Emergency Solutions Grant

The 2026 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), administered by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), provides federal funding authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to support efforts that assist homeless individuals and those at risk of homelessness. With an anticipated funding level of $1.6 million—contingent on HUD’s final allocation—this grant aims to support eligible Kansas-based subrecipient agencies in delivering critical services such as street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and HMIS participation. The grant program year spans fifteen months, from July 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, and applications are due by 5:00 PM Central Time on May 18, 2026. The ESG program is specifically designed to improve access to housing and essential services for vulnerable populations. Funding supports activities to engage unsheltered individuals, operate and enhance emergency shelters, provide essential services to shelter residents, and offer rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention assistance. ESG funds may also be used for the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to enhance data collection and analysis efforts. Each program component has distinct eligibility criteria, with services ranging from rental and utility assistance to legal aid, mental health care, transportation, and relocation support. Administrative costs are limited to 7.5% at the recipient level, with KHRC allocating about 2.5% to subrecipients for planning and management purposes. Eligible applicants include units of general-purpose local government and nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits are generally required to apply through a municipality, although waivers can be requested for direct application if approved by KHRC. Subrecipient agencies are responsible for submitting a joint application that includes funding requests from ESG-funded agencies under their jurisdiction. The application process involves submitting two components—the Subrecipient Application and ESG Agency Application—along with a robust set of attachments such as audits, certificates of good standing, organizational charts, program rules, and evidence of Continuum of Care (CoC) involvement. Applications are scored based on a combination of project descriptions, organizational capacity, collaboration strategies, need assessments, and adherence to federal and state regulations. Bonus points are awarded to renewal applicants with strong past performance, projects serving high-need areas, multi-county projects, or those involving multiple ESG-funded agencies. ESG-funded programs must comply with extensive federal requirements outlined in 24 CFR Part 576 and 2 CFR Part 200, as well as state ESG Policy Manuals and written standards for eligibility and service delivery. Evaluation and monitoring are core components of ESG administration. Agencies are required to reassess clients' eligibility every three months (for prevention services) or annually (for re-housing), and must report quarterly and annually using the SAGE platform and direct communication with KHRC. Subrecipients must follow written standards for service targeting, admissions, discharge policies, coordination with local systems, and financial contribution expectations. A 100% match is required, meaning agencies must contribute an amount equal to their ESG award from any public or private source. To apply, organizations must submit their completed application electronically via email to [email protected] or upload it to SharePoint (for current ESG subrecipients only). Hard copy submissions will not be accepted. Further inquiries can be directed to Doug Wallace, ESG/HOME-ARP Program Manager, at [email protected].

Follow waiver and submission rules strictly; ensure fiscal oversight and 1:1 match are documented