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Minnesota Family Investment Program Minnesota House Research Department Page 20 Housing Assistance Grants MFIP assistance units are eligible for a housing assistance grant of $114 per month36 unless: 1) the housing assistance unit is currently receiving public and assisted rental subsidies provided through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and is subject to the $50 subsidized housing provision; or 2) the assistance unit is a child-only case. Other MFIP Features and Requirements Employment and Training MFIP is designed to be a welfare program that expects, supports, and rewards work. MFIP caregivers are required to spend a specified number of hours per week engaged in work or other work activity.37 For example, a caregiver who is in the initial job search step of MFIP’s employment and training component is expected to spend an average of 30 hours per week, for up to three months, in job search activities.38 During the other steps of the MFIP employment and training process, a single-parent family with at least one child under age six must participate in at least 87 hours of work activities per month; a single-parent family with no children under age six must participate in at least 130 hours of work activities per month; and a two-parent family must participate in at least 55 hours per week (hours are combined).39 Both single- and two-parent families are required to meet the program’s work requirements within one month of receiving the first MFIP grant. MFIP has special requirements for custodial parents who are under age 20 and lack a high school diploma or its equivalent.40 These requirements begin when a teen parent receives the first MFIP monthly grant. (See Special Requirements for Caregivers under Age 20, page 23.) Federal TANF Work Requirements The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) law (PRWORA, Pub. L. No. 104- 193) sets strict work participation requirements for the families who receive assistance under

36 Beginning October 1, 2024, the MFIP housing assistance grant must be adjusted for inflation each October 1. (See Minn. Stat. § 142G.32.) 37 Some caregivers are exempt from employment and training services requirements. 38 See Minn. Stat. § 142G.56, subd. 2. 39 See Minn. Stat. § 142G.51, subd. 1. 40 See Minn. Stat. § 142G.57.