About the ESG Program

THDA administers the federally-funded Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program for the state of Tennessee in 92 of the state's 95 counties in order to fund the provision of services necessary to help persons who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness to quickly regain stability in permanent housing. ESG grants are awarded to eligible non-profits and local governments to fund the following activities:

• Street Outreach: Provision of essential services to eligible participants on the street or in parks, abandoned buildings, bus stations, campgrounds, and in other such settings where unsheltered persons are staying.
• Emergency Shelter: Provision of essential services to homeless families and individuals in emergency shelters and the operation of emergency shelters.
• Rapid Re-Housing: Provision of assistance to a homeless individual or family to move into permanent housing.
• Homelessness Prevention: Prevention of persons from becoming homeless and the assistance of participants in regaining stability in their current or other permanent housing.
• Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS): Operation, maintenance, and contribution of data to the HMIS designated by the local Continuum of Care or, if a victim service provider, to establish and operate a comparable database.