The County of Hawaiʻi (County) through the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) is requesting proposals from eligible organizations for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds made available through the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Donor Name: County of Hawaiʻi
State: Hawaii
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/14/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The ESG program is authorized by subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act for the rehabilitation or conversion of buildings for use as emergency shelter for the homeless, for the payment of certain expenses related to operating emergency shelters, for essential services related to emergency shelters and street outreach for the homeless, and for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance. The primary purpose of the program is to help individuals and families quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness.
The ESG program provides funding to:
- Engage homeless individuals and families living on the street;
- Improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families;
- Help operate these shelters;
- Provide essential services to shelter residents;
- Rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families; and
- Prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless.
Priorities
- Priority 1: Housing Stability and Rapid Re-Housing
- The top priority is to reduce homelessness quickly by moving people into permanent housing.
- Priority 2: Safe Housing Options for Highly Vulnerable Populations
- Focus populations may include justice-involved individuals, survivors of domestic violence, youth, families with children, veterans, and people with disabilities or behavioral health challenges.
- Priority 3: Essential Services and Housing Support
- Provide wraparound supports that help households stabilize and succeed in housing.
Funding Information
For PY2025, the County anticipates approximately $255,000.00 in ESG funding will be available for eligible projects.
Grant Period
Performance periods for PY2025 are anticipated as April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027.
Eligible Program Components
- Street Outreach
- Essential Services related to reaching out to unsheltered homeless individuals and families, connecting them with emergency shelter, housing, or critical services, and providing them with urgent, non-facility-based care. Eligible costs include engagement, case management, emergency health and mental health services, transportation, and services for special populations.
- Emergency Shelter
- Renovation, including major rehabilitation or conversion, of a building to serve as an emergency shelter. The emergency shelter must be owned by a government entity or private nonprofit organization. The shelter must serve homeless persons for at least 3 or 10 years, depending on the type of renovation and the value of the building. Note: Property acquisition and new construction are ineligible ESG activities.
- Essential Services, including case management, child care, education services, employment assistance and job training, outpatient health services, legal services, life skills training, mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, transportation, and services for special populations.
- Shelter Operations, including maintenance, rent, repair, security, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities, food, furnishings, and supplies necessary for the operation of the emergency shelter. Where no appropriate emergency shelter is available for a homeless family or individual, eligible costs may also include a hotel or motel voucher for that family or individual.
- Homelessness Prevention
- Housing relocation and stabilization services and short-and/or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to prevent the individual or family from moving to an emergency shelter, a place not meant for human habitation, or another place described in paragraph (1) of the homeless definition.
- The costs of homelessness prevention are only eligible to the extent that the assistance is necessary to help the program participant regain stability in their current housing or move into other permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.
- Eligible costs include:
- Rental Assistance: rental assistance and rental arrears
- Financial assistance: rental application fees, security and utility deposits, utility payments, last month’s rent, moving costs
- Services: housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services, credit repair
- Rapid Re-Housing
- Housing relocation and stabilization services and/or short-and/or medium-term rental assistance as necessary to help individuals or families living in shelters or in places not meant for human habitation move as quickly as possible into permanent housing and achieve stability in that housing.
- Eligible costs include:
- Rental Assistance: rental assistance and rental arrears
- Financial Assistance: rental application fees, security and utility deposits, utility payments, last month’s rent, moving costs
- Services: housing search and placement, housing stability case management, landlord-tenant mediation, tenant legal services, credit repair
- Data Collection (HMIS)
- ESG funds may be used to pay for the costs of participating in and contributing to the HMIS designated by the Continuum of Care for the area. More information about using an HMIS is available on the HMIS page.
For more information, visit County of Hawaiʻi.
