Senators Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, along with Congressmen Marion Berry, Vic Snyder, John Boozman and Mike Ross, announced today that 58 counties in Arkansas have been awarded $1.2 million in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program.  

Members of the delegation said Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) funds are used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies.  In each jurisdiction funded, a Local Board advertises the availability of the funds, establishes local priorities, and selects local non-profit and government agencies to receive supplemental funding, and monitors program compliance.

The following counties are receiving EFS grants:

• Arkansas County, $10,991
• Ashley County, $18,300
• Baxter County, $16,154
• Benton County, $34,825
• Boone County, $14,951
• Bradley County, $7,846
• Carroll County, $9,400
• Chicot County, $12,342
• Clark County, $11,639
• Clay County, $11,102
• Cleburne County, $8,105
• Columbia County, $12,583
• Conway County, $10,769
• Craighead County, $36,990
• Crawford County, $22,704
• Crittenden County, $29,865
• Cross County, $11,584
• Dallas County, $5,977
• Desha County, $12,527
• Drew County, $13,471
• Faulkner County, $41,930
• Franklin County, $5,977
• Garland County, $38,821
• Greene County, $19,947
• Hempstead County, $9,141
• Hot Spring County, $16,524
• Howard County, $7,198
• Independence County, $18,245
• Izard County, $6,791
• Jackson County, $12,472
• Jefferson County, $58,991
• Johnson County, $8,789
• Lawrence County, $11,713
• Lee County, $7,272
• Lincoln County, $5,995
• Logan County, $9,271
• Marion County, $6,865
• Miller County, $13,138
• Mississippi County, $57,103
• Monroe County, $5,792
• Ouachita County, $19,133
• Perry County, $5,662
• Phillips County, $16,395
• Poinsett County, $16,709
• Polk County, $14,711
• Pope County, $26,886
• Pulaski County, $163,187
• Randolph County, $13,934
• St. Francis County, $20,151
• Sebastian County, $46,686
• Sharp County, $9,493
• Union County, $28,718
• Van Buren County, $7,568
• Washington County, $43,484
• White County, $30,587
• Woodruff County, $6,088
• Yell County, $7,605

The National EFS Board has reserved an additional $68,569 for the State Set-Aside Program (SSA). Under this program, the Board has more flexibility when allotting money to jurisdictions in Arkansas and can consider factors such as recent plant closings or high levels of homelessness or poverty that may not qualify for direct funding.

These funds are part of the phase 22 grant announcements for Fiscal Year 2004.