2018 Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)

2018 Business Report. Side by Side: Achieving Goals.

Workforce Solutions’ Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) provides temporary assistance to low-income families with one or more children under age 19, and to women who are pregnant. MFIP assistance includes job counseling, cash, food and child care assistance. The longest period most parents with minor children can receive cash help is a total of 60 months; most families are off assistance within two years. The program helps families by expecting, supporting and rewarding work.

To achieve effectiveness and excellence, Workforce Solutions and Ramsey County Human Services, in partnership with others, link employment services, support services, and financial assistance services into an integrated service delivery system. In 2018, approximately 7,545 Ramsey County MFIP participants were served through the network of employment service providers with locations in Saint Paul and suburban Ramsey County.

Minnesota Family Investment Program

Program year: Jan. 1, 2018 – Dec. 31, 2018
2018 program budget: $13,015,962.74 

7,545 residents served. 3,240 placed in employment.  $12.82 average hourly wage.    

Featured Family: Mary

MFIP ClientMary came to Workforce Solutions with a specific career pathway of
interest - healthcare. Working closely with her employment counselor, Nicolette Hanson, Mary considered a new career pathway: law enforcement. It was through Mary reflecting on her own personal experiences and exploring different helping professions that Mary realized her pathway needed to be redirected and this choice was solidified after Mary graduated from the very first Women’s Academy offered through the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department in the summer of 2018. Following this, Mary continued by working on a customized job plan and networking with professionals in the industry. 

Mary accepted a full-time position as a Ramsey County 911 dispatcher in 2019.  Mary began working for Ramsey County Dec. 3, 2018; by Feb. 1, 2019, Mary no longer needed Section 8 Housing. While working with Workforce Solutions, Mary was able to successfully navigate her career pathway, secure a stable income, and is no longer in need of public assistance for housing or food/cash assistance. Today, Mary has accepted various leadership roles within community organizations (Family Independence Initiative cohort leader and parent participant on Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative) and welcomes the opportunity to share her story and her successes working with Ramsey County Workforce Solutions. 

Working with Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, Mary was able to address her social and economic needs of well-being, prosperity, opportunity and accountability. 

  • Goal: To secure safe and reliable child care; to find affordable housing and health care; to start research and begin a career in healthcare.
  • Achievements: Secured safe and reliable child care. Was accepted into subsidized housing. Re-directed her career path to law enforcement. Has stable health care and is now saving to buy a home.
  • Employment Counselor: Nicolette Hanson, Workforce Center, Saint Paul