INSIGHTi

Shelter and Services Program (SSP)
June 13, 2023
On June 12, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), published a notice of
funding opportunity (NOFO) for the new Shelter and Services Program (SSP). The SSP is a grant
program designed to award funding to nonfederal entities that provide services to migrants encountered
by and released from DHS custody.
The SSP is replacing the Emergency Food and Shelter Program for humanitarian relief (EFSP-H), which
supplemented the humanitarian relief efforts of local government, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations
that provide food, shelter, and supportive services to migrants encountered by DHS at the southern border.
However, the SSP is being implemented somewhat differently, as described below.
Authority and Background
The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2023 (Div. F of P.L. 117-328) directed CBP to
transfer $800 million of its FY2023 appropriation to FEMA for the SSP. The funding is
to support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, including facility
improvements and construction, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities
of U.S. Customs and Border Protection....
FEMA may use a portion of the $800 million—specifically, up to $785 million—to implement the EFSP-
H in FY2023. FEMA has awarded $425 million to the EFSP National Board, which governs the program
and is responsible for making EFSP-H award determinations and disbursing funding. The EFSP National
Board has awarded $403.7 million ($425 million minus administrative costs) to local government and
nonprofit organizations supporting migrants encountered by DHS. On May 5, 2023, DHS stated that
funding would be awarded through the SSP later in FY2023, and on June 12, 2023, DHS/FEMA
announced that $363.8 million is being made available for the SSP, as described below.
Funding for Migrant Support
Congress first appropriated funding for the EFSP-H in FY2019, and subsequently provided additional
funding in FY2021-FY2023.
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Although Congress acknowledged that the EFSP National Board “has performed admirably in
administering EFSP-H since it was first funded in fiscal year 2019,” in FY2023, Congress established the
new SSP grant program. Per the Senate Explanatory Statement, “funding the SSP through CBP will
facilitate more effective support of CBP efforts to efficiently process and humanely treat noncitizens.”
Funding, Eligibility, and the Application Deadline
A total of $363.8 million is being made available for the SSP in two tranches. The first tranche of funding,
made available through the SSP NOFO, is for $291 million, and a second tranche of funding totaling
$72.8 million will be made available later in FY2023.
The NOFO lists the eligible applicants for funding (including selected state and local government, and
nonprofit organizations)—these are the only entities that are eligible to apply for the first tranche of
funding. That said, eligible subapplicants with the capacity to perform the SSP allowable activities may
receive subawards from the eligible applicants. Subapplicants can include:
• local governments;
• Indian tribes;
• nonprofit organizations; and
• state governments (i.e., for this purpose, the 50 states, District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any agency of instrumentality thereof).
The application submission deadline is July 12, 2023. According to the NOFO, if an eligible applicant
does not accept their allocation, that amount will be rolled into the second tranche and reallocated.
The SSP funding award process differs from the EFSP-H’s process—instead of being a competitive grant
program that leaves award decisions to the EFSP National Board, DHS/FEMA’s NOFO specified the
eligible applicants, and made funding allocations based on CBP release and destination data and EFSP-H
request data.
Eligible Costs
Per the SSP NOFO and FAQ, eligible costs include the following services, which can only be provided to
“noncitizen migrants within 45 days of their release from DHS,” incurred between March 1, 2023, and
September 30, 2025:
• Primary Services—including shelter, food, transportation, acute medical care, personal
hygiene supplies, and labor for primary services;
• Secondary Services—including renovations/modifications to existing facilities (not to
exceed $250,000; note that SSP funding cannot be used for costs associated with new
construction or the purchase of real estate), clothing, outreach information, translation
services, and labor for secondary services; and
• Management and Administration—including staff time to provide services directly or
in support of migrants, application preparation, grants management, and managing SSP
funds (up to 5% of the award).
Other eligible costs may include pre-award costs (requires prior written approval of DHS/FEMA), and
indirect costs (described in 2 C.F.R. Part 200).
While SSP’s eligible costs generally align with the EFSP-H’s eligible costs, there are some notable
differences including related to how costs are categorized and the level of support that may be provided.

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Both the SSP and EFSP-H prioritize Primary Services; however, the SSP considers more forms of
assistance to be Primary Services—grouping eligible costs into the above-listed categories. The EFSP-H,
however, grouped them according to five service categories, and did not include services related to
health/medical or transportation with the program’s Primary Services (i.e., the EFSP-H limited Primary
Services to food and shelter services). Additionally, the SSP may provide support in excess of what was
available through the ESFP-H. For example, the SSP provides 45 days of hotel/motel services, but the
EFSP-H limited hotel/motel services to 5 days or 30 days if the individual/family had no sponsor. Also,
the SSP permits additional medical care, such as durable medical equipment and prescription medication.
The SSP NOFO further describes program requirements, including related to eligible funded work, and
compliance (e.g., grant reporting). It also details monitoring and oversight requirements.
Resources
For additional SSP information, see:
• Direct SSP questions to FEMA-SSP@fema.dhs.gov
• FY2023 SSP NOFO: FEMA Grants and Grants.gov
• FEMA’s “Shelter and Services Program” webpage
For additional EFSP-H information, see:
• FEMA’s “Emergency Food and Shelter Program” webpage
• The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program website (“Humanitarian
Funding Info” tab)
CRS resources:
• CRS In Focus IF12026, FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)
• CRS Insight IN12132, FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian
Relief (EFSP-H) and the New Shelter and Services Program (SSP)


Author Information

Elizabeth M. Webster

Analyst in Emergency Management and Disaster
Recovery




Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.

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