Renters and Landlords, Get Ready. Help is on the Way.
We recognize that many people have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn and are in great need of assistance. RentHelpMN will launch soon and it will help Minnesotans who have fallen behind on their rent or fear that could happen.
Eligible Minnesota renters can receive help with rent and utility bills dated on or after March 13, 2020 (April 1 rent). If you qualify, you could receive up to 15 months total assistance. RentHelpMN will open for applications in the coming weeks.
Download the Renters, Get Ready or Landlords, Get Ready checklists from the box at the top right of this page. You can also learn more and get ready to apply at renthelpmn.org.
Sign up for email updates about when RentHelpMN will open and how to apply. Please note: the eNews sign-up link doesn't work in Internet Explorer. Please use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox.
Information Sessions
Minnesota Housing hosted two information sessions about the program in March 2021, reviewing who is eligible and what expenses will be covered.
Watch the recorded webinar (PowerPoint slides coming soon). Spanish, Hmong and Somali webinar and PowerPoint slides translations will also be available on this webpage soon.
A note for homeowners:
As the name suggests, the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance program is only open to renters and landlords. We understand that many homeowners are also struggling with housing costs and we anticipate that federal financial assistance will be announced soon.
Sign up for email updates on federal assistance for homeowners. Please note: the eNews sign-up link doesn't work in Internet Explorer. Please use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox.
Congress passed a COVID Relief package as part of the omnibus funding package on December 21 and it was signed into law on December 27, 2020.
The Relief package includes $25 billion in emergency rental assistance that will provide an estimated $375 million to Minnesota from the federal government. The new emergency rental assistance program has several key differences from the previous COVID-19 Housing Assistance program that Minnesota Housing offered, which requires more time to evaluate. There are significant details and timing-related issues that need to be resolved, and we do not yet know when the funding will be available for renters to access. The high-level summary of the anticipated new program includes:
The State of Minnesota will receive at least 55% of the total funding, and cities and counties with populations above 200,000 can receive direct funding for up to 45% of the total. We are waiting for more information about how the distribution will work.
Subject to funding availability, the assistance is expected to be available for past-due and prospective rent for three months at a time, for up to 12 months. The assistance is for low-income renter households at or below 80% of area median income (AMI), with a priority for households below 50% AMI and households that have been unemployed 90+ days.
Eligible rental assistance expenses, which we expect will use at least 90% of the funding, will likely include rent, utilities, rent and utility arrears, and other direct rental housing related costs. The remaining 10% of the funding will likely be available for administrative costs and case management and other service costs, although much remains to be determined in this area.
This is a one-year program, with funds expected to be spent by September 30, 2021 and a spending deadline of December 31, 2021.