STATEWIDE — The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) has announced the deadline for its Emergency Shelters Upgrade Assistance Grand Fund.
The fund was authorized under Chapter 3.2 of Title 44, Virginia Code §44-146.29:3. Local governments throughout Commonwealth which have a population that exceeds 5,000 residents and chooses to have an emergency management program which is separate from the county in which the town is located in are eligible to apply for this assistance.
For fiscal year 2022, the Virginia General Assembly has approved $2,500,000 and stipulates that the Upgrade Fund be used, according to a Jan. 12 VDEM release, “solely for the purposes of providing matching funds to localities to install, maintain, or repair infrastructure related to backup energy generation for shelters.”
Priority will be given to applicants who have projects which support or protects vulnerable and marginalized populations and projects that have a long-term risk-based solution.
According to the VDEM release, funding limits include:
- Local governments are limited to one shelter upgrade application per year (application can include multiple shelter locations)
- Limit of $450,000 (state share) for any single grant award
- The Shelter Upgrade Fund may match any existing FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants to upgrade shelters
- Local governments can only receive and implement one shelter upgrade grant at a time. Construction on any previous awards must be complete at the time of the application
The deadline for applications is February 15, 2022. Those wanting to submit an application are invited to do so through the VDEM’s Application Portal. For more information on this and other grants through the VDEM, please visit the department’s website.