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April 9, 2009 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will provide over $350,000 to Nebraska to provide emergency food and shelter for those in need as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
“Our current economic crisis has hit those most vulnerable particularly hard,” said Senator Nelson. “Providing emergency food and shelter will help Nebraskans get back on their feet again.”
DHS, through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), will provide funds that will be used for a broad range of services, including mass shelter, mass feeding, food distribution through food pantries and food banks, one-month assistance with rent, mortgage and utility payments to prevent evictions, and transition assistance from shelters to stable living conditions.
ESFP’s objectives are to allocate funds to the neediest areas; to ensure fast response; to foster public-private sector partnerships; to ensure local decision-making; and to maintain accountable reporting. The program utilizes a formula that uses measures of unemployment and poverty from cities and counties across the country. Funds in addition those provided under the formula are given to areas with recent spikes in unemployment or that have isolated pockets of homelessness poverty.
Senator Nelson played a key role in the passage of the $787 billion stimulus bill. He worked with a bipartisan group of nearly 20 Senators to better focus The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on tax cuts for the middle class and job creation for millions of Americans. Senator Nelson led the group through the initial bill line by line, dollar by dollar, to reduce spending and cut out $108 billion of inefficient or less-stimulative spending. The bipartisan group helped the improved bill win congressional approval. President Obama signed it into law February 17, 2009.
Senator Nelson is posting information about the release of stimulus finds on his website as it becomes available. Visit http://bennelson.senate.gov/issues/stimulus/index.cfm for more information.
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