Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program

This Federal program (ESG) authorizes grants to States and units of general government and to certain private nonprofit organizations for the rehabilitation or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters for the homeless, for the payment of certain operating and social service expenses in connection with emergency shelters and for homeless prevention activities.

It is designed to help improve the quality of existing emergency shelters, to help make available additional emergency shelters, to help meet the costs of operating such shelters and of providing certain essential social services to homeless individuals and families.  The program is also intended to restrict the increase of homelessness through the funding of preventive programs for rapid re-housing.

The County's goals have been to maintain existing programs, serve those groups that are underserved and to provide funding for purposes that other funding sources cannot fund. A 50% match is required by the ESG program, and this is provided by the Human Services Levy.