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1 1 (December 19, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejvv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic Informing the legislitive debate since 1914 Updated December 19, 2022 FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) provides supplemental grants to private nonprofit and local government organizations to support and expand existing programs that aid individuals and families who are, or are at risk of, experiencing hunger and/or homelessness. The EFSP is typically funded by annual appropriations provided in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act, and occasionally through supplemental appropriations. Recently, the EFSP has been funded to supplement humanitarian relief efforts for migrants encountered by DHS. Program Authorization The EFSP was established in 1983 through the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-8), and later authorized under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 (P.L. 100-77), renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in 2000. It is codified at 42 U.S.C. §§11331 et seq. Section 11352 addressed the authorization of EFSP appropriations from 1987 through 1994, via a series of amendments. However, since FY1995, the program has been authorized through the de facto authorization provided by Congress appropriating funds for EFSP's particular activities. With regard to the EFSP migrant humanitarian relief, the supplemental appropriations bill text directed FEMA to carry out the stated purpose with the funding provided. Program Structure National Board: The EFSP is governed by a National Board that, by statute, includes representatives from six private nonprofit organizations: (1) the American Red Cross; (2) Catholic Charities U.S.A.; (3) the Jewish Federations of North America (referred to in statute as the Council of Jewish Federations, Inc.); (4) the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; (5) the Salvation Army; and (6) United Way Worldwide (referred to in statute as the United Way of America). United Way Worldwide serves as the EFSP National Board's secretariat and fiscal agent, and administers the program day-to-day, along with the Director. The National Board is responsible for establishing program policies, procedures, and guidelines, which vary for different Phases (i.e., grant cycles aligning with each tranche of funding; see Table 1), and disbursing the funding as smaller grants. For the migrant humanitarian relief, the National Board makes the final award determinations and disburses funding directly to awarded organizations. Director: The National Board is chaired by a Director, which, by statute, is the FEMA Administrator. Local Board: Each jurisdiction designated for funding must establish a Local Board. Membership mirrors the National Board, and also includes the highest-ranking local government official, a representative who is or was homeless, and a tribal representative (if applicable). Local Boards are responsible for advertising funding availability, setting funding priorities, determining community needs, establishing client eligibility, selecting grant recipients, monitoring recipients' program compliance, and grant reporting. For the migrant humanitarian relief, Local Boards review funding applications and make recommendations to the National Board on which eligible organizations to fund. Local Recipient Organizations (LROs): LROs are EFSP grant recipients. They can be local nonprofit, faith-based, or governmental organizations. Program Funding Award Process When Congress appropriates funding to the EFSP, FEMA awards the funding as a single grant to the National Board. To determine a jurisdiction's regular EFSP grant eligibility, the National Board uses a formula that considers population data, poverty data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census's American Community Survey, and unemployment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jurisdictions must meet specific criteria to qualify for regular EFSP funding. These criteria may vary for different Phases. For example, per the National Board's website, a jurisdiction could qualify for Phase 40 (FY2022) funding if it met one of the following criteria: 300 or more unemployed with a 3.9% rate of unemployment, or 300 or more unemployed with a 12.8% rate of poverty. EFSP grant award amounts are determined by dividing the available funds by the number of unemployed persons within each qualifying jurisdiction, which creates a per capita rate. In addition, there is a State Set-Aside process that allows any jurisdiction (formula-qualified or not) to receive EFSP funding. The National Board allocates a portion of the appropriated funds (e.g., 8% of the EFSP award for the FY2021 annual appropriations) for such purposes based on the unemployment rates in the jurisdictions that do not qualify under the formula. These grants can be used to address pockets of homelessness and poverty or immediate needs. State Set-Aside Committees act as Local Boards to manage those funds. There is no national or regular EFSP application process. Instead, LROs are selected by the Local Boards of the jurisdictions designated for funding. The National Board disburses funds directly to LROs recommended by the Local Boards.

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