Blossoming Forward Foundation

04/13/2020

04/13/2020

Homeless shelters, child care centers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other places where lots of people live or gather are in need of homemade facemasks. If you are making masks, consider donating them to these settings in your community. Please call ahead to make sure they can accept donated masks.

04/13/2020

Wearing a homemade mask or cloth face covering when going out for essentials helps protect others especially in situations where you may spread the virus without symptoms. Do not buy surgical masks or N95s, which are in short supply and needed for health care workers. Homemade masks are not a replacement for other important protections like washing your hands, keeping 6 feet from others, and staying home when sick!

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/prevention.html

04/13/2020

See Situation Update for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for Minnesota case information, including case counts, a map of counties with confirmed cases, and more.

04/13/2020

By staying home, Minnesotans are pushing out the peak of COVID-19. But we can’t let up. Decisions we make now will have life or death impacts for our neighbors and loved ones down the road. That’s why today we extended our Stay Home order until May 4.

I know this is hard for our entire state. We know every day families, businesses, and communities are making sacrifices. It’s a data-driven decision that will help our hospitals on the front lines, curb the spread of COVID-19, and ultimately save lives.

We need this time, Minnesota. Every day our nation's leading public health experts get closer to breaking down the roadblocks. Every day our state is more prepared for the challenges ahead. As long as we stay home, every day we're closer to getting through this, together.

04/13/2020

Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Read more about how the CARES Act may impact your eligibility for unemployment benefits.

04/13/2020

Q: Once the guidance comes from Department of Labor on the CARES act do I have to do anything additional to receive the federal $600/week?

A: No, once the new law is fully enacted it will automatically be added to your UI account.

Find more FAQs here: https://bit.ly/3a05aF9

04/13/2020

The CARES Act created a new program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

The United States Department of Labor will not allow us to begin paying PUA benefits until they issue additional instructions. We expect PUA benefits will be available before the end of April. We will post updates to this website as they are available; our customer service representatives will not have any additional information.

PUA benefits may be available to unemployed workers who are NOT eligible for regular unemployment benefits, including:

-Self-employed people
-Independent contractors

What you need to know
-If you think you may qualify for PUA, please apply for regular unemployment benefits now.
-We have special instructions for self-employed people that will allow you to qualify for PUA benefits more quickly once they become available.
-If you have already applied for benefits and you are self-employed, you do not need to do anything.
-We will provided updated information in your online account if you are eligible for PUA benefits.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/34k0O9B

04/13/2020

Q: If my work has reduced my hours as a result of COVID-19 can I apply for unemployment insurance payments?

A: If your hours have been cut below 32 hours a week you can apply for unemployment insurance.

04/13/2020

DEED has authorized the first payments of the temporary additional compensation of $600/week for people receiving unemployment benefits. You don't need to contact us or do anything additional; if you receive unemployment you will also automatically receive an additional $600 for every week you remain eligible. You can find out more in our latest blog post here: https://bit.ly/2RnGizQ

04/13/2020

When filling out your SNAP application, please make sure to fill in all of the information correctly. If the application is not filled out properly, the caseworkers will be unable to process the application. Please click the link to see the required documents https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/required-documents-when-applying-for-snap/