VLN administers a Habitability Fund that has money for tenants who are unable to pursue Fritz defenses or bring a rent escrow case because they are unable to pay money into court to do so.  The fund is a revolving fund, so any money received back from the litigation must first be used to refund the Fund.

To use the funds, a tenant must:

  1. Be represented by a CMLS, MMLA, Judicare, SMRLS or VLN attorney;
  2. Have a repair claim in Hennepin, Ramsey or Anoka county, and be unable to pursue it because of a court required escrow payment; and
  3. Complete an Application and Addendum to the Representation Agreement.  There are some more specific requirements based on location, but those are all clearly stated in the application.
    1. Funds are not guaranteed until the application has been approved by VLN.

Questions, and completed applications and addendums, can be directed to VLN’s Housing Program Manager and Resource Attorney at [email protected] or 612-752-6647.