Landsman Leads 45+ House Democrats Calling for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program to Be Restored

Cincinnati, OH – Today, Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH-01) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Cameron Hamilton and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling on the administration to immediately resume full funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Congressman Landsman – joined by 47 House Democrats – sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging them to immediately restore already-allocated funding for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). The program, which disburses funding through local United Ways and other local social service organizations, has been indefinitely frozen since January as part of the broader halt on federal funding.

The EFSP plays a major role in combating hunger and homelessness across the country. This funding, which was appropriated by Congress to support essential services – including food pantries and homeless shelters – provided more than $100 million to 8,000 organizations in 2,500 counties across the country in Fiscal Year 2023.

More than 20 organizations in Hamilton and Warren Counties received over $380,000 in Fiscal Year 2023, including the Freestore Food Bank, Bethany House Services, Shelterhouse, Lebanon Food Pantry, and Franklin Area Community Services.

Congressman Landsman’s letter reads, in part:

“We write to express our deep concern over the decision to “review” previously-obligated funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). Not only does this “review” apply to current Fiscal Year 2025 funds, but it also applies to money promised to food pantries and homeless shelters over the past several years. FEMA must make good on these financial commitments at once.

“EFSP provides funding to local governments and nonprofit organizations that supply food, shelter, rental and utility assistance, and other essential resources to individuals and families who are “experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, hunger and/or homelessness. . . .

“During a time when our country is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis and record high homelessness , the administration’s freeze of EFSP funds will have devastating impacts on millions of people across rural, urban, and suburban communities.”

The full text of Congressman Landsman’s letter can be found here.

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