Tompkins County was awarded $30,619 in federal funding through the National Board of Emergency Food and Shelter program. The funding is intended to supplement local emergency food and shelter programs, and applications to receive the funds are due by July 26th.
“The Emergency Food and Shelter Program is a national program created in 1983 to supplement community efforts to provide food, housing and support services,” said John Mazzello of the Human Services Coalition. He added that while funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program comes from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA, it is intended to address economic emergencies, not natural disasters, which FEMA typically deals with.
The funding is part of a nationwide effort to bolster local programs that support individuals and families facing economic emergencies and ensure access to food and shelter during times of crisis.
Tompkins County was selected to receive this funding because its unemployment and poverty rates meet the criteria. As of April 2024, Tompkins County’s unemployment rate is 2.9%, down slightly from 3.6% in December 2023. Additionally, as of 2023, Tompkins County’s poverty rate is approximately 16.7%. This rate is higher than the state average of 14.3% and the national average of 12.6%.
“Funding has fluctuated over the years depending on the total amount available and the county’s unemployment and poverty rates compared to the rest of the country,” Mazzello said. He added that this year’s amount is about average compared to past years, but the county received larger COVID-related allocations as part of the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan (ARPA).
Tompkins County’s Local Committee, comprised of representatives from the county government, the City of Ithaca, the Human Services Coalition, United Way, local service providers and faith-based organizations, will oversee the distribution of the funds. The committee will recommend that local agencies receive the funds, which will increase their ability to provide food, housing, rental assistance and other critical services to residents in need.
“The program emphasizes local decision-making, allowing each community to create the application process and identify their priorities, rather than being predetermined by a national program,” Mazzello said. “In Tompkins County, the Human Services Coalition manages the process and provides support to applicants and funding recipients throughout the year.”
Mazzello said the county has a local board of about 12 members, made up of representatives from human services agencies, city and county governments, food and housing experts, etc. “Over the last few years, the local board has worked to make the application process more streamlined, recognizing that the amount of funding available is not that great, so the application process is pretty brief,” Mazzello said.
Mazzello added that the county is inviting applicants before a local committee to discuss their ideas and have any questions answered. “After meeting with the applicants, the local committee will meet to allocate the funds,” Mazzello added.
The funds can cover a variety of costs for organizations that provide food and housing services, “the most common being providing food directly for an individual’s use, costs associated with housing, assistance with paying rent or utilities,” Mazzello said.
He added that organizations that have recently received funding include the Advocacy Center, Catholic Charities, Loaves and Fishes, Family and Children’s Services, Groton Community Cupboard, Mutual Aid Tompkins, OAR, St. John’s Community Services/Emergency Shelter, Learning Web, United Way (for the ALICE Financial Assistance Program) and Villages at Ithaca.
Funding for this particular application will run from October 2022 through the end of this year, Mazzello said.
To be eligible for this funding, local agencies must be private volunteer nonprofit organizations or government agencies, be eligible to receive federal funds, have an accounting system, practice nondiscrimination, demonstrate the ability to provide emergency food and/or shelter programs, and, in the case of private volunteer organizations, have a volunteer board of directors.
To apply, interested agencies should contact John Mazzello at the Human Services Coalition at 607-252-7214 or jmazzello@hsctc.org. Additional information and application details can be found at www.hsctc.org/efsp. Applications will be accepted by July 26, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
