The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has today (August 21) announced more than $77 million in grants to support border and interior communities receiving migrants through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP).
The funding will be available to 53 grant recipients for temporary shelter and other eligible costs associated with migrants awaiting the outcome of their immigration proceedings.
Today’s announcement builds on the more than $290 million announced through SSP in June, which brings the total funding allocated to more than $770 million. Overall, 69 entities, in both Southwest Border and interior communities, have received funding this year through SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Awards (EFSP-H).
Supporting communities is a critical component of DHS’s efforts to manage encounters at the Southwest Border in a safe, orderly, and humane manner. This includes the Biden Administration’s efforts to expand access to lawful and orderly pathways and processes while continuing to apply strengthened consequences for unlawful entry. DHS also requested $600 million in the FY23 budget supplemental to support border and interior communities receiving migrants.
The Bipartisan Year-End Omnibus signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022, authorized the creation of the new SSP grant program to support these communities. The Omnibus directed CBP to transfer $800 million in funding to FEMA to establish the SSP and authorized the use of a portion of that funding for the existing EFSP-H until SSP was established. The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board has allocated more than $400 million to support communities receiving migrants across the country, including $332.5 million announced on May 5, 2023 to 35 entities and $75 million awarded by the National Board in December 2022. The SSP was designed to quickly allocate funding to both Southwest Border and interior communities to meet a diverse set of needs across the nation.
As part of today’s announcement, and in response to technical assistance and stakeholder feedback, DHS has also amended the policy to expand the cap for both hotels/motels and airfare to 10 percent of the total funding requested by the applicant. In addition, DHS will also allow for recipients to apply for a waiver of those caps based on operational need.
For more information on the new Shelter and Services Program, visit FEMA.
