Minnesota Department of Human Services

Who we are

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is an organization of individuals with a commitment to bettering the lives of Minnesotans. While DHS employees perform different jobs and duties, such as research-analyses, direct caregiving, program administration, fraud prevention, licensing oversight, plant management and human resources, we share a belief that when Minnesotans help other Minnesotans, we create a brighter future for all of us. 

Who we serve

The Minnesota Department of Human Services  serves Minnesotans in all 87 counties and 11 tribes. More than one million Minnesotans receive some sort of help from our department. Among these are our grandparents, neighbors, friends, relatives and classmates. 

Many of the people we serve only need assistance for a short period of time, while others need longer-term assistance. At DHS our goal is to meet people where they are at, and focus on outcomes to improve life situations, and to get people the help they need so they can reach their full potential.

What we do
The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) helps provide essential services to Minnesota’s most vulnerable residents. Working with many others, including counties, tribes and non-profits, DHS helps ensure that Minnesota seniors, people with disabilities, children and others meet their basic needs and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

While the vast majority of human services in Minnesota are provided by our partners, DHS (at the direction of the Governor and Legislature) sets policies and directs the payments for many of the services delivered. As the largest state agency, DHS administers about one-third of the state budget.

As a steward of a significant amount of public dollars, DHS takes very seriously our responsibility to provide Minnesotans with high value in terms of both the quality and cost of services.

Our largest financial responsibility is to provide health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans. We are also responsible for securing economic assistance for struggling families, providing food support, overseeing child protection and child welfare services, enforcing child support, and providing services for people with mental illness, chemical dependency, or physical or developmental disabilities. 

Through our licensing services, we ensure that certain minimum standards of care are met in private and public settings for children and vulnerable adults. DHS also provides direct service through our regional offices for the deaf and hard of hearing; through State Operated Services (SOS), which provides direct care to people with disabilities; and through the Minnesota Sex Offender Program.

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Minnesota