The emergency solutions grant (ESG) authorizes the department of housing and urban development (HUD) to make grants to states, units of general-purpose local government, and territories for the…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development awarded Augusta-Richmond County Government $153,403 under the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG, CFDA 14.231) formula grant program on January 20, 2026.

ESG funds support five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter operations, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing assistance, and homeless management information systems, along with eligible administrative activities. Communities deploy ESG funding to engage homeless individuals and families on the street, rehabilitate or convert buildings into emergency shelters, operate those shelters, provide essential services to shelter residents, rapidly rehouse homeless individuals and families, and prevent housing crises from leading to homelessness.

The award obligates $153,403 with a period of performance through January 19, 2028. Place of performance is Augusta, Georgia 30901. Augusta-Richmond County Government, a local government entity, is the award recipient. Eligible ESG recipients generally consist of metropolitan cities, urban counties, territories, and states as defined in 24 CFR 576.2. Recipients must submit proposed ESG projects as part of their Consolidated Plan, which HUD field offices review according to criteria in 24 CFR 91 before notifying applicants of awards and preparing grant agreements. Nonfederal entities expending $750,000 or more in federal awards annually must undergo single or program-specific audits; recipients must retain all records for the greater of five years or the period specified under 24 CFR 576.500(y).

Activities

ESG funds may be used for five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid RE-housing assistance, and homeless management information system (hmis). Funds can also be used for administrative activities. The five program components and the eligible activities that may be funded under each are set forth in 24 code of federal regulations (CFR) 576.101 through 576.107.

Expected outcomes

With ESG program funding, communities can engage homeless individuals and families living on the street, improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals/families, support the operation of emergency shelters, provide essential services to shelter residents, rapidly work to rehouse homeless individuals and families and prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.

Intended beneficiaries

Eligible recipients of the ESG funds generally consist of metropolitan cities, urban counties, territories, and states, as defined in 24 CFR 576.2. The minimum eligibility criteria for ESG beneficiaries are as follows: for essential services related to street outreach, beneficiaries must meet the criteria under paragraph (1) (i) of the "homeless" definition under 576.2. For emergency shelter, beneficiaries must meet the "homeless" definition in 24 CFR 576.2. For essential services related to emergency shelter, beneficiaries must be "homeless" and staying in an emergency shelter (which could include a day shelter). For homelessness prevention assistance, beneficiaries must meet the requirements described in 24 CFR 576.103PAR. For rapid RE-housing assistance, beneficiaries must meet requirements described in 24 CFR 576.104. Further eligibility criteria may be established at the local level in accordance with 24 CFR 576.400(e).

Subrecipient activities

The subrecipient activities are unknown at the time of award.