Emergency Food & Shelter Grants

The Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) was established by Congress in 1983 in response to the 1982 Recession, which revealed that state and local public and charitable organizations could not fully address the nation’s homelessness and food insecurity crises without federal support. EFSP funds can be used for a wide range of services, including mass shelter, mass feeding, food distribution through pantries and food banks, one-month assistance with rent, mortgage, or utility payments to prevent evictions, and support for transitioning from shelters to stable living conditions.

EFSP is administered by a National Board chaired by FEMA, in partnership with the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., The Salvation Army, The Jewish Federations of North America, and United Way Worldwide, which serves as the National Board’s Secretariat and Fiscal Agent.

United Way of Southwest Wyoming acts as the contact for the Local Board, covering Fremont, Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, and Uinta Counties. The National Board allocates funds to each county based on population, unemployment, and poverty statistics. The Local Board then reviews applications and distributes funds to local programs from the allotted amount.

On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum to federal agencies, requiring a temporary pause on all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the recent executive orders. OMB has rescinded this memorandum.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board recognizes that the memorandum and the recent executive orders may have created a great amount of uncertainty and anxiety for the Local Boards and Local Recipient Organizations participating in the program. The National Board is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to better understand and respond to the anticipated impact on the EFSP and the program participants.  EFSP staff will provide timely updates on the program’s web page as more information becomes available.