Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Community action programs could see funding boost

Community action programs are community-based and community-run organizations responsible for a wide range of projects intended to help impoverished people while addressing the root causes of poverty at a local level.

State grants provide “core funding” needed for these organizations to address affordable housing, transportation, child care, and other issues impacting their communities, said Rep. Todd Lippert (DFL-Northfield).

He sponsors HF1961, which would appropriate $8 million in the upcoming biennium to fund community action grants. This would almost double the current amount of grant funding, restoring levels to where they were before a 2004 cut, Lippert said.

The House Health and Human Services Finance Division laid the bill over Wednesday for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.

A companion, SF1556, is sponsored by Sen. Paul Utke (R-Park Rapids) and awaits action by the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.

Community action programs across the state help more than 500,000 low-income Minnesotans each year, said Arnie Anderson, executive director of Minnesota Community Action Partnership.

By federal statute, community action programs cannot duplicate services already being provided in their communities, but must work to address unmet needs, he said.

Lori Schultz, executive director of the Tri-County Action Program, said grant funding from the state allowed the agency to create a tax assistance program that served 1,900 people last year, bringing back nearly $3 million in tax refunds and providing financial literacy training.

When the program first began, people came in who hadn’t filed their taxes in four or five years, she said.

“There is a need,” Schultz said. “And that is how community action can assist communities with this money.”

Three Rivers Community Action has begun closing racial disparities in homeownership through a comprehensive set of services, including classes, pre-purchase counseling, and down-payment assistance, said executive director Jenny Larson.

More than 450 households of color have been able to successfully purchase their first homes since the program began, and Three Rivers Community Action hopes to expand services to include a new-homeowner class to address issues like preventative maintenance and energy savings, she said.

State grants are an “essential resource” to develop and launch these much-needed local programs, Larson said.


Related Articles


Priority Dailies

Minnesota’s projected budget surplus balloons to $3.7 billion, but fiscal pressure still looms
(House Photography file photo) Just as Minnesota has experienced a warmer winter than usual, so has the state’s budget outlook warmed over the past few months. On Thursday, Minnesota Management and Budget...
Legislative leaders announce 2024 committee deadlines
(House Photography file photo) Legislators and the public officially know the timeline for getting bills through the House committee process during the upcoming 2024 session. Here are the two deadlines fo...

Minnesota House on Twitter