August 3, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

Fraud, fraud and more fraud.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) told us all on Friday that it plans to end its much ballyhooed Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program, a program described by DHS as a “benefit to help people with disabilities, including mental illness and substance use disorder, and seniors find and keep housing.” According to the DHS, the decision to end the program was made following a letter from DHS temporary commissioner Shireen Gandhi to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

It’s unclear as to whether any of this funding was actually helping anyone get seated in HOAs, but given its focus on seniors, it is likely that it was occurring in the rare cases where fraud was not involved.

It’s a familiar theme in Minnesota: A program goes awry with little oversight and millions pour from taxpayer funded coffers into the hands of bad actors. According to local KSTP-TV Channel 5:

In the letter to CMS, [Commissioner] Gandhi expressed the need to terminate the program after multiple credible allegations of fraud from 77 housing stabilization providers in Minnesota, which were using HSS.

Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, chairs the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, said termination was the right call, and stated on Channel 5:

“I’m glad they’re starting to take fraud seriously, but it is really late, and taxpayers and vulnerable Minnesotans are the ones who are suffering from it,” she said.

Sounds like St. Paul’s next step is to reinvent and relaunch this taxpayer funded program.

You can watch their latest report HERE.