Sponsor: Housing Stability
Title
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Grant Award for the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program
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Recommendation
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1. Ratify the submittal of the grant application to Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program in the amount of $23,856,193.78.
2. Accept a grant and approve a grant agreement with the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program for the period of October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, in the amount of $4,015,000.
3. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the grant agreement.
4. Authorize the County Manager to execute amendments to the agreement in accordance with the county’s procurement policies and procedures, provided the amounts are within the limits of the grant funding.
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Background and Rationale
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The Minnesota Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) was established in 1993 to assist families with children, single adults and youth who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) administers the FHPAP with guidance from the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness and the state’s plan to prevent and end homelessness. The FHPAP provides funds to serve low-income (less than 200% Federal Poverty Guidelines) residents to prevent homelessness and/or to rapidly rehouse those households that are homeless.
The county works with its community partners through an FHPAP Advisory Committee (required by Minnesota Statute 462A.204, Subdivision 6) and Heading Home Ramsey (the county’s Continuum of Care or ‘CoC’) to design a homeless crisis response system, develop project outcome measures, and assess the short and long-term effectiveness of the program in meeting the needs of families who are at risk of homelessness, or are experiencing homeless. This year, the county’s CoC prioritized serving families with minor children, single adults, and parenting or unaccompanied youth under 25 years old for the 2025-2027 grant cycle by providing street outreach, prevention, coordinated entry, and rapid rehousing services.
MHFA awarded Ramsey County $4,015,000 for the 2025-2027 FHPAP Biennium. Ramsey County issued a notice to currently funded subgrantees to submit a letter of interest in August 2024. The notice generated 12 respondents, of which eight were awarded funding. Funded agencies include:
1. American Indian Family Center
2. Face to Face
3. Neighborhood House
4. Solid Ground
5. Catholic Charities
6. Lutheran Social Services
7. Minnesota Community Care
8. Wilder Foundation
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The state plan to prevent and end homelessness focuses on racial, housing, and health justice, as well as providing funding commitments such as FHPAP. To further address disparities that exist among Minnesotans experiencing homelessness, Minnesota Housing prioritizes working with grant administrators who will be successful in improving housing stability for communities disproportionately impacted by homelessness, including those who can provide culturally responsive services. For the 2025-2027 biennium, the Heading Home Ramsey ranking committee selected one culturally specific subgrantee, AIFC, that prioritizes services to the American Indian population, who are disproportionately represented in homelessness.
Ramsey County also highlights the Equity Focus prevention practice model as outlined in the 2025-2027 FHPAP Program Guide. The Equity Focus prevention model employs strategies and responses that are attuned to the populations at greatest risk for homelessness. To effectively carry out Equity Focus, Ramsey County works with the CoC, the FHPAP Advisory Committee, and its subgrantees to implement data-driven strategies to ensure interventions for at-risk or homeless households are representative of the populations being served, have accessible services, and target households residing in zip codes of high poverty that are overly represented in eviction filings.
Community Participation Level and Impact
MHFA requires the engagement of community members, stakeholders, individuals with lived experience, and school partners as part of the FHPAP Advisory Committee. This committee also serves as the Continuum of Care’s (CoC) Prevention and Tenant Stabilization (PTS) Work Group, which is responsible for developing prevention-focused strategies and recommendations.
For the 2025-2027 FHPAP biennium, which aligns with the CoC Strategic Plan, the Advisory Committee/PTS Work Group will continue and initiate work on the following strategies:
1. Implement a centralized access system or ‘One Door Approach’ to streamline prevention assistance for residents at risk of eviction. The goal is to simplify the application process, increase efficiency, and reduce the burden of navigating multiple social service systems.
2. Strengthen the partnership with Ramsey County Financial Assistance Services - Emergency Assistance Units to align strategies, advocate for additional funding, and support policy and practice improvements that enhance service delivery for residents who are homeless or facing homelessness.
3. Improve access, communications, and service delivery within the Housing Court Financial Clinic to better serve households at risk of homelessness and foster stronger collaboration across partner agencies.
4. Advance implementation of FHPAP Advisory Committee-led strategies to maximize impact, address systemic issues, enhance coordination, and strengthen policy and practice improvements.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☒ Empower
Fiscal Impact
$3,794,175 of the grant funding will be awarded to eight subgrantees, and $220,825 will be retained by the Ramsey County Housing Stability Department for administrative oversight, which is included in the 2025, and the 2026-2027 proposed Housing Stability Department budget.
Last Previous Action
On October 8, 2024, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to the agreement with Minnesota Housing Finance Association for the Family Homelessness Prevention and Assistance Program (Resolution B2024-196)
Attachments
1. FHPAP 26-27 Grant Contract Agreement
2. FHPAP 26-27 Workplan
3. FHPAP 26-27 Budget