CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management division (DPS-HSEM) announced today that $1,147,724 in federal funding has been made available to the Minnesota Department of Human Services for costs related to the state’s response to COVID-19 under the federal disaster declaration of April 7, 2020.
This funding will reimburse eligible costs to provide a non-congregate shelter in Hennepin County for the quarantine of people who are homeless with possible exposure to COVID-19. The grant also includes costs for additional non-congregate shelters as protective spaces for high-risk persons with possible COVID-19 exposure.
“Stopping the spread of this virus has been a priority for FEMA since the start of the pandemic,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This grant funding has helped ensure the availability of critical resources to keep people safe while effectively combatting COVID-19.”
“Our mission is to ensure we’re providing adequate resources for everyone; especially the most vulnerable,” said DPS-HSEM Director Joe Kelly. “In a year when having a place to live became paramount, we are grateful we were able to provide shelter to those who needed it the most.”
FEMA provides a 100 percent federal share of eligible reimbursable expenses for this project.
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding to local government jurisdictions and eligible private non-profits for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure as well as costs incurred for emergency actions taken to protect lives or property. To learn more, visit FEMA’s website at www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit. For more information about FEMA’s COVID-19 vaccine support efforts, visit www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/vaccine-support.
FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.