- Home
- Departments
- Planning & Development
- Community Development
- Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program
About the Emergency Solutions Grant Program
The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) - formerly called the Emergency Shelter Grant - is grant program awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, designed to assist households who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless.
Particular emphasis is placed on providing grants to our partners to help individuals or families connect with or remain in permanent housing after they experience a housing crisis or homelessness. Eligible activities include short-term homelessness prevention assistance to prevent households at imminent risk of losing their home and assistance to homeless households moving into permanent affordable housing. ESG funds may also be used to support shelter operating costs, essential services, and outreach activities.
Selection of Recipients
The selection of recipients of Emergency Solutions Grants occurs annually with the availability of applications typically beginning in November of each year. Funds can only be provided to organizations. Any organization interested in applying for funds may request an RFP. Organizations that receive an Emergency Solutions Grant must match grant funds dollar for dollar with their own locally generated amounts.
Annual Allocation
Request for Proposals (RFP) is available and due December 13, 2024. CDBG and ESG RFPs will be scored using the same scoring sheet.
PLEASE NOTE: There will be significant changes to the RFP process for the next fiscal year. To ensure your organization is well informed, attendance at a mandatory information session is required for any organization applying for HUD funding.
During these sessions, city staff will outline the important changes to the RFPs, which will be in effect for the next five years as part of our new consolidated plan. Organizations that do not attend the session will be ineligible to apply for funding, without exception. Therefore, we kindly request at least one representative from your organization registers and attends.
These information sessions will be held on the following days:
ESG: October 29, 2024
Please use the following links to register for the correct info session:
ESG: https://lowellma.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkf-CqqD8qHdcEzXXiL4dYrXN9YXHuJ5jz
If you are applying for only CDBG or ESG then you only need to attend that particular session. If you are applying for both grants, your organization will need to attend each session. Significant changes were made to both RFPs and are not uniform across both, so attending only one session will not be helpful in completing the other program’s application.
Approximately $175,000 is allocated annual to the City of Lowell from the federal government.
Important Note
On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. The HEARTH Act amends and reauthorizes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act with substantial changes including changes to the ESG Program.
The Emergency Solutions Grant, as authorized under HEARTH, allows communities to set priorities on the use of funds based on the needs of the community. These standards serve to outline the specific guidelines and priorities that will be used by the City of Lowell's Department of Planning and Development in awarding and administering ESG funds.
Balance of State Continuum of Care Communities
Homeless Resources
If you are looking for information regarding homeless resources, the city cannot provide any assistance regarding your situation except for providing these resources. Additionally, please also review the resources provided by the health department. .
Important Documents
All Important Grantee documents will be listed on the grant compliance documents page