From:                                         SSVF

Sent:                                           Tuesday, May 15, 2018 4:33 PM

To:                                               SSVF

Subject:                                     SSVF Program Update Friday April 27, 2018

 

 

Topics:

 

1.            Save the Date: SSVF National Webinar on May 10, 2018 at 2PM Eastern

2.            Revised:  Community Planning Survey - Anticipated Release is now Early May

3.            Call for Articles:  Activity Accomplishments / Success Stories

4.            New: Rapid Rehousing Training Series for Direct Service Providers

5.            Update: New SQUARES Training

6.            SSVF Compliance Corner

7.            Resource: Mainstream NOFA Outreach Webinar Targeted to CoCs and Homeless Providers on Thursday May 3, 2018 at 1:00 PM Eastern

 

 

SSVF National Webinar May 10, 2018 at 2PM Eastern

 

Title:  Cultivating Sustainable Leadership in Systems

 

Overview: This webinar will present leadership models and theories, as well as the importance of leaders at all levels of a continuum of care. The webinar will include a virtual panel of local and national leaders discussing the importance of having the right people in the room and empowering them to drive systems change in a community.

 

Register for the Webinar here:

 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3041679461834889985

 

 

Community Planning Survey - Anticipated Release is Early May

 

The Community Planning Survey will be released nationwide in the coming weeks.  The purpose of the survey is to help us to better understand community progress related to ending Veteran homelessness and the development of sustainable systems. The information gathered as a part of this survey will help the VA—along with HUD and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)—tailor training and technical assistance so that it more effectively addresses local needs. Open and honest feedback is strongly encouraged. We are asking you to coordinate responses with CoCs, Veteran Work Groups, the local VA Medical Center homeless program leadership, and other Community Partners. Survey submissions (1 per CoC) will be due in June.  Additional details will be forthcoming. Please stay tuned.

 

 

Call for Articles:  Activity Accomplishments / Success Stories

 

The SSVF Program Office is accepting grantee submissions describing success stories related to the provision of SSVF services in the local community.  These submissions provide grantees with the opportunity to chronicle successes and share them with the VA, partner Federal agencies, consumer providers, the general public and, of course, Veterans who may be seeking services.  Please review the attached materials for submission instructions. Materials include an overview of the process and two Releases of Information (ROIs).  Please note that it is now required that both ROIs be completed and submitted along with the success story.  These submissions will be used to help the SSVF Program Office identify potential conference presentations for our Fall Rapid Re-Housing Institute.

 

Submission instructions are also available at: 

 

https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/Call_for_SSVF_Articles_Success_Stories_Accomplishments_March2017.pdf

 

Success stories can be viewed at:

 

http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/?page=/home/success_stories

 

 

New: Rapid Rehousing Training Series for Direct Service Providers

 

The Training Series offers an important overview of the core components of Rapid Re-housing and is consistent with national best practice standards. New SSVF staff should be encouraged to review all of these Webinars, in order, to attain a basic knowledge of the application of RRH principles and components. The goal of providing these Webinars is to improve program and community competency and effectiveness in ending homelessness.  Webinars are posted to the SSVF website and can be found here:

https://www.va.gov/homeless/SSVF/?page=/home/

Update: New SQUARES Training

 

“SQUARES gives users the ability to identify if someone is a Veteran, an essential first step that can lead to housing, benefits, health and mental health services. While SQUARES, by itself, cannot be used to establish eligibility for VA services, it should help facilitate access and coordination of services. To use SQUARES, you must register through the HMIS Homeless Repository database. Instructions on how to register and use SQUARES can be found in the training below.”

 

https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/index.asp?page=/official_guide/participant_eligibility

 

 

SSVF Compliance Corner: Example of a Compliance Finding from the Field

 

SSVF Compliance Corner- SSVF is governed by many rules and regulations and while as grantees you work very hard at serving Homeless Veterans, compliance can be tough.  The Compliance Corner is here to highlight weekly “real life” compliance discoveries from the “field” with the hope to help educate all grantees to help prevent future compliance findings.

 

Finding:  The Grantee exceeded its 10 percent administrative cost threshold. The grantee charged a 2.25 percent “Affiliate Fee” to the award as an administrative fee in addition to the 10 percent it was charging for administrative costs.

 

Criteria:   SSVF Program Guide, Section VII, Subsection C. Eligible Expenses, page 73 states, “Under the SSVF Program, a minimum of 90% of supportive services grant funds must be used to provide and coordinate the provision of supportive services to very low-income Veteran families who are occupying permanent housing. A maximum of 10% of supportive services grant funds may be used for administrative costs.”

 

Cause:   The Grantee was unaware that an “Affiliate Fee” could not be charged to the grant along with a 10% administrative fee.

 

 

Mainstream NOFA Outreach Webinar Targeted to CoCs and Homeless Providers on Thursday May 3, 2018 at 1:00 PM Eastern

 

HUD recently issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for $100 million in new “Mainstream” housing vouchers for nonelderly people with disabilities.   See https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv

Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) are eligible to submit applications; applications are due June 18th.  While not a requirement, HUD is providing points in this competitive process for applications that include partnerships between housing and services agencies, especially those that target housing assistance to assist people with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional or other segregated settings, at risk of institutionalization, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.  

 

The Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) are sponsoring a webinar on Thursday May 3 1:00 E.T. to provide additional information about this exciting opportunity. The webinar will review the NOFA requirements and provide Continuums of Care and homeless services providers with strategies to reach out to and establish partnerships with the Housing Authority (ies) in your community.   

 

The webinar is free of charge but you must register. To register, please click on the link below to provide us with your information via Survey Monkey.  Once the survey completes, click the “Continue” button where GoToWebinar will verify your information. Click “Register” and you are all set! Note that this webinar is specifically for state and local services agencies.  For information about related webinars, please email: lsloane@tacinc.org.

 

Please email lsloane@tacinc.org by April 27 with any reasonable accommodation requests.

 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VoucherMay3

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

SSVF Program Office

 

NOTE:  If you are receiving this email in error, please disregard.  We request your patience as the SSVF Program Office continues to address system issues with the grants management database.