Staff, partners, and friends:

In this time of loss, anger, and sorrow in our community, and as we reflect on injustice and hardship, we at MACV are keenly aware of the challenges that our Veterans are going through. For many it is trauma upon trauma.

Our staff are members of our Minnesota community, many are Veterans, and some are still serving themselves.

I am proud that we as an organization continue to show up, through our grief, for our Veterans, and for our communities that we care deeply about.

Please know that we continue to operate.

We continue to bring our energy, creativity, and compassion to our community’s Veterans.

If you are working with Veterans who are struggling, with housing, employment, or legal issues, continue to refer them to MACV.

If you are working with Veterans who are struggling in ways that we did not imagine before the past week, or the past months from the Covid-19 pandemic, please refer them to MACV and we will problem solve and serve those who have served us.

Please share this message to other partners on your team and in the community who are working with Veterans.

Be well as we repair our systems and communities to work for all of our neighbors.

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!

***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? 

• The current Court guidance directs that expedited evictions will continue to have in-person hearings at courthouses. Expedited evictions are those where the tenant is alleged to have committed illegal activities on the property or is alleged to be a threat to the safety of other residents or the property of the landlord or other tenants.
• All other eviction actions (nonpayment of rent, overstaying a notice to vacate, etc.) will have hearings held remotely by ITV or phone at the discretion of the court.
• Courts are still accepting filings for all types of cases.

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 

• If the veteran has not been informed that their court date is delayed or canceled, they should attend court. 
• If your clients have questions about their legal case or are seeking legal counsel, refer them to Vetlaw at 651-200-4750 – we are open for business and responding remotely to veterans. We are not staffing our office, so veterans need to call or email us at vetlaw@mac-v.org for assistance. 

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. 

• This applies to new foreclosure and eviction filings as well as those pending or in-process. 
• If a veteran has a court date scheduled, they should follow the guidance above and contact the appropriate court to determine if their case has been delayed or rescheduled. If they have a court date set and the court administrator informs them that it has not been delayed or rescheduled, they need to attend the court hearing. 

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.