Opportunity Overview
The Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources (DEHCR), is accepting applications for the 2027 State Shelter Subsidy Grant Program (SSSG). Approximately $1,613,600 is available for the 2027 calendar year to help eligible Wisconsin emergency shelter and motel-voucher programs serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
SSSG supports emergency shelter programs needing added operating support because of renovation or expansion of an existing shelter, development of an existing building into a shelter, expansion or development of shelter services, or inadequate funding to maintain the current level of service.
Funding and Deadline
An applicant or subrecipient may request from $15,000 to $183,500. Requested SSSG funding may cover no more than 50% of the applicant’s total emergency-shelter program operating budget, so the applicant must identify other cash, grant, or in-kind resources for the balance.
The complete application is due Friday, October 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST, using the time-zone label published by DEHCR. Late applications are rejected. The performance period is January 1 through December 31, 2027.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible entities operating an emergency shelter program include Wisconsin county or municipal governing bodies or agencies, federally recognized American Indian tribes or tribal agencies, community action agencies, private nonprofit organizations, qualifying nonprofit nonstock corporations, housing and community development authorities, and for-profit organizations.
Only a qualifying emergency shelter facility or motel-voucher program may receive SSSG funding. Domestic-violence shelters, runaway shelters, community-based residential facilities, programs that only provide shelter information/referral or housing relocation, and other specifically excluded program types are not eligible.
Dane County and Milwaukee County applications must be coordinated through a single designated lead agency representing participating eligible shelter programs.
Application and Submission Requirements
DEHCR strongly recommends using the official 2027 SSSG Microsoft Word application, but the final submission must be a PDF with every question answered, budget tables completed, required assurances signed, and all required material included. The submission email must include the completed 2027 SSSG application PDF and documentation of active SAM.gov registration showing no active exclusions. All applicants and subrecipients must provide the SAM.gov documentation.
Applications are emailed to the DEHCR Supportive Housing inbox, with the SSSG program manager copied. Required applicant data include agency and shelter information, UEI, HMIS agency and project identifiers, service area, authorized signatory information, referral contact, funding request, operating-budget information, program responses and assurances. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
Program Controls and Restrictions
Funded shelters must provide free temporary lodging, intake, and information/referrals. Awardees must participate in Wisconsin’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), participate in their HUD-recognized Continuum of Care and local homeless coalition to the maximum extent practicable, and include a person who is experiencing or formerly experienced homelessness on the board or equivalent policymaking body responsible for policy oversight.
Funds may not be used for permanent-housing security deposits or rent, shelter in a private home, construction of a new shelter facility, a shelter-care facility licensed under Wisconsin Chapter 48, a domestic-abuse shelter facility/private home, a DHS 83 community-based residential facility, or an agency that only provides shelter information/referral or housing-relocation services. Governmental applicants administering general relief also face anti-supplanting and budget controls.
Award Process
Outside Dane and Milwaukee counties, DEHCR uses shelter-night data plus the scored eligibility-criteria section to determine awards. Applicants scoring below 50% on the eligibility-criteria questions or omitting required attachments are ineligible. DEHCR anticipates that not all eligible applicants will receive funding. Individual awardees receive at least $15,000, while the application request ceiling is $183,500.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. The opportunity is strongly relevant to Wisconsin homelessness and special-populations organizations and can sustain emergency shelter operations and supportive-service delivery, but it is not a clinical-technology or healthcare-equipment grant.
N9+ Fit: 0/100. No legitimate N9+ procurement pathway is established in the controlling SSSG materials. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant fit: 0/100.
Application Readiness
Before submission, verify the applicant’s qualifying shelter/voucher program, correct Dane/Milwaukee lead-agency routing if applicable, active SAM.gov status, UEI and HMIS identifiers, Continuum of Care participation, shelter-night data, eligibility-criteria responses, operating budget and all non-SSSG funding sources, required policies and assurances, authorized signatory, and complete PDF package.
Official sources: Wisconsin DEHCR – State Shelter Subsidy Grant Program and 2027 SSSG Program Information and Application Instructions.