The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act) amended the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, revising the Emergency Shelter Grants Program in significant ways and renaming it the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. The ESG Interim Rule took effect on January 4, 2012. The change in the program’s name, from Emergency Shelter Grants to Emergency Solutions Grants, reflects the change in the program’s focus from addressing the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters to assisting people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.
ESG eligible activities are street outreach, emergency shelters, navigation centers and rapid re-housing.
The City of Salinas’ Community Development Department is Monterey and San Benito Counties’ local ESG administrative entity. As an entitlement jurisdiction, the City of Salinas receives their own allocation of ESG, in addition to the regional State ESG allocation for both counties. State ESG funding recommendations provided by the City must be approved by the Leadership Council, Monterey and San Benito Counties’ Continuum of Care governing body.
Due to the pandemic, State ESG has released two additional waves of funding in addition to the annual renewal, significantly increasing the amount of funding for our community from $242,240 to $4,314,340.
The Leadership Council authorized the following funding allocations:
2020-2021 STATE ESG
Salinas Warming Shelter – $132,527
CCCIL Rapid Re-Housing – $102,896
STATE ESG CV ROUND 1
Motel Vouchers – $150,000
Salinas Street Outreach and Food Distribution – $270,000
Community Homeless Solutions Warming Shelter/Trailers – $60,405
Community Homeless Solutions Navigation and Sprung Shelter/Trailers – $60,405
San Benito County HOME Resource Center – $81,190
Housing Resource Center Motel Vouchers – $95,000
CCCIL Motel Vouchers – $47,500
CCCIL Homeless Prevention – $28,500
CCCIL Rapid Re-Housing – $19,000
STATE ESG CV ROUND 2
San Benito County HOME Resource Center – $200,000
San Benito County Rapid Re-Housing – $125,000
CSUMB CHE Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART) – $1,200,000
Community Human Services Casa de Noche Buena Emergency Shelter – $400,000
Community Human Services Rapid Re-Housing – $150,000
Dorothy’s Place Street Outreach – $236,300
SHARE Center – $500,000
Community Homeless Solutions Rapid Re-Housing – $150,000
Housing Resource Center Motel Vouchers – $150,000
*** A small percentage is set-aside for administrative costs
The California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) Program provides funds for a variety of activities to assist persons experiencing or at risk of homelessness as authorized by SB 850 (Chapter 48, Statues of 2018). The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the CESH Program with funding received from the Building Homes and Jobs Act Trust Fund (SB 2, Chapter 364, Statutes of 2017)
CESH funds may be used for five primary activities: housing relocation and stabilization services (including rental assistance), operating subsidies for permanent housing, flexible housing subsidy funds, operating support for emergency housing interventions, and systems support for homelessness services and housing delivery systems. In addition, some administrative entities may use CESH funds to develop or update a Coordinated Entry System (CES), Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), or Homelessness Plan. Refer to the current Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for any limitations on these activities.
As with State ESG, the City of Salinas’ Community Development Dept. is the Administrative Entity for CESH funds which must be authorized by the Leadership Council.
2020-2021 CESH Funding allocations are as follows:
Community Homeless Solutions Trailers and Sprung Shelter – $169,910
San Benito County HOME Resource Center – $55,000
CCCIL Rapid Re-Housing – $309,269