Northwest Minnesota Foundation Offers Emergency Assistance Funding

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation in Bemidji has provided emergency assistance and immediate funds for families in crisis living in 12 northwest Minnesota counties. The foundation awarded grants totaling $60,000 through its Emergency Assistance Program, which began in the late 1980s with outside funding and continues today with the foundation's resources.

The foundation's emergency assistance funds are disbursed to help maintain basic shelter, provide essential nutrition or medical attention, help people obtain clothing necessary for protection against the weather, and, in some cases, for household items.

According to Leah Pigatti, executive director of Mahube Community Council, these emergency dollars are a last resort. "Households have exhausted their other emergency assistance crisis funds," Pigatti said. "Those who qualify for emergency assistance can avoid being evicted from rental units; if homeless, they can be placed in a rental unit; (or) they can avoid disconnection of heat and electric utilities."

The foundation distributed the emergency assistance funds to the region's five Community Action Agencies, based on the number of low-income people residing in each agency's service area. The agencies perform client outreach, determine financial needs and issue vouchers. The agencies and amounts received are:

• Bi-County Community Action, $19,700.
• Inter-County Community Council, $12,000.
• Mahube Community Council, $9,600.
• Northwest Community Action, $7,600.
• Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, $11,100.

In 2003, the foundation's Emergency Assistance Program served 230 households, which included 599 individuals, in the northwest Minnesota region. Of those households served, more than half reported annual household income below $10,000.

Once beneficiary of last year's emergency assistance funding was a Bemidji family that had been evicted from a temporary rental arrangement in a family member's home. The family had exhausted its limited income for an extended motel stay, and came to Bi-County Community Action for advice and help. Funds were made available from the Emergency Assistance Program to help the family pay the first month's rent and a deposit for its own apartment. This "leg up" allowed the family to complete its rental contract and to eventually become homeowners through a Bi-CAP program.

top