Supportive Services for Veteran Families
General Program Information
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) assists homeless and at-risk Veteran families.
Through the SSVF Program, VA aims to improve very low-income Veteran families’ housing stability. Grantees (private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives) will provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include:
· Health care services · Daily living services · Personal financial planning services · Transportation services |
· Fiduciary and payee services · Legal services · Child care services · Housing counseling services |
In addition, grantees may also provide time-limited payments to third parties (e.g., landlords, utility companies, moving companies, and licensed child care providers) if these payments help Veterans’ families stay in or acquire permanent housing on a sustainable basis.
For the location of available SSVF providers, open the "SSVF Grantee Abstract."
SSVF Program Overview Webcast (Note: To view these files, please download VLC Player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/.)
Webcast: An Introduction to SSVF
SSVF Program Guide (Updated January 17, 2012)
SSVF Program Frequently Asked Questions (Updated January 17, 2012)
SSVF Webcast - September 30, 2010
SSVF Grants-What They Are and Aren't
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SSVF Update!
The SSVF Program Office will send letters verifying receipt of the application package. We will then notify applicants of funding or non-funding after the scoring process. We will not be notifying applications as to whether threshold has been met.
The SSVF Program Office is reviewing applications received pursuant to the Notice of Fund Availability published in December 2011 and 38 CFR part 62. Upon completion of the review process, applicants will receive written notification of funding decisions. While the dates of awards are unknown at this point, the SSVF Program Office anticipates award announcements in the summer of 2012.
Back to TopSSVF Success Stories
A Room of One's Own: A Homeless Vet Comes in out of the Cold with the Help of the Thresholds Veterans Project*
A native of rural Sunflower County, Mr. Dempsey Spruell set out to explore the world by joining the United States Air Force. For 4 years, the young enlisted airman spent much of his time in the service at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. Having served his country for 4 years, he received an honorable discharge and hoped to enter civilian life with the skills and confidence he had gained in the Air Force.
But life outside of the military was nothing like he expected. Depsey found himself bouncing from location to location, and eventually settled down in Chicago. The life of three squares a day, pressed uniforms, shined boots and a sense of honor were gone.
Dempsey eventually ended up homeless - like so many other Veterans before him. Disengaged from the community and off the system grid, Dempsey's new home was not a comfortable warm barracks or apartment. His home became the crushing and cold cement of Lower Wacker Drive.
Even though he had family in the area, his mental illness and substance abuse had stolen his pride. He said he could not stand to face his own family in the shape he was in.
But Dempsey recently got a fresh start and a "hand up" from the Thresholds Veterans Project. The program, initiated in 2010 to address the complex needs of Veterans with mental health issues, became Dempsey's safe haven - a port in an unending storm.
Within weeks, Dempsey was getting regular visits from a community support specialist, access to therapeutic care, and - finally - a roof over his head that was not the underside of a bridge.
Today, thanks to the dedication and hard work of the Thresholds Veterans Project, Dempsey has a new studio apartment. He is sleeping in his own bed, a warm respite away from the bone-numbing chill of the Chicago winter. He was a brighter future. He is finding recovery.
The smile on his face is a sure sign he is back on his way to the same honor he felt as a young airman. But it is probably the few simple words he spoke to us that make his story so poignant.
"I have a home. I enjoy bein' inside."
** The SSVF Program office is accepting submissions in order to recognize and share success stories.
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