FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian Relief (EFSP-H) and the New Shelter and Services Program (SSP)
INSIGHTi
FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter
Program-Humanitarian Relief (EFSP-H) and
the New Shelter and Services Program (SSP)
Updated August 30, 2023
Congress has recognized that local governments and nonprofit organizations often bear financial and
social burdens resulting from an influx of migrants. In FY2019, Congress first enacted legislation
authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to supplement the humanitarian relief
efforts of local government, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations providing food, shelter, and
supportive services to migrants encountered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the
southern border with the specific appropriation.
Since then, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) may be viewed as a two-track program: (1)
the version that funds the primary mission of assisting individuals and families experiencing (or at risk of
experiencing) homelessness and/or hunger, regardless of their immigration status—hereinafter “EFSP”;
and (2) EFSP humanitarian relief, which provides funding to local government, nonprofit, and faith-based
organizations providing food, shelter, and supportive services to assist migrants encountered by DHS—
hereinafter “EFSP-H.” (EFSP-H is used by Congress and the EFSP National Board to distinguish the
humanitarian relief program from the core mission program.)
In FY2023, Congress authorized a new Shelter and Services Program (SSP) to fund reimbursement or
advanced payments to nonfederal entities that provide shelter and other eligible services to migrants
encountered by and released from DHS custody, as well as funding to increase their temporary shelter
capacity. The SSP replaces the EFSP-H. This Insight briefly describes the funding provided for the EFSP-
H and discusses the transition to the SSP.
Background
The EFSP program is authorized under Title III of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. §§11331 et seq.), and has been providing funding to support the provision of food, shelter, and
supportive services for the past 40 years.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN12132
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress
Congressional Research Service
2
Congress passed the first funding measure for EFSP assistance specifically for migrant support—the
EFSP-H—in 2019. On July 1, 2019, Congress enacted the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for
Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-26, Title III), through
which it appropriated $30 million to FEMA to implement the EFSP-H.
According to the EFSP National Board, Congress selected the EFSP as the vehicle for disbursing
supplemental funding for humanitarian relief
because of the program’s established mission in supplementing and expanding the ongoing work of
local social service organizations, both non-profit and governmental, to provide shelter, food, and
supportive services to those who are, or who are at risk of becoming, homeless and/or hungry. The
program’s existing grant fund delivery structure and public-private partnership made it a viable
means for providing funds quickly to organizations providing humanitarian relief to families and
individuals encountered by DHS.
Since the FY2019 appropriation, migrant encounters continued to increase and Congress subsequently
authorized federal assistance through the EFSP-H to support communities experiencing a significant
migrant influx:
• $110 million pursuant to Section 4008 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L.
117-2, Title IV);
• $150 million pursuant to Section 543(a)(3) of the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103, Div. F, Title V);
• $425 million pursuant to Section 211(a) of the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act, 2023 (FY2023 DHS Appropriations Act; P.L. 117-328, Div. F, Title
II).
Regarding the FY2023 funding, the DHS Appropriations Act, 2023, directed U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) to transfer $800 million of its FY2023 appropriation to FEMA for the SSP, and
Congress authorized FEMA to use a portion of the $800 million—specifically, up to $785 million—to
implement the EFSP-H in FY2023 while the SSP was established. FEMA awarded $425 million for the
EFSP-H. FEMA was also permitted to use up to $11.2 million for its administrative costs. The remaining
$363.8 million was allocated for the SSP in FY2023.
EFSP-H and the Transition to the SSP
Although Congress acknowledged that the EFSP National Board “performed admirably in administering
EFSP-H since it was first funded in fiscal year 2019,” in FY2023, Congress established the new SSP grant
program “to support CBP in effectively managing noncitizen processing and preventing the overcrowding
of short-term CBP holding facilities.” Congress also permitted FEMA to use a portion of this SSP funding
for the EFSP-H while it worked with CBP to establish the SSP.
On February 28, 2023, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the availability of $350 million in
EFSP-H funding, and DHS/FEMA published the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). On March 1,
2023, FEMA awarded $350 million to the EFSP National Board for the EFSP-H, and on May 5, 2023, the
National Board announced the allocation of $332.5 million.
On June 12, 2023, DHS/FEMA published the first NOFO for the new SSP after FEMA and CBP
developed the new grant program. The first tranche of SSP funding made $291 million available to
eligible applicants. On August 21, 2023, DHS/FEMA amended the original NOFO, updating it for the
second tranche of SSP funding, which made $77.3 million available to eligible applicants (including $10
million held in reserve for allocation prior to the end of September 2023).
Congressional Research Service
3
For more information on the SSP’s implementation in FY2023, see CRS Insight IN12177, Shelter and
Services Program (SSP) FY2023 Funding.
The Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Administration’s DHS/FEMA FY2024 budget requests funding for the SSP, but
not the EFSP-H, as it is being phased out. The Administration’s FY2023 supplemental funding request
includes $600 million for the SSP. Further, as of the date of publication, the House version of the FY2024
DHS appropriations bill (H.R. 4367) would not fund the SSP, but the Senate version (S. 2625) would (and
in the manner it was funded in FY2023).
Considerations
It is unclear whether the SSP will be funded in FY2024. However, it is possible that EFSP-funded
organizations could be reimbursed for assistance provided to migrants—just as they would any client
experiencing/at risk of experiencing homelessness and/or hunger—because the program does not restrict
client eligibility based on immigration status (both the House and Senate versions of the FY2024
appropriations measure include funding for the EFSP).
Migrants may be eligible to receive assistance through other federal programs (eligibility varies by
program), or nonfederal resources (e.g., nonprofit organizations).
Author Information
Elizabeth M. Webster
Analyst in Emergency Management and Disaster
Recovery
Congressional Research Service
4
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.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
IN12132 · VERSION 5 · UPDATED