This site provides listings for campus and community resources that help support basic needs.
Northland is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities to the communities it serves. We recognize that basic needs — food, housing, and transportation — can directly impact our students’ well-being and success. We’ve compiled the resources below to assist our community in meeting these needs. This page is meant to help connect students and their families to basic needs information and resources, and it will be revised when appropriate and evolve as necessary.
211 Basic Needs Resource Hub
Northland Community & Technical College and Minnesota State have partnered with United Way 211 to establish a statewide basic needs resource hub. The basic needs resource hub provides Northland students access to basic needs resources and support available on campus and in the community via phone, text, or chat 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
United Way 211 provides free and confidential health and human services information. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to connect you with the necessary resources and information. If you’re looking for information about services available in your community for you or a loved one, they can help.
Text MNHELP to 898-211(TXT211) or call 211 (toll-free at 1-800-543-7709) to speak with one of their highly trained information and referral specialists. Your call is completely confidential, and they have English, Spanish, and Hmong call menus. Interpreters are also available in any language.
Visit the 211 website to learn more or to explore resources and support that may be available.
To search the 211 databases of basic needs resources online, please visit the Minnesota State student basic needs website.
Student Basic Needs Resources
Food insecurity, child care, health and wellness, mental health, and others are examples of resources you’ll find in the directory.
Tri-Valley Opportunity Council Head Start
ND Child Care Assistance
Grand Forks County Head Start
- Website: https://www.gfschools.org/headstart
Grand Forks YMCA Child Care Center
- Phone: 701-775-2586
MN Department of Human Services Economic Support
MN WIC Program
- Website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/wic/
- Phone: 800-657-3942
ND WIC Program
National WIC Program registry
- Website: https://www.wicprograms.org/
Inter-County Community Council
Weatherization, Energy Assistance, Food Support, Head Start
- Website: https://intercountycc.org/
- Phone: 888-778-4008
SNAP Food Benefits
- Polk County Human Services: 218-281-3127
- Pennington County Human Services: 218-681-2880
- Marshall County Human Services: 218-745-5124
- Red Lake County Social Services: 218-253-4131
- Grand Forks Human Service Region: 701-787-8535 or https://www.applyforhelp.nd.gov/
Local Food Pantries
- Thief River Falls Area Food Shelf: 218-681-4708 or foodshelftrf@gmail.com
- East Grand Forks Food Shelf: 218-773-8083 or egfshelf@qwestoffice.net
- Red River Valley Community Action: 701-746-5431 or https://www.rrvca.com
- Inter-County Community Council: https://intercountycc.org/services/food-support/
- North County Food Pantry: 218-399-7356 or https://www.northcountryfoodbank.org/agencies–programs.html
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program
- Minnesota: https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/wic/eligibility.html
- North Dakota: https://www.health.nd.gov/prevention/wic
Inter-County Community Council
- Website: https://intercountycc.org/services/health-insurance/
- Phone: 218-796-5144
Polk County Public Health
East Grand Forks campus students
- Website: https://www.co.polk.mn.us/191/Public-Health
- Phone: 218-281-3385
Intercounty Nursing
Thief River Falls campus students
- Website: https://www.intercountynursingservice.com/
- Phone: 218-681-0876
Spectra Health
East Grand Forks campus students
- Website: https://spectrahealth.org/about/
- Email: info@spectrahealth.org
- Phone: 701-757-2100
ND Health and Medicaid Enrollment
- Website: https://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/medicalserv/index.html
- Phone: 701-787-8535
Healthcare Marketplace
Northland Foundation Housing
Thief River Falls campus students
Housing and Urban Development Resource Guide
- Website: https://resources.hud.gov/
Red River Valley Community Action Housing Programs
- Website: https://rrvca.com/housing-programs/
- Website: http://www.nwmnhra.org/
- Phone: 218-637-2431
North Dakota Human Services Rental Support
MN Housing Benefits 101
- Website: https://mn.hb101.org/
- For residents of Grand Forks County or Western Polk County.
Grand Forks Housing Authority – Launch Program
- Main Phone Line: (701) 746-2545
Inter-County Community Council
- For residents in Clearwater, Pennington, Red Lake, and East Polk counties
Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota
- Alexandria: 320-762-0663
- Moorhead: 218-233-8585
- Bemidji: 218-751-9201
- Website: https://lsnmlaw.org/
Legal Services of North Dakota
- Website: http://www.legalassist.org/
- Phone: 800-634-5263 (under age 60)
- Phone: 866-621-9886 (over age 60)
Minnesota Department of Human Rights
- Website: https://mn.gov/mdhr/about/contact/
- Phone: 800-657-3704
Violence Intervention Project (VIP)
- Website: https://www.violenceintervention.org/learn-more/contact-us-locations/
- Phone: 218-681-5557
Grand Forks Community Violence Intervention Center
- Website: https://www.cviconline.org/contact-us/
- 24-Hour Crisis Line: 701-746-8900
Crisis Text Line
- Text HOME to 741741
Local 24-Hour Crisis Line
- Phone: 800-282-5005
Northland Counselors
LearnToLive
Northland Telepsychiatry
- Please speak to a Northland Counselor for a referral.
CDC Self-Care Hub
National Veteran’s Crisis Line
- Website: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/
- Phone: 800-273-8255 (press 1 for immediate assistance)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
- Phone: 800-273-8255
Internet Essentials via Comcast
MN Computers for Lifelong Learners Application
Midco Broadband and Lifeline Connection
PCSforPeople.org
Low-cost internet access and refurbished laptops
MN Office of Broadband Development
Access for rural populations to broadband internet
ND Simply Internet via CenturyLink
- Website: https://www.centurylink.com/local/nd
Minnesota State IT Support
Greater Grand Forks Transit
Tickets available FREE at front desk for East Grand Forks campus students.
Tri-Valley Transportation
For Thief River Falls campus students.
- Website: https://www.tvoc.org/services/transportation/
- Phone: 218-681-6760
Northland Virtual Career Center
Northland Career Opportunities Webpage
CAREERwise In-Demand Jobs
Minnesota State Career Exploration Hub
State of MN Internship Opportunities
Inter-County Community Council (Employment and Training)
North Dakota Job Services
- Website: https://www.jobsnd.com/
- Grand Forks County: 701-795-3700
- ND Statewide: 701-328-2825