Emergency Services

About the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)
The EFSP of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1983 to supplement and expand the work of local social service agencies, both non-profit and governmental, in an effort to help people with economic (not disaster related) emergencies. Since that time the EFSP has distributed $2.19 billion to over 11,000 human service agencies helping homeless and hungry people in more than 2,500 communities across the country. EFSP funds must supplement feeding, sheltering (including transitional sheltering) and rent/mortgage and utility assistance efforts only.

The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board administers the program and 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.

The local board consists of representatives from the American Red Cross, Bay Path College, Catholic Charities, City of Springfield, Council of Churches of Greater Springfield, Equal Access to Safety Initiative, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Holyoke Food & Fitness Policy Council, Ludlow Boys & Girls Club, Nuestras Raices, Rachel’s Table, Springfield College, Springfield Partners for Community Action, Springfield Vietnamese-American Civic Association, The Salvation Army, United Way of Pioneer Valley, and Western Massachusetts Network to End Homeless.

For additional information, please visit the Emergency Food & Shelter Program website at http://www.efsp.unitedway.org/efsp/website/index.cfm

Public Notice For Phase 30 Funding

United Way of Pioneer Valley is accepting applications for Phase 30 in anticipation of receiving EFSP funds until Thursday, December 6, 2012.

The fiscal year 2012 funding awarded to the National Board for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) is $120,000,000.  Phase 30 funding for the EFSP is contained in the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12) Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by the President at year’s end. 

A public notice will be placed in The Republican for Thursday, November 29.  Applications will be received until Thursday, December 6. 

An Information Session will be held at the offices of United Way of Pioneer Valley.  New applicants are required to attend this information session to become familiar with the national and local guidelines.  Registration is required.  The date of the Information Session will be announced soon. 

Previous applicants are not required to attend an Information Session but are welcome to do so.  Previous applicants are encouraged to submit applications, if you have not done so already  by December 6. 

Click here for an application.

For additional information contact Portia Allen.

Current Phase 29 Recipients