The State of Minnesota's peacetime emergency preventing property owners from evicting residents for not paying rent has ended. Financial assistance is available to renters who owe rent and have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
Ramsey County and the City of Saint Paul have teamed up to create the Saint Paul -Ramsey County Rent Assistance Program, a new tenant assistance program for Ramsey County renters struggling to pay rent due to the financial burdens of COVID-19.RentHelpMN is available for COVID-19 emergency rent and utility bill assistance is currently prioritizing renters who owe back rent. Eligible renters can receive help with rent and utility bills dated on or after March 13, 2020. Apply for RentHelpMN online or call 211. The 211 helpline has dedicated multilingual staff available to answer questions about RentHelpMN 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

UTILITIES:

• Questions about your recycling collection during Covid-19? Visit staul.gov/recycle or use Eureka Recycling’s app to get the most up-to-date information about your recycling service. Search “Eureka Recycling” in your app store or use the app online at www.eurekarecycling.org.

• Xcel Energy COVID-19 Response

HOUSING:

• COVID-19: Court Changes for Housing, Family, and OFP Cases

• National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)
  

• Coronovirus and Homelessness Webinars- NLIHC 

• FHFA Suspends Foreclosures and Evictions for Enterprise-Backed Mortgages

• Hennepin and Ramsey's counties authorize $4.8 million for quarantine spaces for homeless

• Senate passes coronavirus emergency aid, sending the plan to the president

ADVOCATE!

• Join Homes for All in advocating for a housing relief package

• Enterprise calls for housing investments

• A People-Centered Response to COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

On March 16, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued an executive order to ensure workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have full access to unemployment benefits. The executive order makes applicants eligible for unemployment benefits if:

• A healthcare professional or health authority recommended or ordered them to avoid contact with others.

• They have been ordered not to come to their workplace due to an outbreak of a communicable disease.

• They have received notification from a school district, daycare, or other childcare providers that either classes are canceled or the applicant’s ordinary childcare is unavailable, provided that the applicant made reasonable effort to obtain other childcare and requested time off or other accommodation from the employer and no reasonable accommodation was available.

MORE INFORMATION FOR WORKERS:

• Unemployment insurance

• What workers need to know about unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 emergency

• Programs and restaurants offering food to families in Minnesota

• SPPS Bus Routes are now food drop-off locations. An adult needs to accompany kids to pick up food. Don’t need the food? Still, pick it up to share with neighbors who might.

• Ramsey County Employment Assistance

Greater Twin Cities United Way’s 2-1-1 Resource Hotline: If you or someone you know is in need, dial 2-1-1 or text the letters MNCOVID to 898-211.

Their Certified Community Resource Specialists are trained to make appropriate referrals for people who believe they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. They also are available to provide local resources related to accessing food, paying housing bills and other essential services. Another helpful resource is our 2-1-1 website.

• Got a small business in Minnesota that closed due to COVID-19? Do this next.

• Enterprise calls for community development investments

• Grand Avenue Business Association List of Store Updates 

• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers (CDC)

• Minnesota Department of Health: COVID-19 Information for Businesses and Employers

• National Retail Federation Coronavirus Resources for Retailers