Hennepin County Benefits Resource List
Steps to Complete an Application:
1. Fill out a combined application form to apply for both Cash and SNAP Benefits.
Print Application: https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-5223-ENG
Apply online: www.applymn.dhs.mn.gov
Request Application to be mailed to your house: 612-596-1300
2. Bring the completed form to one of the DHS office locations listed below (limited drop-in child care
available while parents are completing appointments) or mail the completed form to the address listed on
the form.
3. Your benefits will not start until your paperwork is received and processed. Depending on the program
you are applying to, a face-to-face or phone interview may be required before your application can be
processed.
DHS Office Locations
Century Plaza Family
Service Center—Downtown
Mpls
Human Services and
Public Health Dept –
North Mpls
Northwest Family Service
Center—Brooklyn Center
VEAP Community Service
Center
330 South 12th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
1001 Plymouth Avenue N.
Minneapolis, MN 55411
7051 Brooklyn Boulevard
Brooklyn Center, MN
9600 Aldrich Avenue South,
Bloomington, MN
Hours:
M-F 8 AM – 4:30 PM
Hours:
M-F 8 AM to 4:30 PM
Hours:
M-F, 7:30 AM -4:30 PM
M, T, W, F 8:30 AM- 4:30
PM, Th, 8:30 -6:30 PM
Required Information for the Combined Application for Cash/SNAP Benefits:
1. Identity of applicant or authorized representative (driver’s license, state ID, passport, etc.)
2. Social Security numbers of all people applying for help
3. Residency in Minnesota (state ID, lease agreement, etc.)
4. Income (paystubs, pension, social security, etc.) or any other money coming into your household
(unemployment, sponsor income, etc.)
5. Housing Costs (rent/house payment receipt, mortgage, lease, etc.)
6. Medical Costs (prescription and medical bills, etc.)
7. Relationship to other household members (birth certificates, marriage licenses, court documents, etc.)
8. Checking and savings accounts (bank statement, etc.)
9. Value of vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, etc.)
10. Additional Assets (statement and current balance of stocks/bonds, certificates of deposit, life insurance,
trusts)
11. Utility Costs (utility statement, phone bill, etc.)
12. Proof of Illness or Disability (doctor’s statement, etc.)
*Last updated December 2014
2001 Bloomington Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55404 Phone 612-638-0700 Fax 612-627-4205
Hennepin County Benefits
Household
Benefit Type
Eligibility Requirements
Single
Cash
Assistance/
General
Assistance
Single adults, ages 18 to 64, who cannot support themselves. Participants must have lived in
Minnesota for at least 30 days, be unable to work for at least 45 days, have little or no income
or other resources, do not currently receive Supplemental Security Income, and do not have a
minor, dependent child living in the household. Must meet at least one of the following criteria:
• Older than 55
• Temporarily or permanently ill
• Unemployable
• Learning-disabled
• Medically certified as having developmental disabilities or mental illness
• Needed in the home to care for another person
• Performing court-ordered services
•
Living in group residential housing
With
Children
Diversionary
Work
Program
This program is for families with children or pregnant women to help look for jobs. Most people
are on this program for four months. To qualify:
• You must meet the Income limit and Asset limit.
• Must develop an employment plan, and agree to terms within
MFIP: MN
Family
Investment
Program
When families first apply for cash assistance, they usually start in the Divisionary Work Program
for the first four months before transitioning to MFIP. MFIP has a 60-month lifetime limit.
• Participants must work with an employment counselor to develop employment plan.
• Participants must look for a job at least 30 hours per week for up to six weeks.
Work Benefit
Program
• Family must have completed the Minnesota Family Investment Program or the
Diversionary Work Program, and is now employed.
• Provides a $25 cash monthly incentive for as long as 24 consecutive months.
Child Care
Assistance
Program
Helps families pay for child care for children younger than 13 and for children with special
needs who are younger than 15.
• Families who receive assistance from the Minnesota Family Investment Program
(MFIP) or Diversionary Work Program(DWP) are eligible.
• Transition Year Child Care is available to families for a full year after their MFIP or DWP
case closes. If there is a waiting list for the Basic Sliding Fee Child Care Program, you
may get help from this program for more than a year.
•
Basic Sliding Fee Child Care is for other families with low incomes who do not qualify
for the childcare assistance program.
Refugee
Refugee Cash
Assistance
Administered by metropolitan area resettlement agencies. To apply for assistance, refugees
should contact the agencies that resettled them. It is available for immigrants' first eight
months in the United States.
Seniors or
Persons
with
Disabilities
Minnesota
Supplemental
Aid Program
• Age 18 or older
• Getting SSI, or eligible to get it except that your income is too high. In this case, you must be
age 65 or older, be legally blind, or have a disability under SSI criteria.
You must also meet the asset limit of:
• $2,000 for an individual
• $3,000 for a couple.
Group
Residential
Housing
Program
The Group Residential Housing (GRH) program pays for room and board for seniors and adults
with disabilities who have low incomes. Generally, the program serves:
• People 65 or older
• People younger than 65 who have a condition that limits their self-sufficiency. For
example, it may be a physical or mental health disability, visual impairment or chemical
dependency.
Effective July 1, 2014, the current maximum GRH housing payment is $876 per month. The
amount for individual participants may vary.
Any Adult
or Family
SNAP Food
Assistance
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) issues its benefits electronically on a
card that is used to buy food at local stores. Complete the Combined Application Form or call
612-596-1300 to have one mailed to you.
