Evanston committee recommends $138,758 in Emergency Solutions Grant funds to two providers

The Evanston Social Services Committee voted Thursday to recommend that City Council accept a staff allocation of 2025 Emergency Solutions Grant funds totaling $138,758 to two local social-service providers, Connections for the Homeless and the YWCA.

Staff said the Emergency Solutions Grants program is a federal program limited to five eligible categories and carries strict administrative and reporting rules. Jessica (staff member) told the committee that 7.5% of ESG funding is reserved for administration and that no more than 60% of funds can be spent combined on street outreach and shelter operations, with the remaining funds available for homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing.

The recommendation reflects staff analysis and provider requests. Staff told the committee that, in Evanston’s high-cost housing market, more requests come for homelessness prevention than for rapid rehousing and that agencies must provide a 100% match for funds received and invoice the city for reimbursement after expenditures. Because rapid rehousing subsidies have proven harder for recipients to convert into long-term housing stability in Evanston, staff recommended placing as much of this ESG award as allowable into homelessness prevention, with the ability to transfer funds to rapid rehousing if needed.

Committee members expressed support for prioritizing prevention in a high-cost housing market and noted the operational burdens on local agencies that must front costs and then wait for quarterly reimbursement. A committee member moved and another seconded a motion to accept the staff allocation recommendation and to forward it to City Council for approval. The motion passed on a voice vote; no opposition was recorded.

The recommendation before the committee listed two recipients and the total allocation amount (Connections for the Homeless; YWCA), and staff said the funds would support prevention and related services for income-eligible households, including short-term subsidies for rent or utilities where applicants meet HUD definitions for prevention or rapid rehousing.

Staff and committee members noted implementation limits in federal rules (administrative caps, match requirements and reimbursement procedures) and said agencies historically invoice quarterly. The committee’s vote sends the staff allocation recommendation to City Council for final approval.

Votes at a glance: the Social Services Committee moved, seconded and approved the recommendation to forward acceptance of the 2025 Emergency Solutions Grant allocation (totaling $138,758 to Connections for the Homeless and the YWCA) to City Council; the committee recorded only ayes during the voice vote and the motion carried.

What happens next: City Council will consider the staff-recommended allocation at a subsequent council meeting; agencies will need to comply with federal ESG reporting, match and invoicing requirements for reimbursement.