8-28-2025 1:33pm

January 2025 The Office of Management and Budget froze

Ypsilanti PressLLC Editor

$1.6 million – that’s how much money the federal government promised to Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, and Washtenaw Counties this year through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). This funding would have provided more than 80 local nonprofits with the resources necessary to help struggling families stay housed and keep their stomachs full.

In January, the Office of Management and Budget froze these funds. Although judges have ordered the federal government to release the money promised, it’s now August, and millions in EFSP funds still sit in limbo. With more families turning to shelters and food banks, and nonprofits struggling to meet this growing need, severing this lifeline creates tangible harm.

For more than 42 years, the EFSP has received bipartisan support. The program distributes funding through nonprofits such as United Ways, the Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross to smaller organizations serving low-income people. In 2023, the EFSP provided more than $100 million to 8,000 organizations across the country.

Without EFSP funds, our partners report that they cannot provide the amount of meals, shelter beds, and financial assistance for rent and utilities that our community members rely on.

- Jewish Family Services of Metro Detroit: Due to the EFSP freeze, JFS lost funding that could have fed 1,035 people for a year. As rising grocery prices force more people to rely on food banks, JFS relayed that drive-through food pantries are running out of food before everyone can be served.

- Hospitality House Food Pantry: Hospitality House serves approximately 900 households each month, and the need has risen this year. With the organization slated to receive $12,240 in EFSP funding, the freeze has set Hospitality House back 6,213 pounds of food.

- Turning Point Macomb

- Redford Interfaith Relief: The organization was slated to receive $12,000, translating to a loss of almost 24,000 pounds of food.

Telling this story now will shed light on the harm caused by illegal and indefinite freezes that hinder nonprofits’ capacities to help those in need.

Best,

Ashley Orr
Manager, Social Media & Public Relations
United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Ashley.orr@unitedwaysem.org

Ashley Orr
Manager, Social Media and Public Relations

3011 W. Grand Blvd. Suite 500, Detroit, MI 48202
Visit us at UnitedWaySEM.org