From:                                         SSVF

Sent:                                           Friday, February 5, 2021 7:31 AM

Subject:                                     SSVF Program Update Friday February 5, 2021

Attachments:                          SSVF and VA Emergency Housing Conferencing.pdf

 

TOPICS:

REMINDER: FY2022 NOFA Response Submission

REMINDER: Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) Survey due Wednesday, February 10, 2021

REMINDER: SSVF National Webinar: Centering Race Equity through Data: February 11, 2021, 2:00pm EST

REMINDER: Health Care Navigator Office Hour-Connecting to non-VA health Resources: February 12, 2021, 12:00pm EST

REMINDER: SSVF FY2020 End of Year Closeout available in Smart Simple

 

RESOURCE: SSVF and VA Homeless Program Hotel/Motel Case Conferencing and COVID-19 (see PDF attached)

RESOURCE: Emergency Housing Assistance and VA Homeless Program Coordination Fact Sheet

RESOURCE: National Low-Income Housing Coalition – State and Local Rental Assistance Resource

 

ATTENTION: SSVF Program Office has published the FY2019 Annual Report

ANNOUNCEMENT: SSVF Program Office featured in VA blog, VAntage Point

 

 

REMINDER: FY2022 NOFA Response Submission

 

The Program Office has simplified the NOFA response submission this year and will only require grantees to submit a letter of intent to continue services through FY2022 or FY2023 for Priority 3 submissions, Budget & CoC distribution (Exhibit I-III), and proof of accreditation, when applicable. All grantees must complete the NOFA submission process in the grants management system by filling out required fields in the Intent to Renew form. Grantees are not required to upload a separate LOI word document as all required fields are included in the online form. Grantees must upload their completed budget using the excel template available on the website or within the grants management system.  Grantees can find a recording of the January 8 webinar that described the process for submitting your application using the new grants management system can here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQFszmaHbEo&feature=youtu.be  The SSVF Program Office will not require a full application or letters of support from the CoC or VAMC with the submission this year. Although letters of support are not required, the SSVF Program Office expects grantees to continue planning with their local CoCs and VAMCs during the pandemic and throughout the grant year.  Grantees must submit all materials by the deadline of February 5, 2021, at 4pm EST

 

 

REMINDER: Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) Survey due: February 10, 2021

 

The SSVF Program Office is requesting updated EHA data from all grantees. This information must be submitted through Survey Monkey no later than Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The survey form for SSVF CARES EHA will be sent out through Smart Simple on 2/5/2021. You can also access the survey through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WGV3GDQ Please reach out to your Regional Coordinator if you do not receive the survey or have any questions.

 

 

REMINDER: SSVF National Webinar: Centering Race Equity through Data: February 11, 2021, 2:00pm EST

 

The SSVF Program Office invites you to participate in a webinar on Centering Race Equity through Data.  We will examine historical ties to present-day manifestations of institutional racism, share tools to identify possible disparities and inequities, and discuss the importance of using data to develop concrete actions that ensure Veterans from racially marginalized groups are served equitably.  In preparation for this webinar, please review the SSVF Webinar on Race Equity from July 24, 2020.  You can access the link here: https://youtu.be/JytwiubZEFo. Please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4330419261985767950 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

 

 

REMINDER: Health Care Navigator Office Hour-Connecting to non-VA health Resources: February 12, 2021, 12:00pm EST

 

SSVF Health Care Navigators help Veterans access VA health care. However, some Veterans may not be eligible for, or may not want to access VA health services. Also, Veteran family members will also need linkages to community-based systems of care. The SSVF Program Office is hosting two Health Care Navigation Office Hours to review enrollment and access considerations for non-VA health care coverage such as Medicaid and Medicare, and review opportunities for Veterans and their household members to access community-based behavioral health services. This 90 minute session, the second in the series, will provide information for health care navigators to assist SSVF participants in accessing community behavioral health services, including material about behavioral health benefits, identifying and connecting to community behavioral healthcare providers, and relevant resources to assist program participants. The first session in this series, Medicaid, Medicare and other Health Coverage Opportunities, was on January 15, 2021. Please register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6237909208611312399 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

 

 

REMINDER: SSVF FY2020 End of Year Closeout available in Smart Simple

 

The SSVF FY2020 End of Year Activity is now accessible within your Smart Simple portal at https://hmlsgrants-va.mod.udpaas.com.  Please note that each SSVF grantee must complete the FY2020 Financial Expenditure Report (Microsoft Excel), attach it to the Smart Simple online activity form, and document the completion of the Federal Financial Report (FFR) within the Payment Management System.  Grantees must complete all three components prior to submission. Currently, the due date for submission is 02/16/2021, unless your organization has requested an extension through your Regional Coordinator.  Please consult with your fiscal staff to ensure you have all the required documents needed to complete the activity.  Your agency’s customized Financial Expenditure Report was emailed to your agency contacts on 1/13/21.

 

 

RESOURCE: SSVF and VA Homeless Program Hotel/Motel Case Conferencing and COVID-19 (see PDF attached)

 

The SSVF Program Office in partnership with their Technical Assistance providers have updated a case conferencing resource for SSVF grantee staff.   This resource document highlights the importance of effective case conferencing for Veterans experiencing homelessness including those in temporary hotel and motel accommodations.   This resource can be shared with other community partners that are currently participating in or working to develop regular case conferencing within the community.  This Document has been posted to the SSVF website and is available here: SSVF_VA_EHA_Case_Conferencing.pdf

 

 

RESOURCE: Emergency Housing Assistance and VA Homeless Program Coordination Fact Sheet

 

Grantees and VA staff can use this document to guide coordination and ensure efficient use of VA and community resources when transitioning Veterans from hotels to permanent housing. The fact sheet includes:

Grantees and VA staff can find the Emergency Housing Assistance and VA Homeless Program Coordination Fact Sheet on the SSVF website and by following the link:

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

 

 

RESOURCE: National Low-Income Housing Coalition-State and Local Rental Assistance Resource

 

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition has created a resource page with information about state and local emergency rental assistance programs.  This website has links to CDC information about eviction moratoriums and information about Emergency Rental Assistance Programs in Response to COVID-19.  Additionally, they have created an interactive map that allows interested parties to access local information state by state.  This site can be found by following the link: Rental Assistance | National Low Income Housing Coalition (nlihc.org)

 

ATTENTION: SSVF Program Office FY2019 Annual Report

This report covers the eighth grant period for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, including awards made in 2018 for the FY2019 period (October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019). The report summarizes the results obtained by the 252 SSVF grantees funded for FY2019. Grantees can view the full report on the SSVF website and by following the link: https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/docs/SSVF_Annual_Report_FY19.pdf

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: SSVF Program Office featured in VA blog, VAntage Point

The SSVF Program Office is pleased to share that our program has been featured in the VA blog, VAntage Point.  Special thanks to SSVF grantee, Homefirst of Santa Clara CA., for working with the VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs to publish this story. To view this story, please follow the link: https://blogs.va.gov/VAntage/84097/ssvf-grantee-homefirst-helps-veteran-find-permanent-housing/ 

 

Regards,

 

SSVF Program Office