Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program (97.024)

Program

97.024 Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Homeland Security

Authorization

Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, as amended, Title 3, Section 301, Public Law 100-77, 42 U.S.C 11331-11346.

Program Number

97.024

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To supplement and expand ongoing efforts to provide shelter, food, and supportive services for needy families and individuals. To strengthen efforts to create more effective and innovative local programs by providing supplemental funding for them. To conduct minimum rehabilitation of existing mass shelter or mass feeding facilities, but only to the extent necessary to make facilities safe, sanitary and bring them into compliance with local building codes.

Types of Assistance

Project Grants

Uses and Use Restrictions

Food and related expenses (such as transporting food/food preparation and serving equipment); mass shelter; other shelter (such as hotels and motels); and rent/mortgage and/or utility assistance limited to one month; and limited repairs to feeding and sheltering facilities. Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) National Board Program (EFSP) funds cannot be used for: rental security, deposits of any kind, cash payments of any kind, lobbying efforts, salaries (except as administrative allowance and limited to that total allowance of 2 percent of total award), purchases or improvements of an individual's private property, telephone costs, repairs to government-owned or profit-making facilities and any payments for services not incurred. For a complete listing on eligible and ineligible costs under this program, refer to the current Phase (fiscal year): Responsibilities and Requirements, issued by the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Since funds are initially distributed to jurisdictions based on either a National Board formula or recommendations from State Set-Aside Committees, there is no application process for jurisdictions. All jurisdictions are considered within the National Board formula and all jurisdictions in an individual State may be considered by the State Set-Aside Committee for either initial or additional (if the jurisdiction had previously been selected by the National Board) funding.

Beneficiary Eligibility

The law directs that the Local Boards, which manage the program at the local level, shall "determine which private nonprofit organizations or public organizations of the local government in the individual locality shall receive grants to act as service providers." The range of local participant groups includes the affiliates of the National Board membership which consists of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, USA, United Jewish Communities, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army and United Way of America, with a local government representative replacing FEMA. Also participating are thousands of independent nonprofits (such as Community Action Agencies and Food Banks and food pantries) which provide food and/or shelter services. Due to the broad category of people in need of such emergency services, the providers can include specialized groups such as domestic violence shelters, Native American organizations, organizations providing food or shelter to: AIDS patients, handicapped individuals, the elderly, homeless veterans, non-wards of the State teenage runaways, and many other groups with emergency food and shelter needs. As noted earlier, the decisions on selections are made through the consensus of the Local Board as they have assessed their community's most urgent needs. It is important that such agencies use these funds to supplement, not replace, their current efforts. This program is intended to supplement ongoing programs and allow them to extend and expand upon their existing services.

Credentials/Documentation

The program employs a Local Recipient Organization Certification Form. This form certifies an applicant's status (i.e., that it is a nonprofit or government agency capable of delivering eligible services) and that it will abide by the program guidelines (both on eligible spending and reporting requests), and comply with other fiscal and program rules so stipulated. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

At the local level, following award notification, a Local Board is formed. That board then advertises the availability of the funds to local nonprofit agencies and governments. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. There is no application process for local jurisdictions since the award notification to local jurisdictions is based on either a National Board formula or recommendations from State Set-Aside Committees.

Award Procedure

Applications or plans are submitted to the National Board and reviewed by the National Board program.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Refer to announcement or application guidance for further information.

Appeals

Refer to the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, "Phase 27: Responsibilities and Requirements" document for information on the appeal process. Those cases that cannot be handled locally should be referred to the National Board giving details o n action that has been taken up to that point. Any allegations regarding fraud or the misuse of funds should be referred directly to the DHS Office of Inspector General.

Renewals

Each phase (fiscal year) is a new program.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.

This program has no matching requirements.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Refer to program guidance. Awards are subject to the Cash Management Improvement Act for payment and/or reimbursement of expenditures. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Payment based on Project need.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

See program guidance. . See program guidance. . See program guidance.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards (or receive property, or a combination of both, within the fiscal year) will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular A-133. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency, submitted through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, not later than 9 months after the end of the grantees fiscal year.

Records

Local Boards are required to remain in operation until all program and audit requirements of the National Board have been satisfied. Grant records shall be retained for a period of 3 years from the day the recipient submits its final expenditure report. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other action involving the records has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records must be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later. Grant records include financial and program/progress reports, support documents, statistical records, and other documents that support the activity and/or expenditure of the recipient or sub-recipient under the award.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: During the most recent phase for which final data is available (phase 25 or FY 07), over 12,000 social service agencies (both nonprofit and governmental) in more than 2,500 jurisdictions received nearly $151,470 million. This resulted in the provision of more than 56,112,548 million additional meals and 4.1 million additional nights of shelter, payout of approximately 248,869 rent/mortgage and utility bills to keep people in their homes, as well as supplies and minimal repairs for shelters. Web training, called Webinars, was also conducted by program staff for local boards and agencies. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

70-0707-0-1-605.

Obligations

(Project Grants) FY 08 $153,000,135; FY 09 est $200,000,000; FY 10 est not reported. - FY 2010 Estimate: No available.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Refer to program guidance.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program, "Phase 27: Responsibilities and Requirements" document.

Related Programs

10.568 Emergency Food Assistance Program (Administrative Costs); 14.231 Emergency Shelter Grants Program

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. See Catalog Appendix IV for list of addresses for FEMA Regional Offices.

Headquarters Office

Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 500 C Street, S.W., Room 619, Washington, District of Columbia 20472 Phone: (800) 621-FEMA (3363).

Web Site Address

http://www.fema.gov.

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Some local providers have used EFSP Program funds in the following ways: (1) A drop-in center, available for homeless individuals during daytime hours when shelters are closed, used EFSP funds to begin a lunch program; (2) A family shelter used EFS funds to increase the quality of the diet available to mothers and children and added a morning meal; (3) A shelter used funds to purchase additional cots and beddings, and thus increase shelter capacity; (4) A food bank used EFSP funds to increase the amount of food and the protein quality it distributed to its pantry system; and (5) A shelter organization used EFSP funds to make one-month mortgage and rent payments to prevent evictions which kept families in their own homes and lightened the shelter population. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Not Applicable.