Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded more than $2.6 million in grants to help homeless Alabamians find immediate housing and to assist others who are in danger of becoming homeless.

The funds from the Emergency Solutions Grant program will support organizations across the state that provide shelter, legal and health services and financial education for families and individuals without a residence. The grant program also can assist these families with moving costs, including rental and utility deposits.

“While many of us are preparing to spend the holiday season with family and friends, we must remember that there are some Alabamians struggling to keep a roof over their heads and others who don’t have a place to call home at all,” Ivey said. “I am pleased to provide these funds which provide important aid to many of these families at a critical time in their lives.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.

“The Emergency Solutions Grant program helps families dealing with very difficult times avoid homelessness and take important steps to becoming independent and self-sufficient,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA is pleased to join with Gov. Ivey in providing this vital assistance to local programs who help families in need.”

Ivey awarded the grants to 14 governments and community agencies that administer the program locally and assess individual needs for those seeking assistance. Individuals or families requesting assistance can contact their local agency directly or may be referred by the program to a local shelter. Case managers screen applicants for program eligibility at the local level.

Below is a list of each amount awarded, the name of the grant recipient and the areas served:

• $397,548 to the Montgomery Area Coalition for the Homeless (Autauga, Bullock, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties)

• $304,577 to the Alabama Rural Coalition for the Homeless (Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, Escambia, Fayette, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Lamar, Lee, Macon, Marengo, Marshall, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Walker, Washington and Wilcox counties)

• $257,084 to the city of Florence (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties)

• $201,584 to 2nd Chance (domestic violence victims in Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Randolph and Talladega counties)

• $200,000 to Penelope House (Mobile)

• $200,000 to the city of Birmingham (Birmingham)

• $200,000 to the city of Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa County)

• $200,000 to the city of Huntsville (Huntsville)

• $200,000 to the city of Gadsden (Gadsden)

• $154,000 to YWCA of Central Alabama (Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker counties)

• $133,786 to the Shelby County Commission (Shelby County)

• $126,000 to Housing First (Baldwin and Mobile counties)

• $40,000 to the Mobile Area Interfaith Conference (inmates being released from Mobile County Metro Jail)

• $20,000 to the Marshall County Commission (Marshall County)