Emergency Help When You Are Homeless or About to Lose Your Home: The Emergency Solutions Grants Program

If you are sleeping in a shelter, in your car, on the streets, or couch-surfing with friends because you have nowhere else to go—or if you are days away from eviction with no backup plan—the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program funds services in your community that can help you get into stable housing. ESG is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that provides funding to cities, counties, states, and non-profit organizations to address homelessness through four core strategies: street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless prevention, and rapid rehousing.

ESG is not a program you apply to at a federal office. It operates through a network of local organizations—shelters, housing agencies, community action agencies, and non-profits—that receive ESG funding from their city, county, or state government. These organizations provide direct services on the ground: helping people on the streets connect with shelter and services, keeping emergency shelters open and safe, preventing at-risk households from becoming homeless, and rapidly moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing.

With annual federal funding of approximately $290 million, supplemented by matching funds from state and local sources, ESG reaches hundreds of communities across the country. The program is a critical piece of the broader federal response to homelessness, working in coordination with the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, Housing Choice Vouchers, HOPWA, and other housing assistance programs.

Opportunity Snapshot

Detail	Information
Program Type	Ongoing homelessness assistance and prevention
Who It Serves	People experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness
Income Limit	At or below 30% of Area Median Income (for prevention); no income test for shelter and outreach
Annual Federal Funding	Approximately $290 million
Services	Street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing
Financial Assistance	Rent, utility deposits, rental arrears, moving costs, security deposits
Application	Contact local shelters, housing agencies, or call 211
Administered By	HUD Office of Community Planning and Development

The Four Components of ESG

Street Outreach

Outreach workers go where homeless people are—under bridges, in encampments, at transit stations, in parks—to engage individuals who are not connected to the shelter system or other services. Street outreach is often the first point of contact between a homeless person and the system designed to help them.

Outreach services include engagement and relationship-building with individuals who may be distrustful of services, assessment of immediate needs and health conditions, provision of emergency supplies (food, water, hygiene kits, blankets, first aid), crisis counseling and mental health support, transportation to shelters, healthcare facilities, or social services, and help obtaining identification documents and benefits.

Street outreach is particularly critical for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, or other conditions that make it difficult to navigate traditional service systems on their own. The person-centered, non-coercive approach of outreach workers builds trust over time and creates pathways to housing and stability.

Emergency Shelter

ESG funds help keep emergency shelters open and operational, providing a safe, warm place to sleep for people who have no other option. Emergency shelter services funded by ESG include building operations (rent, utilities, maintenance, insurance), staffing costs for shelter workers and case managers, essential services provided to shelter residents (case management, child care, education, job training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, transportation, and legal services), and renovation and conversion of buildings into shelters.

Emergency shelter is designed to be a temporary intervention—a bridge to permanent housing rather than a destination in itself. While in shelter, residents work with case managers to develop housing plans, address barriers to housing stability, and connect with the resources they need to move into permanent housing as quickly as possible.

Homeless Prevention

For households at imminent risk of homelessness—facing eviction, utility shutoff, domestic violence, or other housing crises—ESG prevention services provide the targeted assistance needed to maintain housing stability. Prevention services include:

Financial assistance: Direct payments for rent (including rental arrears of up to six months), utility deposits and payments (including arrears of up to six months), security deposits for new housing, first and last month’s rent, and moving costs. Financial assistance can continue for up to 24 months.

Housing relocation and stabilization: Housing search and placement services, landlord mediation, legal services related to housing, credit counseling and repair, and case management to address underlying issues that threaten housing stability.

To qualify for ESG prevention assistance, a household must have an annual income at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and lack sufficient resources or support networks to prevent homelessness without ESG help. For a single person in most metropolitan areas, 30% AMI ranges from approximately $15,000 to $25,000 per year; for a family of four, it ranges from approximately $20,000 to $35,000.

Rapid Rehousing

Rapid rehousing is the core ESG strategy for moving people out of homelessness and into permanent housing as quickly as possible. The approach is straightforward: identify a unit, help the person move in, and provide time-limited financial assistance and support services to achieve stability. Rapid rehousing services include:

Housing search and placement: Help finding available rental units, negotiating with landlords, completing rental applications, and addressing barriers like poor credit history or lack of references.

Financial assistance: The same types of financial assistance available under homeless prevention—rent, utility payments, deposits, moving costs—provided for up to 24 months, though most rapid rehousing assistance lasts 3 to 6 months as families stabilize.

Case management and stabilization: Ongoing support to address employment, income, childcare, transportation, health, and other factors that affect housing stability. Case managers work with households to develop and implement plans for maintaining housing after ESG assistance ends.

Rapid rehousing has become a central strategy in communities’ responses to homelessness because research shows it is effective. Studies demonstrate that rapid rehousing reduces the length of homeless episodes, achieves high rates of exit to permanent housing (typically 80% or higher), and is more cost-effective than extended shelter stays or transitional housing programs.

How to Access ESG Services

ESG services are not accessed through a single national application. Instead, they are delivered by local organizations that receive ESG funding through their city, county, or state government. Here is how to connect with ESG services in your area:

If you are currently homeless:

Call 211. The 211 helpline can direct you to shelters, street outreach teams, and rapid rehousing programs in your area.
Go to a shelter. Staff at local emergency shelters can assess your situation and connect you with rapid rehousing and other services.
Contact your Continuum of Care (CoC). Every community has a CoC—a local planning body that coordinates homeless services. HUD maintains a list of CoC contacts at hudexchange.info.
Visit a community action agency or social services office. These organizations often administer ESG-funded services or can refer you to agencies that do.

If you are at risk of homelessness:

Act immediately. Do not wait until you have already lost your housing. Contact a homeless prevention program as soon as you receive an eviction notice, a utility shutoff notice, or become aware that you will be unable to pay your rent.
Call 211 and describe your situation.
Contact your local housing authority and ask about emergency assistance programs.
Reach out to legal aid if you are facing eviction—free legal representation can often prevent eviction or buy time to access assistance.

Coordinated entry: Many communities have implemented “coordinated entry” systems that provide a single point of access to all homeless services, including ESG. Instead of contacting multiple agencies separately, you go through one assessment process that evaluates your needs and matches you with appropriate services. Ask your 211 operator or local shelter about coordinated entry in your area.

What to Expect When You Access ESG Services

Intake and assessment: A case worker will conduct an assessment of your housing situation, income, employment, health, family composition, and other factors. This information is used to determine your eligibility, identify the most appropriate type of assistance, and develop a plan to achieve housing stability.

Documentation: You may need to provide identification, proof of income (or lack thereof), proof of your housing crisis (eviction notice, utility shutoff notice, etc.), and other documents. If you do not have these documents, case workers can often help you obtain them.

Service plan: Together with your case worker, you will develop a plan that identifies your housing goals, the services and financial assistance you will receive, and the steps you will take to achieve stability. This plan is a collaborative document—your input and preferences matter.

Ongoing support: ESG assistance is not a one-time payment and goodbye. Case managers provide ongoing support, monitor your progress, troubleshoot problems, and adjust services as needed. The goal is to help you achieve stable, permanent housing and the capacity to maintain it independently.

ESG and the Broader Homeless Response System

ESG is one piece of a larger puzzle. In most communities, it works alongside several other federal and local programs:

Continuum of Care (CoC) Program: Funds permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and supportive services for chronically homeless individuals
Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8): Ongoing rental subsidies for low-income households
HOPWA: Housing assistance specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS
VASH: VA Supportive Housing vouchers specifically for homeless veterans
TANF Emergency Assistance: Short-term emergency payments for families in crisis
LIHEAP: Energy assistance to prevent utility-related housing crises
Affordable housing programs: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, public housing, and other affordable housing resources

When you enter the homeless services system, your case worker will assess your eligibility for all of these programs and help you access the combination of resources that best fits your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be literally sleeping on the streets to get help? No. ESG serves people who are currently homeless (in shelters, on the street, in cars, in places not meant for habitation) AND people who are at imminent risk of homelessness (facing eviction, leaving an institution with no housing plan, fleeing domestic violence).

Can ESG help me if I am fleeing domestic violence? Yes. People fleeing domestic violence are considered homeless under HUD’s definition and are eligible for ESG shelter and rapid rehousing services. Many communities have specialized domestic violence agencies that receive ESG funding.

How long does ESG assistance last? Financial assistance under ESG can last up to 24 months, though most rapid rehousing assistance averages 3 to 6 months. The duration depends on your needs and the policies of the local program.

Will ESG pay my rent directly to my landlord? Yes. ESG financial assistance for rent is typically paid directly to landlords or utility companies, not to the participant.

Can I receive ESG assistance more than once? Yes, though there are limitations. You cannot receive more than 24 months of financial assistance within a 3-year period. If your circumstances change, you may be eligible for additional assistance after a prior episode of assistance ends.

Is ESG available in rural areas? ESG funding goes to metropolitan cities and urban counties that receive HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, as well as to states, which distribute funding to smaller communities. While coverage is broader in metropolitan areas, many rural communities also have access to ESG-funded services through state allocations.

How to Get Started

Call 211 for immediate referrals to shelters, rapid rehousing, and prevention services
Visit hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/emergency-solutions-grants-program for program information
Search for your local Continuum of Care at hudexchange.info
Contact your local housing authority about emergency housing assistance
Visit a community action agency or social services office in your area

If you are homeless or about to become homeless, help exists. The Emergency Solutions Grants program funds the local organizations that can provide shelter, financial assistance, case management, and a path to stable housing. The most important step is reaching out—the sooner you connect with services, the more options will be available to help you.