Would you be surprised to learn that many of the cans of beans and corn available in our local food pantries comes from FEMA funding? Or that, thanks in part to FEMA, our local shelters can provide a safe and warm place to sleep during the winter? There is more to the work of FEMA than providing disaster relief. FEMA also includes The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), which provides hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to New Haven County nonprofits and local government agencies that directly support individuals and families who are experiencing—or are at risk of—hunger and homelessness. In light of recent statements and actions by the Trump administration, this critical funding could be in jeopardy, putting our vulnerable neighbors at risk.
EFSP was created by the U.S. Congress in 1983 and in New Haven County, the grant is administered by United Way of Greater New Haven. A local board of community members makes decisions about how funds are distributed. The most recent ESFP grant was released in 2023, and it provided $391,304 to 38 organizations across New Haven County. Recipients included Columbus House and Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen in New Haven; the Beth-El Center in Milford; The Boys and Girls Club of Meriden; Area Congregations Together, Inc. of Shelton; BH Care of North Haven; Masters Manna of Wallingford; the City of West Haven’s Department of Youth & Family Services; Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries and the St. Vincent de Paul Mission of Waterbury; The Salvation Army in Ansonia, New Haven, Meriden and Waterbury; and Hamden’s Keefe Community Center, to name just a few. In the fall of 2024, a new round of EFSP funding was announced but it has yet to open.
The federal funding from FEMA’s EFSP grant is crucial to meeting the needs of those experiencing, and those at risk of, hunger and homelessness. According to Feeding America, in 2022 the food insecurity rate of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region was 13.5%, impacting 77,120 people. The State of Connecticut’s Point-Time-Count of Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness in January 2024 counted 3,410 people, an increase of 13% from the previous year. When President Donald Trump and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem discuss shutting down FEMA, please keep in mind how New Haven County’s EFSP grant is funded, and the direct, local help it provides to fight the tide of hunger and homelessness in our area. It is also important to consider the impact of the recent pause on payments for federal grants and programs (and the subsequent reversal) on the flow of funding to local agencies working on the front lines to help our most vulnerable populations. Lastly, please consider how the EFSP grant helps our local communities as the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency looks to cut spending and shut down federal agencies.
If the Trump administration shuts down FEMA and the EFSP grant is no more, our fight against hunger and homelessness in Greater New Haven will lose key funding and be disrupted. It will limit the capacity of our nonprofits and human services agencies, and add more financial strain to our local governments, leaving thousands of families without support for their basic needs of food and housing.
Adam Sendroff
Chairperson, New Haven County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board
Jennifer Heath
President and CEO, United Way of Greater New Haven
