ESG Information

ESG is a formula grant program. Eligible recipients are states, metropolitan cities, urban counties and territories. Eligible recipients apply through the Consolidated Planning process. Each state or local jurisdiction submits its Consolidated Plan (or Annual Action Plan) to the appropriate HUD field office no later than 45 days before the start of its consolidated program year.

The ESG program provides funding to:

Engage homeless individuals and families living on the street;
Improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families;
Help operate these shelters;
Provide essential services to shelter residents;
Rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families;
Prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless.

ESG Program Types

Street Outreach

Essential Services related to reaching out to unsheltered homeless individuals and families, connecting them with emergency shelter, housing, or critical services, and providing them with urgent, non-facility-based care. Eligible costs include engagement, case management, emergency health and mental health services, transportation, and services for special populations.

Emergency Shelter

Renovation, including major rehabilitation or conversion, of a building to serve as an emergency shelter. The emergency shelter must be owned by a government entity or private nonprofit organization. The shelter must serve homeless persons for at least 3 or 10 years, depending on the type of renovation and the value of the building.

Essential Services, including case management, child care, education services, employment assistance and job training, outpatient health services, legal services, life skills training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, transportation, and services for special populations.

Shelter Operations, including maintenance, rent, repair, security, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities, food, furnishings, and supplies necessary for the operation of the emergency shelter. Where no appropriate emergency shelter is available for a homeless family or individual, eligible costs may also include a hotel or motel voucher for that family or individual.

Homelessness Prevention

Housing relocation and stabilization services and short-and/or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to prevent the individual or family from moving to an emergency shelter or a place not meant for human habitation.

The costs of homelessness prevention are only eligible to the extent that the assistance is necessary to help the program participant regain stability in their current housing or move into other permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.

Eligible costs include:

Rental Assistance: rental assistance and rental arrears
Financial assistance: rental application fees, security and utility deposits, utility payments, last month's rent, moving costs
Services: housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services, credit repair

Rapid Re-Housing

Housing relocation and stabilization services and/or short-and/or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to help individuals or families living in shelters or in places not meant for human habitation move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.

Eligible costs include:

Rental Assistance: rental assistance and rental arrears
Financial Assistance: rental application fees, security and utility deposits, utility payments, last month's rent, moving costs
Services: housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services, credit repair

ESG in HMIS

The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is used to document service delivery, financial assistance, and eligibility indicators for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program in a standardized, reportable format. HMIS entries must be timely, complete, and consistent with program activity.

The ESG assessment is used to capture all required ESG data elements in HMIS. Subrecipients must also comply with all ESG program documentation and recordkeeping requirements as outlined in the ESG Program Manual and 24 CFR Part 576, including maintaining appropriate source documentation and participant records outside of HMIS, as applicable. Information entered into HMIS must be supported by documentation in the program participant file.

HMIS Training Resources

ESG HMIS Program Requirements (PDF)
NH HMIS ESG Data Entry Training (Recorded Training)

HMIS Reporting Requirements

How to run the ESG CAPER