Housing
Housing Support for Certified Recovery Residences
What is Housing Support?
Housing Support is a state-funded program that pays for room and board for older adults and adults with disabilities who have low incomes. The program aims to reduce and prevent people from living in institutions or becoming homeless. To see all requirements of the program, refer to Minnesota Statute 256I.
Housing Support requires three things:
- Eligible PERSON
- Eligible PROVIDER
- Eligible PLACE
PERSON – Who is eligible to be a Housing Support recipient?
An eligible person must meet one of the following three criteria:
People must meet income and asset limits:
Asset limits
- For all recipients of Minnesota cash assistance programs only: $10,000 state asset limit.
- For all recipients with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) income: $2,000 federal asset limit.
- For recipients using state health care: Medical Assistance asset limits apply.
Medical Assistance asset limits apply
Income limits
- Countable income (gross income minus deductions) cannot be more than maximum Housing Support benefit authorized for the residence, currently $1,192.
Other things that will be verified
- Name, age, immigration status, residence, Social Security number
For more information about income and assets and to see an eligibility estimator tool.
Please note: People exiting residential behavioral health treatment can access Housing Support for up to three months before completing income, asset, and disability verifications.
1 A person’s disability has been confirmed by the Social Security Administration or the State Medical Review Team.
2 A person’s condition has been confirmed by a Qualified Professional as indicated in Section 2 of the Professional Statement of Need.
PROVIDER – What does it mean to be a Housing Support provider?
- Housing Support is a cash benefit paid to an eligible provider on behalf of an eligible person.
- The funds come with responsibilities: Ensure room and board standards are met for recipients.
- The provider MUST have a Housing Support agreement with a county, Tribe, or DHS.
PLACE – Where can people live and receive Housing Support?
Housing Support is allowed in many settings, including but not limited to board and lodge, adult foster care, assisted living, and independent apartments where residents have a lease. For a full list of eligible settings, see this settings characteristics chart.
Settings characteristics chart (PDF)
To sign an agreement with DHS for Housing Support, Certified Recovery Residences must have a Board and Lodge license, potentially alongside a Special Services registration. To determine whether you need the special services registration and how to get your license, see the
Minnesota Department of Health
Housing Support agreements
To receive Housing Support on behalf of eligible people, providers must sign an annual agreement with the county, Tribe, or DHS. The agreement is valid through one state fiscal year: July 1 - June 30. The agreement outlines the conditions providers must meet, including standards for staff qualifications, training, and background studies. The agreement describes the room and board standards that must be met for each eligible recipient and documents the rates that the state pays.
DHS only signs Housing Support agreements directly with one type of provider: Level 2 Certified Recovery Residences who can meet all standards outlined within the Housing Support agreement.
Agreements - Provider standards
All staff who have direct contact with individuals must meet or exceed the following minimum staff qualification requirements, and provide documentation to DHS when asked.
Staff must have skills and knowledge acquired through at least one of the following:
- A course of study in a health or human services related field leading to a bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, or associate’s degree
- One year of experience with the target population served
- Experience as a mental health certified peer specialist according to Minnesota Statutes sections 256B.0615, or meeting the requirements for unlicensed personnel under sections 144A.43 to 144A.483.
Staff must also:
- Hold a driver’s license appropriate to the vehicle used if transporting recipients of Housing Support
- Complete vulnerable adult mandated reporter training
- Complete DHS training on Housing Support (training modules coming soon).
The following individuals must complete background studies through DHS NetStudy 2.0 to be eligible to work in a Housing Support setting:
- Controlling individuals as defined in section 245A.02
- Managerial officials as defined in section 245A.02
- All employees and volunteers of the establishment who have direct contact with Housing Support recipients, or have unsupervised access to Housing Support recipients, their personal property, or their private data.
Room and Board standards
The provider must demonstrate due diligence to ensure that Housing Support recipients have at a minimum:
- Food preparation and service for three nutritional meals a day on site
- A bed, clothing storage, linen, bedding, laundering, and laundry supplies or service
- Housekeeping, including cleaning and lavatory supplies or service
- Maintenance and operation of building and grounds, including heat, water, garbage removal, electricity, telephone for the site, cooling, supplies, and parts and tools to repair and maintain equipment and facilities
- The vendor is required to uphold the quality standards of the license for their setting, including storage and handling of medications, according to related licensure or registration from the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, or Tribal government.
Process for CRR providers to become Housing Support providers:
All providers who become a Level 2 Certified Recovery Residence and indicate interest in Housing Support will be connected to the process of attaining an agreement with DHS.
Step 1 (Simultaneous with Step 2): Become a Certified Recovery Residence Level 2.
Only Level 2 Certified Recovery Residences are eligible for a Housing Support agreement with DHS. See [link page to informational hub hosted by BHA] for all required steps to complete certification.
Step 2 (Simultaneous with Step 1): Verify Housing Support provider eligibility.
For providers pursuing Level 2 Recovery Residence Certification, work on the following process simultaneously if you intend to access Housing Support:
- Complete this form to initiate the process for a Housing Support agreement with DHS.
- Ensure you have a Board and Lodge license.
- Complete NetStudy 2.0 Background Studies for:
- All controlling individuals and managerial officials
- All volunteers and employees who have direct contact with recipients
- All volunteers and employees who have unsupervised access to recipients, recipients’ personal property, or recipients’ private data.
- Complete training for Housing Support provider employees:
- State Housing Support trainings
- Vulnerable Adult Mandated Reporter Training - Ensure Level 2 Recovery Residence Certification is in place.
Housing Support Program standards
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about Housing Support Program standards. Learn what providers need to do to meet program rules, including agreements, food, furniture, laundry, utilities and property care.
What credentials or licenses do I need to be an eligible HSP provider?
For a provider to be authorized to receive Housing Support payments, they need a signed HSP agreement with the county, Tribe, or DHS.
Providers may access an HSP agreement with DHS if they have the following:
- Recovery Residence Certification – Level 2
- Board and Lodge License OR Lodging License and a contract with a food vendor licensed by the Department of Health
There are other provider standards that an HSP provider must meet. For a full list of the provider standards, see “Agreements – Provider standards” on the main page of this site.
What is the HSP supplemental service rate?
The HSP supplemental service rate (SSR) is $494.91 monthly benefit paid to the provider for each eligible person in addition to the room and board rate. Some providers are paid more through legislative authorization. The provider is expected to use the SSR to offer services including, but not limited to, oversight and up to 24-hour supervision, medication reminders, assistance with transportation, arranging for meetings and appointments, and arranging for medical and social services. In addition, vendors must ensure that recipients have – at a minimum – assistance with services needed according to their Professional Statement of Need. To use this resource, providers must enroll in MN Health Care Programs and bill for services.
Are Level 2 Certified Recovery Residences able to get the HSP supplemental service rate (SSR)?
State law limits the availability of the SSR. HSP providers must meet an exemption to receive it, which will be very unlikely for CRR providers.
There are three general types of exemptions that allow a provider to use the SSR:
| Description of SSR moratorium exemption | Can CRR providers use this exemption? |
|---|---|
| Providers serving people with histories of long-term homelessness in community settings. | No. CRR are group settings, not community settings. |
| Providers using existing service capacity that the county has available, also known as banked beds. | Maybe. Some counties do not have any banked beds. Some counties have beds that are all currently in use. The remaining counties with available, unused beds likely already have a provider identified who will receive those beds. |
| Legislative carveout for a specific location. | Not until a bill gets passed for your setting through the Minnesota Legislature and is signed by the governor. |
Do CRR providers need to enroll with MN Health Care Programs (aka Provider Enrollment) to use the Housing Support Program?
Only HSP providers that are eligible for the Supplemental Service Rate (SSR) need to enroll in MN Health Care Programs. It is very unlikely that any CRR providers will have access to the SSR. See the question above to learn more about the SSR and its limited availability.
What credentials or licenses do I need to be an eligible HSP provider?
Housing Support Program pays a provider a monthly room/board payment with the expectation that a person’s basic housing and food needs are met. The HSP agreement requires that the provider is able to verify upon request that at least $298 per month is spent for the purchase of food for each Housing Support recipient. The dollar amount $298 is the equivalent of the individual monthly SNAP benefit which changes annually.
If residents are independent enough to turn groceries into meals, then the provider meets standards if they ensure that the kitchen and pantries are stocked with sufficient groceries for people to meet their needs. However, if someone is unable to cook for themselves due to injury, incapacity, or any other reason, then the provider is responsible for ensuring that person receives prepared meals. In this instance, a provider may need to deploy a staff person to prepare meals on site or have catered meals delivered for that participant, depending on whether the residence is a Board and Lodge or Lodging establishment contracting with a licensed food vendor.
Residents of licensed HSP settings are eligible for SNAP if the facility meets BOTH of the following criteria:
- Is publicly operated or privately operated non-profit
- Has 16 beds or fewer
For CRR settings that meet both criteria above, they meet HSP nutrition standards by ensuring that all HSP recipients maintain their SNAP benefits. These providers are not expected to spend $298 monthly on food for SNAP recipients, but they are expected to use the full room/board amount on all other room/board standards.
What furniture does an HSP provider need to offer?
A bed and clothing storage are the only two required pieces of furniture. A provider needs to offer a dresser or reasonable closet space with plenty of hangers. The provider needs to furnish a clean, habitable bed, for each HSP recipient, including a mattress, sheets, bedding, and pillows. [JG1] The provider may meet these needs through donated items if available. If donations are unavailable, the provider is responsible for purchasing these items.How does an HSP provider meet people’s needs for laundering and laundry supplies or service?
A provider needs to ensure that all HSP recipients can launder their clothes. Some providers offer on-site washing machines with unlimited access. Other providers have on-site machines that use tokens or quarters, and the provider gives recipients tokens or quarters per month. If laundry machines are not available on site, the provider needs to coordinate and pay the transportation of people or their clothes to a public laundry mat or a private laundering service. Additionally, the provider is responsible for paying for the laundry mat service, which may happen through the provision of quarters/tokens or loading a laundry mat card with funds.How does an HSP provider ensure someone’s utilities are provided?
Housing Support Program providers must ensure recipients have heat, water, garbage removal, electricity, and cooling for their home.
Does the Certified Recovery Residence-Level 2 need to have a telephone on site?
Yes. Providers need to offer at least one phone available in a common space.