Minnesota’s Shelter Verification Form, DHS-2952, is the one-page document your landlord fills out to confirm what you pay for housing so your county or tribal human services office can calculate benefits like SNAP, Housing Support, General Assistance, or Minnesota Supplemental Aid. You download it from the Department of Human Services eDocs library, add your identifying information, hand it to your landlord to complete and sign, and then send the finished form back to your caseworker by upload, fax, mail, or in person.
Where to Get the Form
The form is free. The fillable PDF lives on the DHS eDocs site and can be completed on screen in Adobe Reader or Acrobat before you print it.1Minnesota Department of Human Services. Authorization for Release of Information About Residence and Shelter Expenses (DHS-2952) If the direct link ever changes, go to the DHS searchable document library and type 2952 in the document number field.2Minnesota Department of Human Services. Searchable Document Library (eDocs) Your county caseworker can also hand you a paper copy at the local office.
What You Fill In and What the Landlord Fills In
The form is built for your landlord or property manager, not for you. Your part is the top section: full legal name, the address of the unit you are verifying, and your case number if one has been assigned. Make sure the address matches what your county or tribal office already has on file, because mismatched addresses slow the processing down.
Everything below that is the landlord’s job. They write in the total monthly rent, state what portion you personally are responsible for, and check off which utilities are included in that rent. The utility details matter more than people expect: they decide which standard utility allowance the agency applies. Minnesota’s current Heat/Air Standard Utility Allowance for SNAP is $667 per month, and a household only qualifies for it if it pays heating or cooling costs separately from rent.3Minnesota Department of Human Services. Utility Deductions If heat is included in your rent, you generally will not get that allowance.
Last, the landlord signs the form and writes in their own contact information. That signature is the whole point. Without it, the form is incomplete and your county office will not use it to update your benefits. If your landlord drags their feet, tell them the form is a government requirement and that the information goes only to the human services agency handling your case.
If You Have Roommates or a Sublease
When you share a unit with people who are not part of your benefit household, the form should show only the share of rent and utilities you are actually obligated to pay. Your landlord can list the full unit rent and note your portion separately. A written lease or sublease spelling out who pays what helps avoid follow-up questions from the caseworker, because the agency counts your obligation, not the full rent divided evenly.
If You Live in Subsidized Housing
For SNAP, you also need to verify how much the housing authority pays and how much you pay out of pocket. Only your share counts toward the shelter deduction.4Minnesota Department of Human Services. Non-Mandatory Verifications – SNAP Ask your landlord or housing authority to show both figures clearly on the form.
How to Submit the Signed Form
Once the landlord has signed it, you have three ways to get it to your county or tribal human services office.
- Upload it at MNbenefits.mn.gov. The homepage has an “Upload documents” tool that asks a few questions to match the file to your case, then accepts a photo or scan.5MNbenefits.mn.gov. Frequently Asked Questions
- Fax it to the number for your county or tribal office, which you can look up through the DHS directory.6Minnesota Department of Human Services. County and Tribal Nation Offices
- Mail or hand-deliver a paper copy to the local office. Mail adds several business days, so if you are on a tight deadline, upload or fax instead.
Keep a copy of the signed form and any upload or fax confirmation. If the agency later says it never received your paperwork, that copy is your proof.
What Happens After You Submit
A caseworker enters the shelter cost data into your electronic file and recalculates your monthly benefit. If anything is unclear or conflicts with other records, you will get a mailed notice asking for more information. Once the update is processed, a written notice of decision goes to your address on file showing the new benefit amount. Processing times vary by county. If your situation is urgent, for example you just moved and need the SNAP shelter deduction updated before your next issuance, call your caseworker directly and flag it.
Why the Form Matters for Each Program
The effect of DHS-2952 depends on which benefit you receive.
For SNAP, verified shelter costs produce a shelter deduction that lowers countable income and can raise your monthly food benefit. Housing costs are a non-mandatory verification under Minnesota’s Combined Manual, so skipping the form will not get your case denied, but the agency will not give you the deduction without it.4Minnesota Department of Human Services. Non-Mandatory Verifications – SNAP That is money left on the table.
For Housing Support, the payment goes to your provider rather than to you, and DHS-2952 is normally completed as part of the provider’s application packet. Hennepin County’s Housing Support materials, for example, list the form as a required document completed by the landlord or property management company.7Hennepin County. Applying for the Housing Support Benefit
For MSA Housing Assistance, which pays an extra $483.50 per month to people with disabilities under age 65 whose housing costs top 40 percent of income, the completed form gives the agency the verified figure it needs to confirm you cross that threshold.8Minnesota Department of Human Services. MSA Housing Assistance
For General Assistance, the grant is a flat monthly amount, so the form does not change the dollar figure. A caseworker may still ask for it to document your living situation and residency.
If the Calculation Comes Out Wrong
If your benefits are reduced or your shelter costs look miscalculated after you submit DHS-2952, you can request a state fair hearing. File the State Appeal Form (DHS-0033), available from your county office, and send it to the Appeals Office. The deadline is generally 30 days from the date on the notice of adverse action, though hearings officers may accept a late request within 90 days if you show good cause.9Minnesota Department of Human Services. Grievance, Appeal, and State Fair Hearing Process You do not have to go through any internal county grievance process first.
Do Not Inflate the Numbers
Submitting a DHS-2952 with false shelter figures is treated as wrongfully obtaining assistance under Minnesota Statutes 256.98. Knowingly providing false information to boost benefits can be charged as theft under Section 609.52, with severity scaled to the overpayment amount. On top of criminal exposure, the agency recovers the overpaid amount and disqualifies the recipient from benefits: one year for a first offense, two years for a second, and permanent disqualification for a third.10Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 256.98 – Wrongfully Obtaining Assistance; Theft A landlord who agrees to misstate the rent faces the same exposure. Honest mistakes can be corrected; deliberate inflation is not worth it.