HUD Makes Available $10 Million for Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Grants

HUD has issued Notice 2023-10, FY 23 Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Grants (ESSG), making available $10 million for public housing authorities (HAs) to install, repair, or replace capital equipment or systems that contribute to a safer living environment for residents. HUD has also issued the Notice of Due Date for Applications, which has specific highlights related to the application submission.

Applications are due Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

The Notice defines a “safety and security emergency” as an emergency that may arise from:

1. an immediate need for funding by the PHA to implement safety and security measures necessary to address crime and drug-related activity; or
2. a safety emergency which requires the purchase, repair, replacement, or installation of carbon monoxide alarms/detectors, and or smoke/heat alarms/detectors.

Smoke/Heat Alarms and Detectors Added as an Eligible Expense

Previously HUD allowed combination smoke/Carbon monoxide detectors/alarms. Notice 2023-10 clarifies that stand-alone heat/smoke alarms/detectors are now an eligible expense. However, HUD notes that:

Smoke alarms must be sealed or hard-wired devices that meet the requirements of section 601 of Title VI, Smoke Alarms in Federally Assisted Housing in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, (Public Law 117-328 enacted December 29, 2022) which added section 3(a)(9) to of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)).”

Please see page four of the Notice for additional guidance on how to describe the presence of devices for purposes of any application you submit to HUD.

Safety and Security

The Notice states that the intent of these grants is to provide one-time project-specific assistance for emergency safety and security items that could not be absorbed within the HA's Capital Fund budget. These must meet Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS) and local code requirements for egress where necessary.

HUD provides a significant list of items for which grants may be used to purchase, install, repair, or replace capital needs items to address the threat to safety posed by crime and drug-related activity. These include:

1. Security systems/cameras including digital video recorders, license plate readers, and secure Wi-Fi transmission of video signal.
2. Fencing;
3. Lighting systems;
4. Emergency alarm systems;
5. Window bars;
6. Deadbolt locks;
7. Doors; and
8. Salaries for maintenance staff that is being utilized for eligible activities.

For crime and drug emergency funding, HAs must submit a narrative describing the increased threat to health and safety of residents, focusing on crime at the HA property, not just crime in the HA’s jurisdiction. HUD requests specific examples of crime occurring at the HA or in close vicinity and the narrative must be from one of the following sources:

1. PHA officials, Resident Advisory Boards, or PHA security personnel;
2. Local Community Policing Organizations;
3. Local officials (e.g., business council executives, or city council executives); and
4. Local Crime Data for the current fiscal year that indicates an increased threat to the health and safety of residents.

Recognized sources for this data include but are not limited to:

1. Local law enforcement reports;
2. Uniform Crime Reports;
3. HA police data;
4. HA incident reports;
5. Newspaper articles relating specific crimes on HA property; and
6. Internet crime data such as Neighborhood List Serves that lists types and numbers of offenses.

HAs must indicate the source of the crime data in the narrative and must include a summary of the crime data by general crime category, (e.g., murders, assaults, property damage, and property break-ins).

All safety and security emergencies must have occurred or have been determined within the Federal Fiscal Year (October 1 – September 30) in which the funds were appropriated, which in this case is the current FY 23.

Grant Award Limits

HAs may submit separate applications for funding to address crime and drug-related activity and for funding for the purchase, repair, replacement, or installation of carbon monoxide alarms/detectors, and/or smoke/heat alarms/detectors. ESSG funding is limited to an overall total of $250,000 per HA per Federal Fiscal Year (whether for security measures to address crime and drug-related activity and/or for the purchase, repair, replacement, or installation of carbon monoxide alarms/detectors, and or smoke/heat alarms/detectors).

Funding awards will be based on a number of factors including:

• The proposal's cost estimate;
• The number of units identified within the application; and
• A description of the identified emergency safety and security need.

An HA may submit an application for funding for one or more projects as long as the total request does not exceed $250,000 per application cycle. An HA is ineligible to receive emergency safety and security funding if it has previously received such funding for the same project(s) and for the same broad purposes.