Minnesota’s housing challenges require sustained, coordinated investment in prevention and long-term housing stability. Strategic funding for homelessness prevention, youth-focused assistance, permanent supportive housing, and flexible state housing aid helps families, youth, and individuals stay housed and avoid the trauma and cost of homelessness. Guided by partners and communities most impacted, MCH advances practical solutions that keep people stably housed and strengthen communities statewide.
The priorities of MCH and our partners below will make crucial investments and policy solutions to address homelessness –every child, youth, adult, and family should have shelter and a home.
$35Mil Ongoing – Family Housing Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP)
- FHPAP is designed to provide flexible financial assistance and supportive services to families, youth, and single adults who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless, to lead towards housing stability. It can be used for, but not limited to, financial support, such as rental costs, utility payments, transportation, and propane. In addition to financial assistance, it provides support services, including housing search assistance, referrals, employment resources, system navigation, and more.
- Priority led by MCH Advocacy Fellow: Vonn Grayson and the ERASE Campaign
- Local Homeless Prevention Aid (LHPA)
- LHPA is a flexible funding source that allows counties and tribes to prevent youth homelessness within the school system by addressing housing instability early. It supports rent, utility assistance, and other locally driven strategies that keep people housed and reduce the need for more costly emergency responses.
- Priority led by MCH Advocacy Fellow: Ash Littles
- Sustain the Gain: Supportive Housing and services to address homelessness
- Due to federal priority shifts and changes to state funding, Sustain the Gain addresses the urgent need for sustained investments in supportive housing and services across Minnesota. While Supportive Housing is the backbone of long-term stability for people with the highest needs, this funding also safeguards the emergency response, transitional services, outreach, coordinated entry, and data systems that keep communities functioning effectively. No single provider, county, Continuum of Care (CoC), or funding partner can do this alone; this investment preserves system capacity and ensures vulnerable Minnesotans remain housed.
- Priority led by MCH Advocacy Fellow: Randi Wickham and Hearth Connection
- Supporting Successful Transitions for Fosters: Increasing STAY investment & Improving the Extended Foster Care (EFC) Program
- Minnesota has one of the strongest programs in the country, and yet, barriers still exist. We believe we can do so much more for Fosters transitioning into adulthood. Foster Advocates’ bill seeks to:
- Increase MN Investment in STAY (Successful Transitions to Adulthood for Youth) Program
- Without new state funding, programming will be cut again (over 50% reduction in funding over the last 4 years), and services will no longer be available statewide.
- Expand eligibility for Fosters, ages 21 – 26
- Includes a step-down financial component and allows for continued access to support
- Improve training for caseworkers
- There is currently no formal training or guidance for caseworkers working with transition-age Fosters
- Priority led by MCH Advocacy Fellow: DaKota Morgan and Foster Advocates: https://www.fosteradvocates.org/2026legislativeagenda
MCH supports and defends the following legislative agendas and priorities.
Contact: Matt Traynor, Director of Advocacy — matt@mnhomelesscoalition.org or 218-213-2054
Past Legislative Agendas
Download the 2025 MCH Legislative Priorities
Download the 2024 MCH Legislative Priorities
Download the 2023 MCH Policy Agenda Here
Download the 2022 MCH Legislative Agenda
Download the 2021 MCH Legislative Agenda
Download the 2020 MCH Legislative Agenda
Download the 2019 MCH Legislative Agenda
Download the 2018 MCH Legislative Agenda
Contact: Matt Traynor, Director of Advocacy — matt@mnhomelesscoalition.org or 218-213-2054