Rep. Cuellar Provides Update on FEMA’s Humanitarian Reimbursement Process

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board releases information on the Supplemental Appropriations Assistance grant

Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced the release of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program’s National Board document, detailing the application process for the Supplemental Appropriations Assistance grant, which will provide funding to local social service organizations, both nonprofit and governmental, in support of their efforts in assisting southern border migrants who have been released from DHS custody. Any agency that provided direct services from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2019 in response to an influx of southern border migrants in their community who were released from DHS custody will be considered to receive reimbursements. Applications for reimbursement for local entities will be available later this summer.  

“It is critical that all local governments and organizations be reimbursed for providing humanitarian aid to unaccompanied children and families at our southern border,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This announcement demonstrates FEMA is taking the necessary steps to distribute the $30 million I secured in the FY19 Emergency Border Supplemental Appropriations Bill. I will continue to monitor the distribution of these funds to ensure that all proper entities are reimbursed for providing food and shelter to the migrants in need. I would like to thank the National Board for working efficiently to provide potential applicants in the district with this vital information.”

According to the document, the $30 million will be divided into sums for distribution: $25 million will be designated for border states most impacted by the influx of migrants, including Texas, and the other $5 million will be allocated for the rest of the country. FEMA has coordinated with the National Board and agreed to several considerations that prioritizes funds to the most impacted areas.

These considerations include the following:

• All eligible applicants must demonstrate a significant influx of aliens, the volume of services they are providing, types of eligible services, etc.
• All applications shall be evaluated competitively, and not on a rolling basis.
• Initial reimbursements shall be prioritized to food and shelter expenses, since these are the most life sustaining.  
• After all food and shelter expenses are reimbursed, the next tier of services (e.g. toiletries, diapers, etc.) can be reimbursed (if there are any of the $25 million funds remaining).
• Completeness of the information or guidance provided to the National Board in their requests;
• Justifications provided by the Local Boards on the impact of the influx of migrants on their jurisdictions;
• Any information or guidance that may be provided by the National Board; and
• Any other factors employed by the SSAs used as a basis for their determinations, such as state or local data, news and other reporting.

The National Board will produce a series of Web conference-based trainings to assist with the application process. For all questions regarding the notice, please contact the EFSP staff at 703-706-9660.

To see document released from the ESFP National Board, click here.

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