The United Way of Southern Maine has secured a federal grant totaling $5.4 million that will be used over the next two years to help immigrants resettle into local communities.

The funds will be used to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical care and transportation to new arrivals recently released from federal custody, according to a news release from the organization.

UWSM will partner with local aid organizations to distribute the funds, the release said.

“Our community’s most vulnerable members face the interconnected challenges of food insecurity, housing instability and lack of transportation,” said Liz Cotter Schlax, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Maine, in a statement. “United Way is grateful to be able to access these federal resources on behalf of our neighbors and the organizations serving them directly.”

The grant is funneled through the Shelter and Services Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security.