Rep. Greg Stanton announced today that the Department of Homeland Security will make $350 million in federal funds available to help local non-profits and non-governmental organizations manage the costs of providing shelter and other humanitarian assistance to migrants. The funding, authorized in the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus appropriations bill passed last December, will be administered through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).
“I hear from local aid groups on the ground in Arizona that they’re near their breaking point, over-stretching their budgets to help care for migrant families. The federal government has a duty to step in and help shoulder the financial burden,” Stanton said. “This funding is long-overdue, and my office and I will make sure Arizona non-profits and NGOs are prepared to take advantage of it.”
Stanton had previously pressed the point with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying in an April 2022 House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing: “Those on the ground in Arizona know that the entire chain—starting with the Border Patrol and ICE to local law enforcement, nonprofit refugee centers and even our international airport in Phoenix—is already overwhelmed… And when migrants can’t get help at a nonprofit, where will they go, Mr. Secretary?”
During the appropriations process for FY2023, Stanton worked to secure additional funding above FY2022 levels for the EFSP. In a letter to House appropriators, Stanton wrote, “We anticipate increased numbers of migrants will be entering the U.S. through Arizona. The EFSP program is critical to ensuring non-profits and non-governmental organizations are sufficiently prepared to handle such an influx.” [LINK]
The National Board governing the EFSP program will begin accepting applications soon. NGOs located in the Phoenix region that assist with released migrants and could be eligible for funding include: the United Way; Arizona Faith Network Helping Migrants; Central Christian Church; Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest; International Rescue Committee (IRC) Welcome Center; Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights; The Florence Project; and Immigrant Hope.