Housing social workers and advocates are facing the fallout of the Department of Human Service’s move to terminate its housing stabilization program due to alleged fraud. DHS found 77 providers with credible allegations of wrongdoing and requested from the federal government cancel the program. By law, the Medicaid-backed program can only be canceled by the federal government.

But there are hundreds of other organizations that were using the program in earnest to help Minnesotans find housing.

Local organization Avivo helps thousands of Minnesotans find stable housing. John Tribbett is a service area director in Avivo’s Ending Homelessness division. MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talked to Tribbett about his reaction when he heard the state was [shutting down the program] asking for the program to be shut down.

Correction (Aug. 13, 2025): An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the status of the Department of Human Services Housing Stabilization Program. Both the written story and the attached audio have been updated.