The Emergency Solutions Grants Program

The Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESGP) is designed to be the first step in a continuum of assistance to help applicants quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness. Applicants must be at or below the 30% area median income. Activities include street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance. Download the application to get started.

Key provisions of the program are to:

• Help improve the quality of existing emergency shelters for the homeless
• Help make available additional emergency shelters
• Help meet the costs of operating emergency shelters and providing certain essential social services to homeless individuals, so that homeless persons have access not only to safe and sanitary shelter, but also to the supportive services and other kinds of assistance they need to improve their situations
• Provide short and medium-term rental assistance and services to rapidly re-house homeless people

Eligible Providers

• Only private non-profit organizations who have been providing homeless services for at least one year are qualified for funding
• Must have the capacity to provide matching funds (in-kind contributions) equal to the amount awarded
• Must involve, to the minimum extent practicable, homeless individuals and families in ESG activities
• Must be able to provide written certification that they are apart of a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)