Housing Stabilization Services
Minnesota supports people with disabilities to live, work, and play in communities of their choice. Various challenges and barriers can make it hard to find housing, budget, interact with landlords and neighbors, and understand the rules of a lease. Finding and keeping stable affordable housing is important to the health of Minnesotans. Housing Stabilization Services is a new Medical Assistance benefit designed to help people with disabilities and seniors find and keep housing. Housing Stabilization Services is a home and community-based service.
- Support an individual's transition into housing,
- Increase long-term stability in housing in the community, and
- Avoid future periods of homelessness or institutionalization.
For people looking for more information about the services, please visit Housing Benefits 101 and search “Housing Stabilization Services.”
Individual Eligibility
Information on eligible recipients and enrolling eligible recipients can be found in the Minnesota Health Care Programs Housing Stabilization Services Provider Manual.
Housing Transition
Services that assist a person to plan for, find, and move to a home in the community.
Covered Services:
- Developing a housing transition plan*
- Supporting the person in applying for benefits to afford their housing, including helping the person determine which benefits they may be eligible for*
- Assisting the person with the housing search and application process*
- Assisting the person with tenant screening and housing assessments*
- Providing transportation with the person receiving services present and discussing housing related issues
- Helping the person understand and develop a budget
- Helping the person understand and negotiate a lease
- Helping the person meet and build a relationship with a prospective landlord
- Promoting/supporting cultural practice needs and understandings with prospective landlords, property managers*
- Helping the person find funding for deposits*
- Helping the person organize their move*
- Researching possible housing options for the person*
- Contacting possible housing options for the person*
- Identifying resources to pay for deposits or home goods *
- Identifying resources to cover moving expenses*
- Completing housing applications on behalf of the service recipient*
- Working to expunge records or access reasonable accommodations*
- Identifying services and benefits that will support the person with housing instability*
- Ensuring the new living arrangement is safe for the person and ready for move-in*
- Arranging for adaptive house related accommodations required by the person*
- Arranging for assistive technology required by the person*
Not Covered Services:
- Room and Board (including moving expenses)
- Deposits
- Food
- Furnishings
- Rent
- Utilities
- No-show appointments
- Staff travel time with a person not in the vehicle or the person is in the vehicle but Housing Stabilization Services is not discussed
- Direct or indirect services provision in a group setting
- Transition services from institutions if a person dies before discharge or transition services exceed 180 days
- Physically touring housing located outside of Minnesota
Housing transition services cannot duplicate other services or assistance available to the person.
Housing Transition Service Limitations:
- All housing transition services must be provided through a Medical Assistance enrolled provider.
- Housing transition is limited to 150 hours per transition. An additional 150 hours may be authorized by the Department for people who meet the exception requirements outlined in the Housing Stabilizations Eligibility Request Form (DHS-7948).
- A person must be planning to transition to somewhere that meets home and community-based setting requirements (excluding community residential settings or foster care licensed under 245D). These services may be provided in any community setting if the person is moving into a setting meeting home and community-based setting requirements (excluding community residential settings or foster care licensed under 245D) when the person moves in.
- This service can only be provided to a person transitioning to a less-restrictive setting. For a person transitioning from provider-controlled settings, the service is only provided to those transitioning to a private residence where the individual will be directly responsible for their own living expense.
- For a person living in an institutional setting, services may be furnished no more than 180 consecutive days prior to discharge and providers may not bill for services until the person has transitioned to a home and community-based setting (excluding community residential setting or foster care licensed under 245D). “Institution” is defined under Minn. Stat. 256B.0621, Subd. 2(3).
- Providers may only bill for housing transition services provided during the time the person was in an institution after the date the person is discharged from the institutional setting and enrolled in housing transition services. For example, services are case noted on the actual date of service, and then collectively billed the date the person is back in the community and enrolled in Housing Stabilization Services.
- A provider cannot provide housing transition services to the same person with whom the person-centered plan was created (Coordinated Services and Support Plan, Housing Focused Person-Centered Plan, MSHO/MSC+ Coordinated [Collaborative] Care Plan) without a DHS-approved provider shortage exception.
- A person cannot receive housing transition and Medical Assistance-funded Relocation Service Coordination (RSC) in the same calendar month.
- Housing transition services are not covered when a person is concurrently receiving housing sustaining services.
- A person receiving Moving Home Minnesota- transition services cannot also receive housing transition services.
- A person receiving Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services cannot also receive housing transition services.
Important Definitions:
- Less restrictive setting: Where a person can move using Housing Stabilization transition services is based on whether the planned housing setting is less restrictive for that person. “Less restrictive” means the setting will allow the person more freedom, independence, and control over their daily lives than their current living situation. “Less restrictive” can also mean the setting will provide a safer living environment for the person, or will allow the person to increase or maintain community connections, or engage in more community activities.
- The determination that a specific setting is less restrictive is based on the person’s unique situation, wants, and needs. For instance, an older person who has safety concerns while living independently can move to an assisted living building, if having the support allows them more freedom and independence. However, a young person moving out of their family home into an assisted living building controlled by the service provider is moving to a more restrictive setting.
- A person cannot use housing transition services to move to a provider-controlled setting where 24-hour customized living BI or CADI waiver funded services will support the person once they move in unless the person is moving out of homelessness and also meets the definition of long-term homeless.
Other Service Information:
