SHUTDOWN- FEDERAL WORKERS – Working Partnerships

Scroll down for some community and non-profit resources to help federal employees who are furloughed and/or working without a paycheck. (many of these are resources we refer to laid-off workers)

LOCAL BUSINESSES & INSTITUTIONS PROVIDING SOME SUPPORT (from MPR, updated 1-21)

NATIONAL BUSINESSES & INSTITUTIONS PROVIDING SOME SUPPORT (from USA Today)

From one of our friends at NTEU, regarding the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) website: https://feea.org

-The FEEA offers some advice on “How to call your mortgage company if you are caught up in the #Shutdown”. It provides some suggested dialogue to have with your mortgage company if you are currently experiencing financial difficulties in paying your mortgage because of the Government Shutdown. https://feea.org/2019/01/17/how-call-mortgage-company-caught-shutdown/

-In addition, the FEEA offers no-interest loans of up to $1,200 to federal employees who are experiencing financial hardship; according to their narrative, Government Shutdown is included: https://feea.org/2019/01/03/shutdown-resources-feds/ There are some terms and conditions associated with the FEEA loan, and you do need some of your official government information to apply for the loan. The link to the Emergency Hardship Loans is: www.feea.org/emergency/

HEALTH

Portico Healthnet: Portico Healthnet is a nonprofit health and human services organization that helps uninsured Minnesotans access affordable health coverage and care. They can help you find out if you are eligible for affordable health care coverage and can help you apply. They also provide information about where to find low cost medical, dental and mental health services in the community, as well as other services as needed. Portico’s staff is multi-lingual and can assist you regardless of the language you speak. If you are in need of assistance, please contact them directly at 651-489-CARE (2273) or 1-866-489-4899 or visit them online at http://www.porticohealthnet.org/.

MNSure: Public & private health insurance programs. 1-855-366-7873 (1-855-3MNSURE) www.mnsure.org

St. Mary’s Clinic: No-cost primary medical care for low-income uninsured. (651) 287-7777

Bridge to Benefits MN Low Cost Health Care Directory

FOOD

Fare for All: Fare For All is a great way to save money on quality, nutritious food. The organization buys fresh fruits, vegetables, and frozen meat in bulk to save you up to 40% off grocery store prices. They select the best food from their shipments, pre-packaging it to give you the greatest deals. Fare For All is community supported and open to everyone. Fare For All has 37 locations in the greater Twin Cities metro area where their food packages are sold once a month. All their locations are cash and carry – there is no need to register in advance. For information on locations please call 763-450-3880 or visit their website at www.fareforall.org.

Local Food Shelves: Visit http://www.hungersolutions.org/find-help/ and enter your address to find food shelves & other programs closest to where you live.

HOMEOWNER/RENTER

Home Ownership Center: Assistance with rental and mortgage problems. (651) 659-9336 or (866) 462-6466 www.hocmn.org

Lutheran Social Services: Foreclosure prevention & financial counseling. 1-888-577-2227

HomeLine: Renter assistance. For English, call 612-728-5767 or email one of our housing attorneys at https://homelinemn.org/e-mail-an-attorney/ Call toll-free from Greater Minnesota: 866-866-3546

Minnesota State Bar Association Attorney Referral Service: 1-800-292-4152 http://mnfindalawyer.com/

BUDGET & CREDIT

Family Means: FamilyMeans offers free Budget and Credit counseling to those living in Minnesota or Wisconsin, who need help with budgeting, money management skills, and possible debt repayment options. A Certified Consumer Credit Counselor will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your financial situation and provide you with recommendations and options.

You and your Certified Consumer Credit Counselor will work together to:

Assess your current financial situation
Develop a realistic spending plan
Establish achievable financial goals
Create a personal action plan for success

To schedule an appointment with a Certified Consumer Credit Counselor call 651-789-4014 or 1-800-780-2890. For more information about Family Means visit their website at www.familymeans.org.

Prepare and Prosper: Prepare and Prosper is a non-profit organization that provides free tax preparation, financial services, and financial coaching. Most services are offered by volunteers who are passionate about helping you maximize your money. They provide:

To schedule an appointment call (651) 287-0187. For more information about Prepare and Prosper visit their website at www.prepareandprosper.org.

RESOURCE SEARCH

Bridge to Benefits: Bridge to Benefits is a multi-state project by Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota to improve the well-being of families and individuals by linking them to public work support programs and tax credits. By answering a few simple questions, you will be able to see if you or someone else may be eligible for public work support programs. We will NOT ask you for information that identifies you. Go to http://mn.bridgetobenefits.org/Home2 to fill out questionnaire to find out what programs you may qualify for.

United Way 2-1-1 (information and referral on all Twin Cities resources): dial 2-1-1 from a land line or cell phone

FOR VETERANS

Veterans Service Officers, by county

ANOKA 763-324-4500

HENNEPIN 612-348-3300

CARVER 952-442-2323

ISANTI 763-689-3591

MEEKER 320-693-5445

MCLEOD 320-864-1268

SCOTT 952-496-8176

RAMSEY 651-266-2545

DAKOTA 651-554-5601

WASHINGTON 651-430-6895

CHISAGO 651-213-5605

DIRECT ASSISTANCE & REFERRALS FOR UNION FAMILIES

Working Partnerships: Working Partnerships is a 501c3 non-profit agency created by the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation. Their service area includes residents of Anoka, Carver, Hennepin, McLeod, Meeker, Scott, and Wright counties.

St. Paul Labor Resources Center: The Saint Paul Labor Studies and Resource Center is a 501c3 non-profit agency created by the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation. Their service area includes residents of Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, and Chisago counties.

COUNTY RESOURCE NUMBERS:

County:

Public Programs:

Energy Assistance:

Legal Assistance:

Anoka

763-422-7246 www.co.anoka.mn.us

763-783-4747

www.accap.org

612-334-5970 www.centralmnlegal.org

Carver

952-361-1600 www.co.carver.mn.us