NC Emergency Solutions Grant – Grantee Information

Important Announcement: Applications for the ESG-CV funding can be found here.

The Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESG) provides funding to qualified local governments and non-profit organizations to:

Improve the number and quality of emergency shelters.
Provide essential services to shelter residents.
Re-house homeless individuals and families.
Prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless.

Allowable Program Activities

NC ESG grantees use program funds for one or more of the following eligible activities:

Street Outreach: Essential Services related to reaching out to unsheltered homeless individuals and families, connecting them with emergency shelter, housing or critical services and providing them with urgent, non-facility-based care. Eligible costs include engagement, case management, emergency health and mental health services and transportation.
Emergency Shelter: Essential Services such as case management, childcare, education services, employment assistance and job training, outpatient health services, legal services, life skills training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, transportation and services for special populations. Shelter Operations including maintenance, rent, minor repair, security, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities and furnishings.
Prevention: Housing relocation and stabilization services and short-and or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to prevent the individual or family from becoming homeless if:
1. Annual income of the individual or family is below 30 percent of median family income.
2. Assistance is necessary to help program participants regain stability in their current permanent housing or move into other permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.

Eligible costs include utilities, rental application fees, security deposits, last month's rent, utility deposits and payments, moving costs, housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services and credit repair.
Rapid Re-Housing: Housing relocation and stabilization services and short-and or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to help individuals or families living in shelters or in places not meant for human habitation move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing. Eligible costs also include utilities, rental application fees, security deposits, last month's rent, utility deposits and payments, moving costs, housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services and credit repair.
Data Collection (HMIS): Grant funds may be used for the costs of participating in an existing Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) of the Continuum of Care where the project is located.
Administration: Up to 7.5 percent of a recipient's allocation can be used for general management, oversight, coordination and reporting on the program. State recipients must share administrative funds with their sub-recipients who are local governments or non-profit organizations and may share with their sub-recipients who are nonprofit organizations.

The NC ESG Program does not allow grantees to use their funding for new construction, renovation, major rehabilitation, or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelters or transitional housing for the homeless. Licensed programs are not eligible for ESG funding.

Eligibility

Federal program regulations require that ESG funding is used to serve persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. According to ESG program regulations, homeless means:

An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.
Individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence.
Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age or families with children who do not otherwise qualify as homeless.
Any individual or family who:
1. Is fleeing, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence.
2. Has no other residence.
3. Lacks the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.
Income Limits: Federal limits on income are based on family size. For the ESG program, the only relevant number is 30% of median.

Authorization and Administration

The ESG program is authorized by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, Title IV, as amended (U.S. Code: 42 USC 11371 et seq.) Regulations: Code of Federal Regulations at 24 CFR Part 576. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) makes grants to States and units of general local government for eligible program activities. The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) administer the North Carolina State ESG program.

ESG Funding Limitations

Program funding may be provided to a primarily religious organization that meets the eligibility criteria in accordance with the following principles:

It will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of religion and will not limit employment or give preference in employment to people on the basis of religion.
It will not discriminate against any person applying for shelter or any of the eligible program activities on the basis of religion and will not limit such housing or other eligible program activities or give preference to people on the basis of religion.
It will provide no religious instruction or counseling, conduct no religious worship or services, engage in no religious proselytizing, and exert no other religious influence in the provision of shelter and other eligible program activities.

Reporting Requirements

All ESG grantees are required to submit regular performance reports to the Division of Aging and Adult Service’s ESG Office.
Reports must detail the total number and characteristics of homeless individuals and members of homeless families served during the reporting period.
Grantees must provide information on the causes of homelessness reported by clients and expenditures by activity type during the reporting period.

Program Matching Requirements

ESG grantees are required to match the funding provided under the ESG program with an equal amount of other resources such as cash, donated land or materials and volunteer hours.

Administration

Up to 7.5% of a recipient's allocation can be used for:

General management
Oversight
Coordination
Reporting on the program

Data Collection (NC HMIS or other comparable data base – DV organizations)

Grant funds may be used for the costs of participating in an existing Homeless Management Information System (or comparable database if a Domestic Violence agency) of the Continuum of Care where the project is located.

Contact

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Emergency Solutions Grant program please direct them to:

Chris Battle
Homeless Programs Coordinator
919-855-4984
chris.battle@dhhs.nc.gov

Lisa Worth, MA
ESG Homeless Programs Coordinator
919 855-4993
Lisa.Worth@dhhs.nc.gov

Alissa Pritchett
ESG Homeless Programs Coordinator
919 855-4991
Alissa.Pritchett@dhhs.nc.gov