Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance is the name given to assistance programs available to people who qualify according to state and federal guidelines of income and assets. These programs include cash assistance, child care assistance, food support (SNAP), health care, and emergency assistance.
How do I apply? You may phone Lake County Health and Human Services at (218) 834-8400, write us at Lake County Health and Human Services, 616 Third Avenue, Two Harbors, MN 55616 or view the Minnesota Department of Human Services web page.
Alternatively, you may apply online, get started, visit Minnesota Human Services Online to use an online pre-screening tool to find out if you might qualify for benefits and to register for a user ID and password.
If you already have a user ID and password, you can log-on to ApplyMN directly.
Health Care
UCare
Cash Assistance
- MFIP (Minnesota Family Investment Program) and DWP (Diversionary Work Program) are federally funded programs known as TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
- MSA (Minnesota Supplemental Aid)
- GA (General Assistance)
- GRH (Group Residential Housing)
Child Care Assistance
- Child care assistance may be available to families who are employed, seeking employment or are in school or training.
- Eligibility and fees are based on family size and income.
SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps Minnesotans with low incomes get the food they need for sound nutrition and well-balanced meals. Approved participants get a debit card to use to buy food at many stores and farmers markets. In the past, SNAP was known as Food Stamps.
Emergency SNAP for COVID-19
Due to the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Minnesota is providing additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to certain households. The households eligible for additional benefits are those that are currently not at the maximum benefit level for their household size. Below are some of the details about the program and the issuance of the supplemental benefits.
- Minnesota Department of Human Services staff will issue the supplemental benefits one month at a time.
- If a case already received the maximum allotment for their unit size for the month, they will not be eligible for supplemented benefits.
- DHS staff started issuing the emergency supplements on April 28th and are continuing through July on a staggered basis. Minnesota has been approved to extend E-SNAP for the benefit month of July (supplements will be issued in August).
P-EBT
The P-EBT phone hotline closed on July 31, 2020.
For help, submit questions on the P-EBT Help Form and staff will follow up by phone or email. Please include as much information as possible, as this will help resolve your question more quickly. If you do not have access to a computer or internet and need assistance with the web form, please contact either Hunger Solutions at 1-888-711-1151, or Second Harvest Heartland at 1-844-764-5513.
Support offered through the P-EBT Help Form includes:
- Help activating the card, if the issue could not be resolved by EBT Edge
- Help with issues related to address changes
- Help if there were errors made when entering child’s date of birth or name
- Information on what to do if you received a duplicate card
- Information on what to do if you received an incorrect benefit amount
Emergency Assistance
- MFIP Crisis Funds
- EGA (Emergency General Assistance)