Shapiro Administration Invests More Than $5.3 Million to Help Communities Tackle Homelessness

These Emergency Solutions Grants will help fund rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, street outreach, and emergency shelters in Commonwealth communities.

This announcement reaffirms the Shapiro Administration's commitment to improving the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.

Harrisburg, PA -  Today, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced a total of $5,330,914 in new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) approvals for municipalities and nonprofit organizations that focus on helping homeless individuals and families find housing. This funding was approved for 14 municipal grantees and seven nonprofits in 50 counties, as well as funding for one statewide project.

A top priority of Governor Josh Shapiro and his Administration is combatting homelessness and providing safe, affordable housing for Pennsylvanians. The federal ESG grant program funding can be used to help homeless individuals quickly find new housing, prevent homelessness, provide services to people living on the streets, support emergency shelter operations, collect secure data to better understand the needs of our homeless community, and administer services.

"Under Governor Shapiro's leadership, we are tackling housing challenges head-on and providing real support and opportunity for all Pennsylvanians," said Secretary Siger. "This ESG funding will be used by trusted community organizations to provide essential resources to help individuals and families across the Commonwealth find or maintain housing."

The full list of approvals is available on the DCED website:

Some of the regional grant approvals include:

• Central: Center for Community Action is receiving $400,000 to provide homelessness prevention activities for a regional project serving Bedford, Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Mifflin counties. Funding will support short and medium rental assistance and street outreach for case management, as well as staffing and training.
• Lehigh Valley: City of Bethlehem is receiving $400,000 for coordinated efforts to address homelessness and housing insecurity in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Funding will be used to provide services and supports for emergency shelter, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, and street outreach to help homeless and at-risk households obtain or maintain permanent housing.
• Northeast: Monroe County is receiving $232,500 to deliver services through sub-recipient partners in Monroe and Pike counties. Funds will be used to address homelessness and housing insecurities.
• Northwest: Lawrence County Social Service Inc. is receiving $1,055,000 to deliver services through sub-recipient partners in Armstrong, Beaver, Cameron, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Lawrence, McKean, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland counties with a goal of decreasing homelessness by 50 percent. The funding is expected to support 300 households through emergency shelter, 114 households through rapid rehousing, 107 households regain stability through homelessness prevention, and 55 households through street outreach.
• Southeast: Bucks County is receiving $165,000 to operate the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter and A Woman's Place's domestic violence shelter, as well as support the Bucks County Opportunity Council's Housing Locator positions that assist clients in finding viable housing options.
• Southwest: Butler County is receiving $250,000 to support activities through subgrantees including Glade Run Lutheran Services and Victim Outreach Intervention Center to provide emergency shelter; The Care Center for rapid rehousing and emergency shelter services; and Catholic Charities for financial and rental assistance through rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention.

Statewide approval:

• The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence is receiving $350,000 to enable 12 sub-recipients across Pennsylvania to provide emergency shelter to homeless domestic violence clients. The funding is expected to provide emergency shelter services, focusing on utilizing hotel/motel vouchers for shelter while also providing essential services.

ESG funding is authorized by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.

Priority for funding is given to groups that represent areas of the Commonwealth that do not already receive a direct allocation of Emergency Solutions Grant funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Expanding the availability of housing across Pennsylvania is also a key focus of the Commonwealth's Economic Development Strategy, the first plan of its kind in nearly two decades.

Tackling Pennsylvania's Housing Shortage, Addressing Homelessness, and Expanding Affordable Housing Options.

Since taking office in 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro has taken action to address housing challenges in Pennsylvania:

• Signed an Executive Order directing his Administration to create Pennsylvania's first comprehensive Housing Action Plan to address the Commonwealth's housing shortage, address homelessness, and expand affordable, accessible housing options.
• Successfully raised the cap for the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) by $10 million to help municipalities build and repair more affordable housing. Since Governor Shapiro took office, PHARE-funded housing projects have increased by 55 percent and over 1,000 projects have been funded to build or repair more than 8,200 housing units.
• Drove out over $120.3 million through the Whole-Home Repairs program from the Department of Community and Economic Development to the 64 counties who joined the program to help low- and moderate-income homeowners and landlords repair, adapt, and weatherize their homes.
• Secured $5 million in funding for the Help at Home (OPTIONS) program through the Department of Aging to reduce the waitlist of seniors seeking services to help them stay in their homes.
• Invested $2.5 million in state funding ― the first ever - to provide legal counsel for people facing evictions.
• Secured a $5 million increase for the Homeless Assistance Program to provide housing supportive services like rental assistance and bridge housing.

For more information about the Emergency Solutions Grant program or Department of Community and Economic Development, visit DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Backover, [email protected] or 717.418.4014