Resident and Real Estate Services/Human Services Navigator

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

In December 2016, Hennepin County Resident and Real Estate Services and Human Services created a new collaboration to service delinquent taxpayers with personal issues that contribute to their inability to deal with tax-delinquency and potentially homeless. Concerned about these trends, Resident and Real Estate Services Department reached out to Human Services to develop a new intergovernmental program using a Human Services Navigator to help delinquent taxpayers pending forfeiture seek additional services to help avoid losing their homes. To achieve this purpose, the Navigator provides assistance by making referrals to various community and county resources. Taxpayers work with the Tax-Forfeited Land staff to rectify tax delinquency while working with the Navigator on personal issues that have interfered with effectively managing their homes and property taxes. The goals of the program are to provide resources and assistance to support taxpayers staying in their homes, housing relocation assistance if needed, and to help stabilize individuals and families during the delinquency and forfeiture process. The program has been overwhelmingly successful in its first year serving 53 taxpayers with only 6 losing their homes to tax-forfeiture. Of the 53 tax-payers, 31 were able to pay their property taxes resulting in an amount of $331,995.29.