FAIRMONT – As temperatures drop and snowfall arrives this year, area organizations have programs in place to help those who need a little support.

Faribault and Martin County Health and Human Services (FMCHS) offer emergency assistance for single folks with disabilities and families that have children or are expecting children, as well as emergency utility assistance.

For assisting people with disabilities, FMCHS Financial Assistance Manager Nicole Worlds said they have to have a doctor’s note proving they cannot work for at least 40 days. For families, they have to work with an employment services provider. Aid determination comes from household size, income, and expenses among other factors.

Regarding utilities, Worlds said that they need to provide proof of 60 days worth of income and a method to maintain their utilities after assistance is granted.

Regarding emergency assistance, Worlds said they don’t get nearly enough to cover the need in both counties. For assisting people with disabilities, Worlds said they only get $2,000 per year, and the money is gone in an instant. For family emergency assistance, they only get $11,000 per year.

Those requesting assistance can only do so once every 18 months, so generally there was enough money to go around for new and returning families to get the support they need. This year, Worlds said there were enough new families that needed help that they ran out before the end of the year, which she said was a first.

“We’ve tried to figure out the calculation to try to get more, and nobody seems to know how the amount was calculated, and we’ve never gotten an increase,” she said.

The emergency utility assistance is a separate fund received from the Minnesota Family Investment Program that is used to cover whoever needs assistance in Martin and Faribault counties.

The funds will be replenished Jan. 1, but the state has already determined Martin and Faribault counties will receive the same funds as they did for 2025.

MVAC also has an Energy Assistance Program. Theirs looks at income, household members and energy costs. Both MVAC and FMCHS pay energy assistance directly to the utility companies.

Energy Assistance Program Coordinator Sheila Ous said in Martin County, 332 households applied for the MVAC program and 209 have been paid out thus far. In Faribault County, 371 households applied and 237 of them have been served.

Ous said one myth she has seen around the circumstances that bring people to these programs is they don’t work.

“Many people are working hard, but it’s just not enough money to meet all their needs,” Ous said. “It might be a family with children, or a single mom that is working but paying rent. All the needs that they have, they just come up short and this just allows them to be able to pay more bills.”

By applying for energy assistance, Ous said it also opens the door for other programs, such as repair services if a furnace breaks down.

This year was different for MVAC because their funding for the program is federal, and because of the shutdown and its aftermath, they worked on applications in the meantime, but did not receive any money to provide assistance until Dec. 2.

Ous said for some, the cold weather rule that prevents utility shutoff as long as a payment plan is in place helped them during this time. For those who heat using liquid propane or oil, Ous said they are not covered under this rule, and were hurt the most as a result.

“A lot of times they have to have the money up front or a guarantee for Minnesota Valley Action Council to get a delivery,” she said. “We weren’t able to start doing that until last Tuesday.”

The utility assistance program is open for applications until May 31.

MVAC also offers a homeless prevention program, weatherization and employment services.

Salvation Army offers heat share, car repair, rental assistance, food shelf and case-by-case assistance. This year, Salvation Army Southwest Minnesota Area Manager Crystal Stover said they have seen a huge uptick in demand.

“Simply because of the economic times,” she said. “Money is tight in everybody’s household. Food costs are rising, housing costs are rising and wages are staying stagnant. That is resulting in a lot more people needing simple assistance of rent, utilities and car repair.”

Alongside this, Stover said volunteers and donations are down too. Due to this, she said it has had an effect on how much they can assist people.

“The need is a lot higher, and our ability to meet them is harder, because our donations have been down,” she said. “That has resulted in us being limited at the services we’re able to offer. Last year, our maximum was $250 for car repair. Years prior, we had been able to do up to $500 towards car repairs. It really has limited what we’re able to do based off donations in those kettles.”

Shepherd’s In is continuing its mission of helping people find places to live, including those who have recently been released from treatment or jail. Shepherd’s In Founder and Chairman Curt Moeckle said only around 25 percent of people he interacts with are chronically homeless.

“The other 75 percent need someone to come alongside,” he said. “Maybe they were without a job for a little while. They couldn’t pay their rent, so they got kicked out. They’re people that are on the edge, and then all of a sudden the edge drops, and there they are. A lot of times, we can help them.”

PTSD is also a factor Moeckle said he has seen in people who struggle with homelessness. He said some receive money from the government, but it often runs out too fast.

“Nine-hundred-forty-three dollars for a disability check,” he said. “First of all, if you could rent any place, even a one-bedroom apartment, for under $700, you’re absolutely lucky to find that. Then you have to pay utilities. Your $943 is gone. They do get SNAP benefits, and there’s food shelters they can go to, but that doesn’t include phone, communication, transportation. That’s not a life, that’s an existence.”

Around this time, Moeckle said people will bounce around from place to place and try and find anywhere to stay warm. When they can’t, he said they’ll do what they can out in the cold.

“I remember last year, a guy called me in the middle of January,” Moeckle said. “I said, ‘Well, where did you stay last night?’ He said, ‘I crawled in a hole under the bridge with my blanket.’ It was below zero. You’d have to think they can’t possibly be staying outside, but some actually do.”

It is Shepherd’s In that seeks to do as much as they can for those facing hard times like this.

“The first thing I try to do is help people understand that there’s hope,” Moeckle said. “Hope is probably the first thing we give them. Unless you think about it, you don’t feel like you’re doing much, just giving them hope. I didn’t rent a hotel room for you; I just told you it’s possible. Knowing it’s possible is huge and probably as important as the actual fact.”

For more information or to reach out for help, contact FMCHS at (507) 238-4757 for Martin County or (507) 526-3265 for Faribault County, MVAC at (507) 238-1663, Salvation Army at (507) 238-9797, and Shepherd’s In at (507) 236-5362.