Emergency Food and Shelter Program

Convened and managed by The Volunteer Center of the Virginia Peninsula in partnership with United Way, the Local Food and Shelter Board allocates approximately $300,000 annually to supplement nonprofit's providing food and shelter programs.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both nonprofit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic emergencies (not disaster-related [i.e., fires of any kind, floods, tornadoes, etc.]) Therefore, EFSP funds are not to be used to provide emergency assistance for circumstances that are the immediate result of a disaster situation. The EFSP funding is open to all organizations helping hungry and homeless people. EFSP funds must be used to supplement feeding, sheltering (including transitional sheltering) and rent/mortgage and utility assistance efforts only. EFSP is governed by a National Board that selects jurisdictions for funding. Local Boards are convened in those qualifying jurisdictions to determine the highest need and best use of funds and to select Local Recipient Organizations (LROs) that will provide emergency food and shelter services. Each year, needs are to be assessed in an effort to adapt to particular community needs.

History

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was established on March 24, 1983, with the signing of the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. That legislation created a National Board, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that consisted of representatives of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., The Salvation Army, United Jewish Communities, and United Way of America. The EFSP was authorized under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77 signed into law on July 24, 1987, since renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and subsequently reauthorized under P.L. 100-628, signed into law on November 7, 1988). Since 1983 the EFSP will have distributed $3.304 billion to over 12,000 human service agencies in more than 2,500 communities across the country.

The original authorizing legislation (PL 100-77) specifically calls for "sensitivity to the transition from temporary shelter to permanent homes and attention to the specialized needs of homeless individuals with mental and physical disabilities and illness and to facilitate access for homeless individuals to other sources of services and benefits."

Also in accordance with the legislation, the National Board encourages Local Boards to place special emphasis on identification of and assistance to the elderly, families with children, Native Americans and veterans. In addition, the authorization as revised (PL 102-550) in 1992 requires that a homeless or formerly homeless person serve on decision making boards.

Current programs receiving awards to supplement existing food and shelter programs on the Virginia Peninsula include: The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula, LINK of Hampton Roads, Transitions Family Violence Services, Hampton - Newport News Community Services Board, Menchville House, H.E.L.P., and St. Joseph's.

For an application email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it