, can apply for P-EBT (Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer). Once you are signed up, you get a P-EBT card that holds $325 per child in SNAP benefits.

Apply by June 30 on the Minnesota P-EBT website.

Families currently receiving SNAP are automatically signed up

Families currently receiving SNAP or MFIP benefits since March 18 do not need to apply. You are automatically receiving the additional $325 per child which is loaded onto your existing EBT cards.

Check your EBT card balance at EBTedge.

Apply for emergency short-term help

Applying for help

Families with children under 18 must come in person to apply for emergency help.

Single adults should call 612-596-1300. We can see if we can help you apply over the phone.

It can take up to 30 days to find out if you’re eligible for emergency assistance through Hennepin County.

Calling for questions

Families: 612-596-1900

Singles and adults without children: 612-596-1300

Apply for help at these locations

Central-Northeast Minneapolis

Health Services Building, 525 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis | Map

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

North Minneapolis

Human Services and Public Health Department — North Minneapolis, 1001 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis | Map

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

South Minneapolis

Human Services and Public health – South Minneapolis, 2215 East Lake Street, Minneapolis | Map

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Northwest suburban

Northwest Family Service Center, 7051 Brooklyn Boulevard, Brooklyn Center | Map

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

South suburban

VEAP Community Service Center, 9600 Aldrich Avenue, Bloomington | Map

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

West suburban

Wells Fargo building, 1011 - 1st Street South, Hopkins. | Map

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you don’t qualify for emergency short-term help from the county

You may be able to get similar help from another homeless prevention program if you’ve used emergency short-term help from the county in the last 12 months or you applied for emergency short-term help from the county but were denied

To get help from these programs, you must meet all three of these conditions:

  1. Live in Hennepin County in a home you rent or own, or in someone else’s home for at least three months, or in permanent supportive housing
  2. Will lose your home and have no other housing options within 30 days
  3. Have extremely low income (for example, less than $1,653 per month for a single person, or less than $2,358 per month for a family of four)

Eligibility for these programs is determined by your residential address. Before you visit one of these organizations in person, call ahead to get information on when you can apply and whether funds are still available for the month. 

Single adults

  • Catholic Charities Opportunity Center
    740 E 17th St., Minneapolis, MN 55404
    612-204-8273

Families

  • St. Stephen's Human Services
    2309 Nicollet Ave., S. Minneapolis, MN 55404
    612-870-2298

Youth (under 24) and young families 

  • YMCA Youth Intervention Services
    2304 NE Jackson St., Minneapolis, MN 55418
    763-493-3052

American Indian families

  • Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center
    612-728-2026

North Minneapolis residents

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