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 awarded County of Erie $234,812 under the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program on September 16, 2025, through a formula grant mechanism. The award funds five program components: street outreach, emergency shelter operations, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing assistance, and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), along with eligible administrative activities as defined in 24 CFR 576.101–576.107.

ESG funds support rehabilitation or conversion of buildings for emergency shelter use, operating expenses for emergency shelters, essential services for shelter residents and unsheltered individuals, and rental assistance and housing stabilization services to help homeless individuals and families regain permanent housing stability or prevent homelessness. The program targets rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention to move individuals and families quickly into permanent housing or avert housing loss.

The award carries a period of performance through September 15, 2027, with place of performance in Buffalo, New York. County of Erie, as a local government entity eligible under 24 CFR 576.2, receives this formula allocation. The county maintains a substantial federal grant portfolio spanning criminal justice, housing and community development, emergency management, and related domains, with concurrent HUD awards exceeding $1.1 million for ESG and HOME Investment Partnerships Program activities.

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.