ESF 6 is organized in to four primary functions:

  • Mass Care,
  • Emergency Assistance,
  • Disaster Housing,
  •  Human Services. 

Mass care includes:

  • Sheltering,
  • Feeding operations,
  • Emergency first aid,
  • Bulk distribution of emergency items,
  • Collecting and providing information on victims to family members.

Emergency Assistance includes assistance required by individuals, families and communities.

This assistance will ensure that immediate needs beyond the scope of the traditional "mass care" services provided at the local level are addressed. These services include:

  • Support to evacuations and re-locations including individual/family transportation, registration and tracking of evacuees.
  • Reunification of families.
  • Provision of aid and services to special needs populations to include transportation for individual medical needs.
  • Evacuation/re-location.
  • Sheltering.
  • Other emergency services for:
    • Household pets and service animals,
    • Support to specialized shelters,
    • Support to medical shelters,
    • Non-conventional shelter management,
    • Coordination of donated goods and services,
    • Coordination of voluntary agency assistance.

Housing includes housing options such as:

  • Rental assistance,
  • Repair,
  • Loan assistance,
  • Replacement,
  • Factory-built housing,
  • Semi-permanent and permanent construction,
  • Referrals,
  • Identification and provision of accessible housing,
  • Access to other sources of housing assistance. This assistance is guided by the National Disaster Housing Strategy.

Human Services includes the implementation of disaster assistance programs to help disaster victims recover their non-housing losses. These programs include programs to:

  • Replace destroyed personal property,
  • Help to obtain:
    • Disaster loans,
    • Food stamps,
    • Crisis counseling,
    • Disaster employment,
    • Disaster legal services,
    • Support and services for special needs populations,
    • Other Federal and State benefits.

ESF 6 coordinates the delivery of these four primary functions by implementing ESF 6 services and programs to assist individuals and households impacted by potential or actual disaster incidents.