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 County of Wayne received a $479,000 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG, CFDA 14.231) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, awarded September 11, 2025, with a completion date of September 10, 2027. As a formula grant recipient, Wayne County will utilize these funds across five core program components to address homelessness and housing instability within its jurisdiction: street outreach services to engage unsheltered individuals and families; emergency shelter rehabilitation, conversion, and operations; homelessness prevention assistance; rapid re-housing services with rental assistance and housing stabilization support; and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) activities for data collection and coordination. The county may also allocate a portion of funds to eligible administrative activities supporting program implementation.

Through this award, Wayne County will deliver direct services to homeless individuals and families in the Detroit area, focusing on rapid transitions to permanent housing and prevention of housing crises. Specifically, the county will engage unsheltered populations on the streets, operate and maintain emergency shelter facilities, provide essential supportive services to shelter residents, and offer rental assistance and case management to facilitate both homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing outcomes. All ESG-funded activities must comply with 24 Code of Federal Regulations Part 576, and the county is required to maintain detailed records for a minimum of five years to document compliance with program requirements and outcomes.

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.