Emergency food & shelter funding

United Way of  Walworth County serves as the Chair of our local Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP) Board. The local board receives funds from the National EFSP Board to supplement existing services that meet critical emergency needs in Walworth County including food pantries, homeless shelters, home delivered meals & other vital services. 

EFSP funding awards are determined by the EFSP National Board, which is chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Once awards have been designated, our EFSP Local Board, composed of local representatives, is charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food & shelter programs in high need areas in Walworth County. Local Board decisions are based on applications submitted by qualified service organizations.

 1) Be private voluntary nonprofits or units of government (If private voluntary organization, must have a volunteer board). 2) Have an accounting system. 3) Practice nondiscrimination. 4) Areas eligible for funds are: Served Meals, Other Food, Mass Shelter (on-site), Other Shelter, Supplies/Equipment, Rent/Mortgage Assistance and Utility Assistance. Please view the application for further description. 5.) Must not have any outstanding reports due to the National Board.
and 6.) Have an FEIN and UEI number. 

 EFSP funds must be used to supplement food and shelter services and may not be used as seed money for new programs. The key responsibility of participating organizations is to provide assistance within the intent of the program. Agencies may receive funds to provide food, shelter and supportive services, including, but not limited to:
• Food services, such as congregate meals or groceries;
• Lodging in a mass shelter, or in a hotel/motel or other off-site shelter facility;
• Rent or mortgage assistance to prevent eviction or foreclosure;
• Utility assistance for service for gas, electric and water service;
• Supplies, including but not limited to cleaning supplies, and small equipment essential to feed or shelter people, not exceeding $300 per item; and
• Administrative funding, if approved by the Local Board. Two percent of a jurisdiction’s award may be used for administrative expenses. Agencies must confirm with the Local Board before making administrative expenditures with the funds. 

 The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was established on March 24, 1983, with the signing of the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. That legislation created a National Board, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that consisted of representatives of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, The Jewish Federations of North America, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army and United Way Worldwide. The EFSP was authorized under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77 signed into law on July 24, 1987, since renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and subsequently reauthorized under P.L. 100-628, signed into law on November 7, 1988). Since 1983, in its 40-year history, the EFSP will have distributed $6.158 billion to over 14,000 human service agencies in more than 2,500 communities across the country through this collaborative effort between the private and public sectors. 

 The original authorizing legislation (PL 100-77) specifically calls for "sensitivity to the transition from temporary shelter to permanent homes and attention to the specialized needs of homeless individuals with mental and physical disabilities and illness and to facilitate access for homeless individuals to other sources of services and benefits."  

• Katherine Gaulke, PhD,  LBO Board Chair, United Way of Walworth County
• Jeffrey Pal, Executive Director, United Way of Walworth County
• Elizabeth Knapp-Spooner, Community Action of Rock & Walworth Counties & Twin Oaks Shelter
• Marisol Rivera, Open Arms Free Clinic
• Angela Swinehart, The Salvation Army
• Carmen Garces , New Beginnings APFV
• Anne Prince, Walworth County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) / Meals on Wheels
• Guru Mohandass, American Red Cross - Wisconsin
• Mel Davis, TRIAD of Walworth County Chair / Lakeland Health Care Center
• Mark Luberda, Walworth County Administrator