Where this sits: Benefits › Programs › Emergency Assistance. Related: MFIP, General Assistance, Energy Assistance.
Ask first
- Which county?
- Household income, and any savings.
- Has anyone in the household had county emergency help in the past 12 months?
- Would the payment fully solve the problem (for example, can they pay rent going forward)?
Also: are there children under 18 or a pregnancy in the household (EA), or not (EGA)?
What it is
Short-term help when a household is without, or will lose within 30 days, a basic need: food, clothing, shelter, utilities, or something else whose lack directly threatens health or safety. Help covers no more than 30 days, though it can pay older bills when needed to resolve the emergency. EGA is usually paid by voucher or straight to the landlord or utility. In Hennepin County, for example, it may cover emergency shelter, damage deposits or home repairs, preventing a utility shut-off, foreclosure prevention, moving costs, and extra food for special diets.
Who qualifies
EGA (single adults, couples without children, and families who can't get EA), under the state manual:
- an emergency that threatens health or safety and meets the county's written criteria;
- net income under 200% of the poverty guidelines (previous year's);
- no EA or EGA in the past 12 months for anyone in the household;
- not eligible for or on MFIP, and the emergency wasn't caused by a GA or MFIP disqualification;
- at least one member meets GA or Housing Support immigration rules, and at least one has lived in Minnesota 30 days;
- help depends on state and county funds being available. State EGA money is a fixed amount split among counties ($6.7 million a year statewide in 2024-25); in 2024, 20 counties spent more than their share and paid the rest themselves.
EA (families with a minor child, a pregnant woman, or a noncustodial parent of a child on MFIP), paid from the MFIP consolidated fund: short-term, one-time shelter and utility needs, for income below 200% of the poverty guidelines. It doesn't count as TANF cash assistance or toward MFIP's 60-month limit. Each county or Tribe sets up its program in its own service agreement, including how often a family can get it.
Rules differ by county
- Dakota: usually one payment; any income beyond basic needs and any cash or assets go toward the emergency first; the help must fully solve the problem; once every 12 months.
- Ramsey: EA for rent, housing costs and utilities; apply through MNbenefits; Emergency Assistance hotline 651-266-4884; processing was slower than usual when the page was saved.
- Beltrami: no one in the household may have used EA or EGA in the last 12 months.
- Itasca's crisis fund allows help once in 18 months, and Southwest Health and Human Services describes EA as for a family with a child under 21.
This site holds county emergency rules for only a handful of Minnesota's 87 counties. Tell people their own county decides.
How to apply
Apply on the Combined Application Form (CAF) or online at MNbenefits and mark the emergency on the first page; that starts an emergency review. People not on cash assistance fill out the whole application. For EGA the county must give information and an application the same day someone asks, and offer a same-day interview when the emergency is happening or about to. If the application comes in within 30 days of the emergency, eligibility can go back to the date it started. Contacts differ by county; Hennepin, for example, takes calls at 612-596-1300 and requires a phone interview.
How it fits with other programs
- Food: expedited SNAP is the usual route for a food emergency, though EGA's basic needs can include food.
- MFIP: a family eligible for or on MFIP can't get EGA; it looks to the county's EA, which isn't guaranteed.
- SSI and MSA: people applying for or getting SSI or MSA can apply for EGA.
- Appeals and overpayments for EGA follow GA's rules.
Not covered here
Each county's criteria and payment caps, emergency shelter, and other rent and eviction help (such as Family Homeless Prevention or emergency rental assistance).