Kyle recognized Paul’s situation as one of the more complex cases MACV encounters, and elected to heavily collaborate with his coworkers and in the broader community to address the family’s needs. He consulted a variety of staff in MACV’s housing program, legal services, and employment areas. This process led to Kyle and Paul’s decision to move the Veteran and his daughters into transitional housing. Accessing this resource allows our staff to continue case management and plan execution while keeping clients safe.Message to all MACV Clients Currently Receiving Services – Call Us!
At Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, we are keenly aware of the struggles that many Veterans are experiencing as we cope with the impacts of the Coronavirus emergency. MACV continues to operate and serve Veterans, and delivering our services through phone and email whenever possible.
While we have assisted you in the past year, if your situation has changed and you are now facing uncertainty or challenges that are putting your housing stability at risk, please don’t wait – reach out to us now. Our housing, employment, and legal services teams are ready to support you as needed.
In addition to our direct services, there are a growing number of benefits and resources becoming available for those most impacted in this time. We are assembling a growing list of resources and information about our availability on our website at COVID-19 Link.
Call our staff today:
(833) 222-6228
email mac-v@mac-v.org
For legal support, call VetLaw:
651-200-4750
email vetlaw@mac-v.org
We sincerely hope that you and yours are well, we want to hear from you!
Here is the statewide summary of the availability of County Veteran Service Offices (CVSO), DAV, Minnesota VA, and other Veteran services across the state of Minnesota, with notes on how Veteran and families can receive services and how to contact each office.
Link to Updated CVSO’s, VA Services and other Military Members Support
Check out these resources and feel free to share with others:
Check out these resources and feel free to share with others:
Minnesota COVID-19 Updates: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html
US Dept of Veterans Affairs: www.va.gov/
Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 23): www.visn23.va.gov/
Area VA Medical Centers:
• Fargo VA Health Care System: www.fargo.va.gov/
• Minneapolis VA Health Care System: www.minneapolis.va.gov/
• St. Cloud VA Health Care System: www.stcloud.va.gov/
• Sioux Falls VA Health Care System: www.siouxfalls.va.gov/
VBA Regional Offices: • Fargo: www.benefits.va.gov/fargo/
• Sioux Falls: www.benefits.va.gov/siouxfalls/
• St. Paul: www.benefits.va.gov/stpaul
• Managing Stress and the Threat of COVID-19: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ep/behavioral/stress_covid19.pdf
• COVID-19 and Healthcare Responder Stress: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/ep/behavioral/responder_covid19.pdf
• Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With COVID-19: https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/outbreak_factsheet_1.pdf
***Governor Walz issued Executive Order 20-14 on Monday, March 23rd that halts evictions in Minnesota. The full text of the Order is not yet available but this notice will be updated as soon as further details are known. Until then, please direct clients to follow the directions below***
The Minnesota Judicial Branch has put in place some directives in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Of direct relevance to those working in homelessness prevention are the court’s restrictions impacting evictions and foreclosures. Additionally, HUD has issued guidance related to foreclosures and evictions for single family homes with FHA-backed mortgages.
On Friday, March 20th, the Court issued new guidance on court proceedings, including evictions. This supersedes the previous March 13th order that had delayed most eviction filings for up to 14 days.
What types of eviction actions are impacted by this order?
What should MACV Veterans do next?
If a Veteran has a court date scheduled prior to March 30th, advise them to contact the Court Administrator in the county of the case and ask if the court date has been postponed or canceled. They should call now and once a week until they get guidance from the court (we have spoken with some court admins who don’t have the answer yet). You can find a directory of Court Administration contacts online at: http://www.mncourts.gov/Emergency.aspx
Many other legal cases are impacted by the Court’s March 16th order; for more information visit the court website at www.mncourts.gov or call the Vetlaw program at 1-651-200-4750.
HUD Guidance
On March 18th, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions on single family homes with FHA-backed mortgages. This applies to homeowners and not renters. The moratorium is currently set to last for 60 days.
If this is just for homeowners, why does it mention evictions? In Minnesota, after a homeowner loses their property to foreclosure, they must be evicted to remove them from the property if they have not already left.
We are continuing to provide services to Veterans needing support during COVID-19 closures and social distancing measures.
If you need assistance, we are open and our staff is available to support you. Our physical offices are closed to the general public and for in-persons service, but our phones and email are staffed.
We ask that you call or email prior to coming to our offices or scheduled appointment.
Please call main line at 1-833-222-6228 (statewide) and we’ll put you in touch with a case manager in your region. You can also email any question to us directly at mac-v@mac-v.org.
Our legal clinics will be cancelled for the next few weeks, and we will post new dates on our event calendar when can resume safely.
If you have legal questions, call our Vetlaw team at 1-651-200-4750 or you can email the legal team at vetlaw@mac-v.org.
On a limited basis, we will have staff at our offices to provide services to those Veterans without any other means of communication. Our offices in Mankato, Duluth, and St. Paul will be closed for walk-in traffic starting March 27th.
If you or a Veteran or military family you know is experiencing homelessness or may need housing assistance, share this information with your fellow service members. Our MACV team is ready to help.
We are committed to staying connected with Veterans in every community across Minnesota. It is important that we protect your health and the health of our personnel. Our entire staff will be available to assist virtually while we continue to comply with the mitigation strategies set by our state and federal leadership.
As we monitor the COVID-19 situation, our top priority is the safety of our employees, our Veteran clients, and community members while maintain a consistent level of client care.
MACV will continue serving Veterans but we are reducing our physical office coverage and in-person meetings consistent with the MN Department of Health and CDC’s new telework and social distancing measures.
We have staff assisting Veterans daily via phone, text, and email. We understand that some Veterans experiencing homelessness may not have some of these resources. We will be reducing our onsite staffing but will remain available to provide services to those Veterans without any other means of communication. Hours of operation will be updated regularly on our social media, website, and through our partner agencies. Currently our offices in Mankato, Duluth, and St. Paul will closed to walk-in services starting March 27th.
We are committed to staying connected with Veterans in every community across Minnesota. It is important that we protect your health and the health of our personnel. Our entire staff will be available to assist virtually while we continue to comply with the mitigation strategies set by our state and federal leadership.
Contact information for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV)
Main Line: 1-833-222-6228
Email: mac-v@mac-v.org
Vetlaw: 651-200-4750
Email Vetlaw: vetlaw@mac-v.org
Home for the Holidays Meal and Stand Down 2019
Thank you for registering for our Home for the Holiday Meal on Dec. 12, 2019
Gates open at 8:30am.
Lunch meal start: 11:30am, Program: 12:00pm
Light Rail
Entrance: Skyway Entrance above Gate 29
Bus and Parking Ramp A and B: Skyway Ramp A Entrance
Walking: Skyway Ramp A Entrance
Driving and Parking: Ramp A or Ramp B, Enter via Skyway Ramp A Entrance
Price for ramp is $7.25 for the day with the Early Bird rate for the entire day.
Free Metro Transit pass: https://tinyurl.com/H4TH19ride
If you have not register, sign up at: https://tinyurl.com/Home4holidays19
Address to Ramp A at Target Field:
The BATC – Housing First Minnesota Foundation, home-builder Lennar, Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans and Bloomington City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Oct 21st, 2019 to celebrate the new construction of a home for veterans at 9416 Penn Avenue South in Bloomington.
The Housing First MN Foundation kicked off its next build project.
The four-bedroom home will help address the growing need for housing for veterans who are experiencing homelessness.
The City of Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority donated the land to provide housing for homeless veterans.
Build plan for Lennar 4 bedroom home.
“We are honored to donate this property today. This land is an important contribution on which to build a stable home in the heart of our community to thank and support veterans that served our country” said Mark Thorson, Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority Commissioner.
The Housing First Minnesota Foundation and Lennar will build a new, four-bedroom, single-family home that will be owned and operated by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV). The home will provide housing stability to several homeless veteran men along with support services offered by the MACV.
Ed Williams, MACV Case Manager
“Ending homelessness for veterans is a priority of the City of Bloomington,” stated Community Development Director Dr. Eric Johnson who is also Bloomington’s Acting HRA Administrator, “and constructing this home for homeless veterans with these dedicated partners is a certain success.”
Click to watch full WCCO video.
Governor Tim Walz toured the Minneapolis VA Medical Center Wednesday where he applauded the mental health and suicide prevention programs already in place.
“We’re talking about ways that we can partner together to reduce the number of veterans taking their own lives and use what we learn in that regard to expand that to the broader population,” Governor Walz said.
The Governor said state and federal partnerships will allow Minnesota to help provide care to veterans who may not qualify for federal benefits.
“When you’re in the military it’s pretty much a set schedule,” Bradley Legrid with the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans said.
The Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans program administrator says addressing veteran suicide starts with prevention and understanding the challenges of life after war.
Bradley Legrid, Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) Program Manager
“When you get out that’s all gone and that’s a huge shift from one side of the spectrum to the other,” Legrid added.
Legrid says homelessness is a major factor in veteran suicides, a point that Governor Walz echoed and said would be part of community outreach.
“I think for veterans not to reach out is pretty common practice and we need to extend our hand more,” Legrid said.
The Governor is preparing to send off 700 National Guard members overseas this weekend. He wants them to know their health is taken care of both there and when they return home.
“To know the gratefulness of this state, that we appreciate what they do and to know that we made promises to them,” Governor Walz added.
Watch full video here: https://cbsloc.al/30psE0R
The North Central Chapter recently supported the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans by collecting and delivering move-in kits to veterans and their families. The Chapter and the PLUS Foundation donated move-in kits with household items, and volunteers from the Chapter delivered and organized the kits. These kits will help five veterans get settled into new homes.
Volunteers were from the North Central States Chapter of PLUS and included from left to right (the “after” photo):Lynnea Prusansky, Erin Singmaster with daughters Reagan and Mackenzie, Sharon Scharf, Aaron Simon, and Nick Schaffran
Erin Singmaster, RPLU+ and Managing Director at Travelers, was one of these volunteers.
“Supporting our veterans, especially our local veterans, is incredibly important to our chapter. We continued our partnership with MAC-V for the second year in a row, and this year added a volunteer event to show our support. It was humbling purchasing all of the household items that go into a move-in kit, knowing the positive impact a kit would have on a veteran. We can all relate to the stress of moving into a new place, but imagine the additional stress of it after struggling with homelessness or the risk of becoming homeless. Putting these kits together as a group was positive, powerful and fun. It was easy to picture a veteran moving into a new place, and having all these items already there for him/her. I would recommend organizing a move-in kit to anyone looking to give back to our veterans. Brian Peterson, Shaun Riffe, and the entire team at MAC-V made this an easy, impactful event for our group.”
Earlier this year, the North Central Chapter presented a PLUS Foundation Chapter Charity grant to the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. This is the 2nd year the Chapter has nominated the organization for grant funds, and the $5,000 grant will go to veterans’ assistance for homelessness, employment, and legal support.
The PLUS Foundation was formed in 1998 by industry leaders to enhance the work of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society. Through this entity companies and individuals become part of a collective industry effort to reach beyond our network; to create opportunities for new and diverse talent and to do charitable work.
The Foundation has since been successful in developing programs that reflect generosity and promote diversity, while continuing to support industry related education and research. The Board reinforced the philanthropic and diversity direction with the revision of the mission statement in 2003. This refined mission, timed with the first Conference Cause, began a new phase of dramatically expanded giving and volunteerism. By using a grassroots model – PLUS members directing charitable dollars and being directly engaged in the workings of the Foundation.
If you would like build a Move-In kit, you can view the full list of items on our Amazon Wishlist or Target Wishlist and have one sent directly to our office.
