Why You Need to Pay Attention to DHS
If you live in Minnesota, the Department of Human Services (DHS) plays a bigger role in your life than you might think. Their decisions impact whether people can access food, health care, housing, disability services, and more.
When DHS makes a change, entire programs can disappear, funding can shift, and thousands of Minnesotans feel the impact overnight. That’s why it’s so important to pay attention — because what DHS does trickles down to our communities.
What is DHS?
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is the state agency responsible for overseeing most of Minnesota’s safety net programs. Think of DHS as the control center for social services in our state.
They oversee things like:
Medical Assistance (MA) – Minnesota’s version of Medicaid, which covers health care for low-income people and people with disabilities.
SNAP/EBT – food benefits that help families put meals on the table.
Cash assistance programs – financial support for families and individuals in need.
Child protection and foster care services.
Disability and mental health supports.
Housing programs – such as Housing Support (formerly GRH) and Housing Stabilization Services (HSS).
DHS doesn’t usually deliver these services directly. Instead, they:
Write the rules – deciding who qualifies and how programs must run.
Distribute the funding – sending dollars from the state and federal government to counties, nonprofits, and providers.
Monitor compliance – making sure agencies and providers follow their guidelines.
In short: DHS decides what help is available, how it works, and who can access it.
Who’s Really in Charge?
Even though DHS is powerful, it doesn’t act alone. Two key players shape everything it can (and can’t) do:
CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
CMS is the federal agency that runs Medicaid. If Minnesota wants Medicaid to cover a new service, CMS has to approve it.
That’s how Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) came to life — CMS agreed it could be billed under Medicaid. But here’s the catch: if CMS says no or pulls support, the program disappears.
No CMS approval → no federal dollars → no program.
2. Lawmakers
The Minnesota Legislature controls DHS’s budget and authority. Lawmakers decide how much money DHS gets and what programs they are legally allowed to operate.
That means even if DHS wants to keep or expand a program, if lawmakers don’t fund it, it doesn’t happen. Politics and advocacy shape everything.
Where Does the Money Come From?
Social services in Minnesota are funded through a patchwork system:
Federal funds – mostly Medicaid dollars (via CMS), plus food and housing supports
State funds – Minnesota’s legislature allocates money through the budget process
County contributions – local governments share costs and administration
Provider billing – agencies bill DHS for approved services
This complex funding structure is why programs can be so fragile — they rely on multiple approvals, budget cycles, and priorities aligning at the same time.
Example: Housing Stabilization Services (HSS)
To see how this all plays out, look at Housing Stabilization Services:
What it was: A Medicaid-funded program designed to help people with disabilities and seniors find and keep housing.
Why it mattered: It gave thousands of Minnesotans access to housing navigation and tenancy support in a system that’s hard to navigate.
What’s happening: DHS announced that HSS will be terminated statewide on October 31, 2025.
This wasn’t just a DHS decision — it reflects the entire system: CMS approvals, state funding choices, and political priorities. The result?
Community members lose access to critical housing supports.
Providers lose a structured program that stabilized their agencies.
Advocates must now search for alternatives to fill the gap.
Why You Should Pay Attention
DHS decisions don’t live on paper — they land in real people’s lives. When a program like HSS ends, it means someone’s housing, food, health care, or income stability is at stake.
Here’s the reality:
CMS sets the boundaries (what Medicaid dollars can cover).
Lawmakers decide the budget and priorities.
DHS implements the programs — and shuts them down when approvals or funding disappear.
That’s why you need to pay attention. Because when DHS changes direction, it’s our families, neighbors, and communities who feel it first.
The Bottom Line
DHS isn’t just another acronym. It’s the agency that determines how Minnesota’s safety net works — but its power is shaped by federal regulators and state lawmakers.
Housing Stabilization Services is one example of how quickly a program can be created, change lives, and then vanish. As it ends this fall, it’s a reminder of how fragile social services are — and how much they depend on politics, funding, and advocacy.
At Housing for the Homies, we’re here to make these systems easier to understand and to help our community prepare for what’s next.
