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 City of Niagara Falls, NY received a $193,248.00 formula grant award dated September 11, 2025, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development under the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program (CFDA 14.231). The award, with an ultimate completion date of September 10, 2027, funds five core program components designed to address homelessness and housing instability: street outreach services to engage unsheltered individuals and families; emergency shelter rehabilitation, conversion, and operations; homelessness prevention assistance; rapid re-housing services with rental and housing stabilization support; and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) activities for data collection and coordination. Administrative activities supporting program implementation are also eligible uses of these funds.

Through this formula grant allocation, the City of Niagara Falls will engage homeless populations living on streets, improve the capacity and quality of emergency shelter facilities, provide essential services to shelter residents, and facilitate rapid transitions to permanent housing for individuals and families experiencing housing crises. The program operates as a formula-based allocation rather than a competitive grant mechanism, with funding amounts determined by established federal distribution criteria. Recipients are required to maintain detailed records for five years and comply with federal regulations under 24 Code of Federal Regulations Part 576.

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.