Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) is a 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 to support an individual’s transition into housing, increase long-term stability in housing in the community, and avoid future periods of homelessness or institutionalization.

HSS staff will complete a Housing Consultation for people who do not have waiver or targeted case management or a MSHO/MSC+ care coordinator. 

Our housing consultants help a person develop a Housing Focused Person-Centered Plan (DHS-7307) and support the person to select their housing transition or sustaining provider. The Housing Consultant may do the following:

• Assisting the person to access documentation required for Housing Stabilization Services eligibility
• Developing a Housing Focused Person-Centered Plan based on assessment outcomes
• Supporting the person in identifying their strengths, needs and wants in housing including cultural requirements and/or preferences
• Supporting the person to make an informed choice in their housing transition or sustaining provider
• Offering resource information for services that support non-housing related goals as identified in the person-centered planning process
• Coordinating with other service providers currently working with the person
• Helping the person understand their rights to privacy and appeal information
• Annually updating the person-centered plan as it relates to housing

A person who has been approved for Housing Stabilization Services will receive Housing Transition or Housing Sustaining Services. 

Housing Transition services include:

• 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

Housing Transition Services not covered include:

• 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

Please note that Housing Transition Service Limitations:

• 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 (excluding community residential setting or foster care licensed under 245D). “Institution” is defined under Minn. Stat. 256B.0621, Subd. 2(3).
• 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.
• Provider-controlled setting: A provider-controlled setting is a setting where the provider of MA-funded services also has direct or indirect financial interest or gain in the physical housing the person will live in.
• Directly responsible for their own living expenses: According to the MA state plan, a person moving from a provider-controlled setting can only use housing transition services to help the person move to a private residence where the person will be directly responsible (with or without income supports) for his/her/their own living expense. In Minnesota, outside of an institution, MA service payments are always separate from room and board costs and a person is always responsible for paying their living expenses (with or without income supports).

Housing Sustaining Services

Services that supports a person to maintain living in their home in the community. Covered services include:

• Developing, updating and modifying the housing support and crisis/safety plan on a regular basis
• Preventing and early identification of behaviors that may jeopardize continued housing
• Educating and training on roles, rights, and responsibilities of the tenant and property manager
• Transportation with the person receiving services present and discussing housing related issues
• Promoting/supporting cultural practice needs and understandings with landlords, property managers and neighbors
• Coaching to develop and maintain key relationships with property managers and neighbors
• Advocating with community resources to prevent eviction when housing is at risk and maintain person’s safety
• Assistance with the housing recertification processes
• Continued training on being a good tenant, lease compliance, and household management
• Supporting the person to apply for benefits to retain housing
• Supporting the person to understand and maintain/increase income and benefits to retain housing
• Supporting the building of natural housing supports and resources in the community including building supports and resources related to a person’s culture and identity
• Working with property manager or landlord to promote housing retention
• Arranging for assistive technology
• Arranging for adaptive house related accommodations

Not Covered Services:

• Room and Board (including moving expenses)
• Deposits
• Food
• Furnishings
• Rent
• Utilities
• Direct or indirect services provision in a group setting
• Services provided outside of Minnesota

Housing sustaining services cannot duplicate other services or assistance available to the person.

Housing Sustaining Service Limitations:

• People must be living in one of the following settings:
  • Individual or family housing unit/homes; or
  • Provider-controlled settings, other than community residential settings and adult foster care that meet the home and community-based services settings requirements. Provider-controlled settings are those settings in which the provider of home and community-based services waiver or 1915(i) services owns, leases, or has a direct or indirect financial relationship with the property owner.
• Housing sustaining services are not covered when a person is concurrently receiving housing transition services.
• People receiving Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services cannot also receive housing sustaining services.
• A provider cannot provide housing sustaining services for 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.