Frequently Asked Questions

YES. Semcac uses donations from generous individuals and organizations to help achieve our mission and help southeastern MN citizens during their times of greatest need. Donations can be made with many different forms of payment. All donations are fully tax deductible, we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Donation info is available on the Ways to Give tab – Donate page.

• To make a donation online using a credit card:  visit GiveMN website.
• To make a donation with a check, cash or money order:  Bring your donation to any Semcac office/county contact center OR bring or mail your donation to the Rushford office:  Semcac, PO Box 549, 204 S. Elm Street, Rushford, MN 55971   (Please do not mail cash.)

You will receive a thank you letter and tax deductible receipt. Thank you for your generosity!

Semcac has an E-news mailing list that you can sign up for with an email address.  Text Semcac to 22828 to sign up OR visit our website to sign up.  You will receive the bi-monthly Semcac Sentinel newsletter when you join our mailing list.

You can also friend and follow us on social media.  We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.

Semcac is funded through Federal, State and local dollars.  The Agency works collectively throughout the region and partners with United Ways, philanthropic organizations, county, and city, corporate and individual resources to help reach the communities with the services that are provided.

Applications are available to download on the Semcac website, at your local Semcac office or call 1-800-944-3281 to have one mailed to you.

You can mail your application to Semcac, PO Box 549, Rushford, MN 55971 or drop it off in any of our county office locations.

A blank application can be mailed to you or you can download a copy of the application on our website at https://www.semcac.org/energy/eap-application/

Complete the application completely. Include income verification for the 3 calendar months prior to the date the application was signed. So if the application was signed in September, we would need income from June, July and August. Fixed income like social security or pension only need one month of documentation but wages and unemployment need all three months. We are required to look at pay dates, not pay periods, and gross income, not net. Also, minor children who receive social security/SSI income- and you need to send proof.

Yes, everyone in the household ages 1 and up will need to provide their Social Security number. If you do not have a Social Security number, you will need to provide documentation of acceptable alternatives.

You will need to fill out the verification of income and expenses worksheet. Please contact the Rushford office to get one mailed to you. 800-944-3281

Applications are processed in the order they are received. At this time it can take 8-10 weeks to process a complete application.

No, once your application is reviewed, you will receive a letter regarding the status of your application.

Contact the Semcac Rushford office at 800-944-3281 for funding availability and referral resources.

Any person age 60 and older confined to their home or unable to prepare a balanced meal. Spouses are also included regardless of age.

Meals are prepared at Senior Dining sites or catered from the hospital, nursing  home or restaurant- whichever is available in the area being served.

Friendly volunteers! Our volunteers are very dedicated, caring and timely. Meals are delivered during lunchtime, usually between 11:00am and 12:30pm.

A participant may contribute as much as they can, up to the full price of the meal. No one is refused a meal because of the inability to pay. Food stamps/EBT cards are welcome forms of payment.

Please view the Meals on Wheels location list, as some communities have private programs with which we do not compete. Semcac Meals on Wheels program provides a hot, nutritious meal to each household while simultaneously providing an opportunity for someone to check on the general well being of the senior recipient.

Semcac has contact centers located in Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Steele, and Winona counties. The Field Service Staff at the contact centers can answer your questions about Head Start, Rental Assistance, Crisis Assistance, Energy Assistance, Transportation, County Assistance Programs, and other resources within your county that are not operated by Semcac.

No. Semcac does not have a rental assistance program in Olmsted County; you should call Three River’s Community Action at 1-800-277-8418.

Semcac rental assistance programs vary by county. To find out what rental assistance programs are offered and if funding is available in your county it is best to call the Field Service Worker at your local Semcac office.

Car repair funds through Semcac vary by county. In order to receive assistance for car repair the applicant must have proof of current car insurance and a valid driver’s license. Assistance from Semcac must also be arranged prior to the repairs being completed on the vehicle. To find out more specific details on receiving car repair assistance through Semcac, and to find out if funding is available in your county contact the Field Service Worker at your local Semcac county office/ contact center.

Semcac has a Shelter in FreebornCounty. If you are interested in learning more about the Shelter please call the Freeborn County Office. Semcac also has a time limited Transitional Housing Program in Winona and Freeborn Counties. You must be a resident of Winona or Freeborn Counties to apply for the Transitional Housing Program. Please call the Semcac office/ Contact Center in Winona or Freeborn County to find out about openings and specific program guidelines.

The Freeborn County Semcac Contact Center/ Semcac office has a Spanish Interpreter. She is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to noon. Arrangements for interpreters to assist with applications for Semcac programs can be made in ALL of our county offices.

Eligibility for rental assistance from Semcac is based on numerous factors.  Some of these include the availability of program funds,  having a written eviction notice, income twice as much as rent, and a denial from your county emergency assistance program.  You will also be asked about your financial situation leading up to your eviction notice.  Contact the Field Service Worker in your county to discuss your individual situation.

All you need to bring with you is a piece of mail or an ID with your current address on it, and you also need to know birth dates of everyone in your household.

You can visit the food shelf one time per month. If you need to make an extra visit in a month you should contact your local food shelf staff to discuss options for a second visit.

You will get about fifteen pounds of food per person in your household. There may be extra items like fresh produce available for you to get above and beyond the fifteen pounds per person.

You are allowed to pick which items you would like to take home for your household. Some items, such as meat products, will have a limit on how many you are allowed to take.

YES! Your information is kept confidential and we do not share your information with any other parties unless we receive prior consent from you and it is necessary.

At this time, we do not. However, we are applying to become MNsure Community Partner Assistants, which means we will be trained and approved to assist with MNsure enrollments. Stay tuned!

We will provide you with referrals to other agencies and organizations who can help you to enroll via MNsure until we are approved to provide this service.

Yes! We offer a course called Powerful Tools for Caregivers. You can take this FREE six course series (1 day a week for 6 weeks, approximately 1.5 hours per session) and receive a Powerful Tools for Caregivers certificate of completion from Semcac. The course is designed as an educational program to help caregivers to take care of themselves while caring for an adult loved one. Anyone helping to care for a parent, spouse or friend will benefit.Please contact the caregiver advocate in your county if you are interested. We are working to schedule our next course, when we have enough interested parties, as soon as possible!

Fillmore & Houston County caregivers, contact: Carrie Enright at 507-475-1987 or carrie.enright@semcac.org

Steele & Dodge County caregivers, contact: Melissa Almer at 507-450-8848 or melissa.almer@semcac.org

Learn more about the Powerful Tools for Caregivers course.

Just call 1-800-528-7622 and speak with a dispatcher to get enrolled and to see if you qualify.

We will transport you to any appointment that has been approved by the county, or through your insurance.

We will do our best to transport you to all of your medical appointments.

Unfortunately, since this is a volunteer based service, we do not have vehicles that are able to accommodate wheelchairs. Volunteers use their own personal vehicles to provide this service.  However, if you are able to transfer from the wheelchair to the car with little to no help, we can provide you with a ride. If you are not able to do so, please contact us to schedule a ride using our public transportation buses, Rolling Hills Transit.  All of the Rolling Hills Transit buses are wheelchair accessible.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering to give rides!  Please call Jessica at 507-634-4490.

If you cannot reach Jessica, please call 1-800-528-7622

YES you do! You decide which days and times you would like to drive. You also decide where you are able to drive to and where you are not comfortable going/driving. We work with your schedule.

You are reimbursed for your mileage and for parking fees. You may also get reimbursed for meals if they fall within the guidelines. We hold a recognition event for all volunteer drivers at the end of the year. We celebrate your hard work and dedication throughout the year.

To apply for Weatherization you need to complete an Energy Assistance application. You can make a note on the application that you are interested in Weatherization or we will periodically run reports from the Energy Assistance database to update our waiting list. Applicants are then placed on a priority list sorted by heating costs and county of residence. If the house has been weatherized since September 1994, we cannot re-weatherize the home.

Weatherizing a home means sealing the gaps and leaks in a home’s thermal envelope that can cause energy to be wasted. Measures can include putting weather-stripping around doors, adding sealing around windows, putting more insulation in attics and sidewalls, install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and repair/replace furnace and/or water heater. We work to decrease energy bills by making homes more energy efficient.
The Weatherization process begins with a pre-audit where an energy auditor does a brief inspection of the home to ensure it is a candidate for our program. If it passes, we then schedule a full energy audit that takes approximately 4 hours (depending on the size of the home). The energy auditor will conduct many diagnostic tests on the home and mechanical equipment to evaluate the home’s energy efficiencies as well as identify any safety hazards. The auditor will discuss their findings with the client, write up the work order for our crew and to determine the savings to investment ratio of the work recommended, the crew foreman will contact the client to set up a time for them to perform the work and lastly another energy auditor will schedule a final inspection to ensure all work was done properly and satisfactorily.

Yes. The Weatherization program is a 12-month program.

Yes, if you qualify for energy assistance and your home has not been weatherized since September 1994. It is a grant from the federal Department of Energy. Not a deferred loan, no liens, no pay-back, etc.

There are very few things that the homeowner can decline for us to still continue with the Weatherization job. State and Federal guidelines mandate us to complete all work orders with a savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) of 1 or greater. We want to make sure each home is achieving the most energy savings and if a work order with a SIR of 1 or more is declined this would not occur.

If there is a health concern that warrants the homeowners request to switch fuels we can submit the request to the State Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources for approval.

Our funding with water heaters is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have no hot water or the water heater is leaking, contact us at 1-800-944-3207 and we will determine if funding is available.

It really depends on each home’s situation, but not typically. Each work order (with the exception of health & safety items) needs to have a savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) or pay-back of 7 years or less. We enter the job specifications in a State-approved software program that determines this utilizing the conditions of each home. Typically doors and windows do not calculate a SIR therefore we are unable to replace them.

No, roof repair or replacements are not something Weatherization can assist with.

We will remove a portion of the siding and drill the hole in the wood portion of the wall. We then stuff the hole with fiberglass insulation and install a plug to close up the hole and replace the siding.

If the home is stucco then, yes, we would drill directly through the stucco and patch it to the best of our ability. This would be discussed with the homeowner in detail before proceeding.

No, sump pumps are not part of the Weatherization program scope of work.