Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Support program for Twin Cities homeless adults could be expanded

A program that provides rental assistance and support services for homeless adults in Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin and Ramsey counties who have HIV/AIDS, mental illness or histories of substance abuse could be expanded.

HF780, sponsored by Rep. Liz Reyer (DFL-Eagan), would increase the capacity of the Metro Demonstration Program from 226 to 500 households and would allow households in Carver, Scott and Washington counties to participate.

The bill would also strike language requiring 70% of program participants to have recently left a regional treatment center, psychiatric ward or residential mental health or chemical-dependency program.

On Wednesday, it was unanimously approved by the House Preventing Homelessness Division and referred to the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. There is no Senate companion.

The demonstration program, created in 1995, has been shown to keep people in stable housing and reduce costlier jail, hospital and emergency shelter and hotel stays, according to the Minnesota Inter-County Association.

A recent count found there are 848 metro area households that qualify for the program, according to Madeline Kastler, deputy director of housing and community resources with Dakota County.

She said the counties would jointly manage the resources provided under the bill.

The county association estimates expanding the program by 274 units would cost $3 million over three years. Reyer said there will be an appropriation to pay for the program but didn't provide more specifics.


Related Articles


Priority Dailies

House passes tax package that includes rebate checks, $1 billion in new revenues
Rep. Aisha Gomez and House Majority Leader Jamie Long talk during a break in the May 20 debate on HF1938, the tax finance and policy bill. (Photo by Catherine Davis) Is it the largest tax cut in Minnesota history? Or the biggest tax hike the state has ever experienced? Could it be both? That’s the crux of the debate about the conference ...
House passes finalized cannabis legalization bill, sends it to Senate
A supporter of cannabis legalization demonstrates in front of the Capitol in 2021. The House repassed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis, as amended in conference committee, May 18 and sent HF100 to the Senate. (House Photography file photo) The House gave the green light to adult-use recreational cannabis Thursday. “The day has finally arrived. Today is the day that we are going to vote here in the House for th...

Minnesota House on Twitter