Emergency Food & Shelter Program

Phase 42 - Cowlitz County

Messaged received from EFSP National: On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum to federal agencies, requiring a temporary pause on all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the recent executive orders. OMB has rescinded this memorandum.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board recognizes that the memorandum and the recent executive orders may have created a great amount of uncertainty and anxiety for the Local Boards and Local Recipient Organizations participating in the program.  The National Board is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to better understand and respond to the anticipated impact on the EFSP and the program participants.  EFSP staff will provide timely updates on the program’s web page as more information becomes available.

 

These are Federal funds made available through the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.

United Way of Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties manages the local funding process. A local board of the national required representatives is assembled to determine how the funds awarded to our community will be disbursed.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Any applicant funded by this program must certify that it:

  • Currently providing emergency food, shelter, mortgage/rental, and/or utility assistance within Cowlitz County for which the agency is seeking funding and proposes to use funds to supplement or expand existing services (i.e. is not intending to start a new program with this funding).
    • Note that EFSP funds can only be used for:
      • Mass Shelter
      • Other Shelter (emergency housing at motels, etc.)
      • Served Meals
      • Other Food (food bought for pantries)
      • Rent/Mortgage
      • Utilities (metered and non-metered)
      • Supplies (e.g. items used in meal centers, diapers, gift cards for food/diapers).
      • PPE (limited to 101% of total award)
        • Note: You can find full details on each of these categories in the Quick Reference Guide Section below.
  • Has the staff and capacity to take on the added responsibility of this program.
  • Proposes to use funds to supplement or expand existing programs and services (i.e. does not intend to start a new program with this funding).
  • Is a nonprofit (governed by a voluntary board), faith-based entity, or an agency of government.
  • Has a FEIN (Federal Employer Identification Number).
  • Has a UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) number (note that a DUNS number will not be accepted), an agency checking account, an accounting system, and a valid email address.
  • Has a checking account and agrees to sign up for EFT (Understand that cash payments (including petty cash) are NOT ELIGIBLE under EFSP).
  • Has an accounting system or fiscal agent approved by the Local Board.
  • Has a valid email address for program communications and electronic signature processes.
  • Practices nondiscrimination.
  • Does not charge any client a fee for services funded by EFSP.
  • Will provide and retain required reports and documentation, as requested, to the EFSP.
  • Will expend monies only on eligible costs and keep complete documentation for at least 3 years.
  • Pays vendors directly within 90 days of service.
  • Will spend all funds and close out the program by the spending deadline.
  • Has no known Emergency Food and Shelter compliance exceptions (i.e. must not have any open Local Recipient Organization (LRO) holds).
  • Will not use federal EFSP funds as a cost match for other federal funds or programs.
  • Is not debarred or suspended from receiving Federal funds.
  • Has not received an adverse or no opinion audit.
  • Will not use EFSP funding for any lobbying activities.

Any agency that participated in the EFSP in the past and has outstanding compliance exceptions must resolve them before they can apply for new funding.

Phase 42 - Cowlitz County

Messaged received from EFSP National: On January 27, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memorandum to federal agencies, requiring a temporary pause on all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the recent executive orders. OMB has rescinded this memorandum.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board recognizes that the memorandum and the recent executive orders may have created a great amount of uncertainty and anxiety for the Local Boards and Local Recipient Organizations participating in the program.  The National Board is working closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to better understand and respond to the anticipated impact on the EFSP and the program participants.  EFSP staff will provide timely updates on the program’s web page as more information becomes available.

 

Agencies may apply under the following categories:

You may apply for more than one category, but the Local board will vote to approve and will decide exact amount for each category. 

OBTAINING UEI VIA SAM.GOV/p>

Agencies that previously had a DUNS:

If your agency has a DUNS number and is registered in SAM.gov, a UEI should have been assigned to your organization and you may be able to access it by visiting SAM.gov or the Federal Service Desk, FSD.gov. For more information, visit SAM.gov or the Federal Service Desk, FSD.gov.

After retrieving your UEI, you will need to enter your twelve 12-character EFSP website. Please note that the EFSP National Board staff did not assign, nor have they entered UEIs to replace DUNS for agencies currently available in the EFSP database.

Agencies Without UEI (New to EFSP)
If an agency does not have a UEI, it can be requested in, and assigned by, SAM.gov. Once you receive your UEI, you will need to enter it along with additional information required by the National Board into the EFSP website. It is highly recommended that agencies act quickly to request their UEI to avoid any unnecessary delays in the receipt of funding.

After retrieving your UEI, you will need to enter your twelve 12-character EFSP website. Please note that the EFSP National Board staff did not assign, nor have they entered UEIs to replace DUNS for agencies currently available in the EFSP database.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
National Board staff may be contacted regarding the UEI requirement. However, staff cannot provide technical assistance related to the SAM.gov website; please follow the instructions on the site and reach out to the helpdesk for the website with any questions or technical needs.

If you have questions regarding this notice, please reach out to EFSP staff via email at efsp@uww.unitedway.org or phone at 703.706.9660.

A few pointers our United Way can give you:

  1. Create a login on the SAM.gov site.
  2. Search for your organization and see if you have already been assigned a UEI.
  3. If no UEI has been assigned
    1. go back to the main page and click on Get a Unique Entity ID
    2. Click Get Started
    3. Pick from one of the 3 options and click next (as United Way, I chose #3)
    4. Then fill in the required information the requested, organization name, address, phone #, email, etc. click next,
    5. They ask for the year the organization became active and in which state, can find this on their 501c3 determination letter.
    6. I clicked next and was given our UEI#.
  4. Very simple.

Phases 39, ARPAR & 40 spending period has been extended to 12/31/24. Final Reports for these phases will not be due until sometime after this date.

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program was established on March 24, 1983, with the signing of the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. That legislation created a National Board, chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that consisted of representatives of the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, The Jewish Federations of North America, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, The Salvation Army and United Way Worldwide.

The EFSP was authorized under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77 signed into law on July 24, 1987, since renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and subsequently reauthorized under P.L. 100-628, signed into law on November 7, 1988). Since 1983, in its 40-year history, the EFSP will have distributed $6.158 billion to over 14,000 human service agencies in more than 2,500 communities across the country through this collaborative effort between the private and public sectors.

The original authorizing legislation (PL 100-77) specifically calls for "sensitivity to the transition from temporary shelter to permanent homes and attention to the specialized needs of homeless individuals with mental and physical disabilities and illness and to facilitate access for homeless individuals to other sources of services and benefits."

Also in accordance with the legislation, the National Board encourages Local Boards, the decision-making local bodies, to place special emphasis on identification of and assistance to the elderly, families with children, Native Americans and Veterans. In addition, the authorization as revised (PL 102-550) in 1992 requires that a homeless or formerly homeless person serve on the Local Boards