This weekly update is targeted towards
the SSVF Grantees and shared with valuable partners for
awareness.
June 23, 2023
Supportive
Services for Veteran Families Grantees,
I would like
to take this opportunity to thank you for your dedication to America’s Veterans
as part of VA’s Calendar Year 2023 Homelessness Goals.
As of May
2023:
·
18,688 Veterans
have been permanently housed, representing 49.2% of the goal. We are on
track to meet this goal by the end of the year.
·
97.5% of the
Veterans housed so far have remained in housing. 466 Veterans have returned
to homelessness, representing 2.5% of the Veterans housed. Of the Veterans who
returned to homelessness, 403 Veterans have been rehoused or placed on a
pathway to re-housing, representing 86.5% of Veterans who have returned to
homelessness. We are closely monitoring progress towards this goal and is
actively working to prevent returns to homelessness and reengage with the
Veterans who have.
·
17,455 unsheltered
Veterans have been engaged, representing 62.3% of the goal. We are on track
to meet and exceed this goal by the end of the year.
Although we focus
a lot on the numbers, I am heartened by the fact that each number represents a
real Veteran whose homelessness is now over and whose life is now better
because they are housed.
On behalf of
Secretary Denis McDonough and everyone here in the VHA Homeless Program Office,
I thank you for your leadership and thank your teams and community partners for
their diligence and hard work.
Your efforts
take us one step closer to a day when every Veteran has a safe and stable place
to call home.
With
gratitude,
Monica Diaz
Executive
Director, Homeless Programs Office (HPO)
Veterans Health Administration |U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
NEW: Supplemental
NOFA Communities Monthly Report Due in UDPaaS June
30, 2023
NEW: SSVF
Website Calendar
REMINDER:
The FY2023 VA Data Guide Published
REQUEST: Success
Stories for SSVF Website and Annual Report
REMINDER:
Required Legal Service Provision
REMINDER:
Join a Veteran-focused SOARing Over Lunch June 29 at 1:00pm EST
REMINDER:
PACT Act Expands Health Care and Benefits for Veterans
NEW:
Supplemental NOFA Communities Monthly Report Due in UDPaaS June 30, 2023
All grant recipients
of the FY22 Supplemental NOFA funds are required to complete a monthly report
activity in UDPaaS. The May data report is due June
30, 2023, and should include any data from May 1, 2023, through May 31,
2023. If you have any questions regarding this report, please reach out to your
Regional Coordinator for assistance.
NEW:
The FY2023 VA Data Guide Published
The SSVF
Program Office in coordination with our technical assistance providers have
updated the VA Data Guide with fiscal year 2023 guidance. This document
can be found under the HMIS/Data Reporting section of the SSVF website at: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_VA_Data_Guide.pdf
NEW: SSVF
Website Calendar
The SSVF website
calendar has information is being updated to reflect upcoming webinars, events,
and due dates. Please note that all events listed on the calendar are in
Eastern Standard Time. Detailed information about calendar events, including
webinar registration information, can be found in SSVF’s weekly program
updates. The calendar can be accessed at https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/calendar/
REQUEST:
Success Stories for SSVF Website and Annual Report
The SSVF
Program Office is seeking success stories to publish on our website and in the
SSVF Annual Report, which is shared with Congress and other
stakeholders. Submissions should be 2-3 paragraphs long and show the
Veteran’s journey from homelessness to stability.
When
submitting, please provide the following information:
·
Grant ID and
location
·
Completed ROIs: http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/Success_Story_General_ROI_Form_10-5345.pdf and http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/Success_Story_Media_ROI_Form_10-3203.pdf
·
Assistance type (HP or
RRH)
·
Overview of key
services
·
Household composition
(single adult, family, etc.)
Optional: If
the Veteran is comfortable with it, you may also include a photo of the Veteran
as well as their gender, ethnicity, and military branch.
Please
submit success stories directly to your Regional Coordinator.
REMINDER:
Required Legal Service Provision
As part of
SSVF Program Office’s ongoing support to end Veteran homelessness it is
important to remind grantees about providing allowable legal services within
their entire services area. SSVF grantee provision of Legal services are
now a permanent service option available to Veteran households nationwide.
The demand for legal
services has been a persistent theme in the Community Homelessness Assessment,
Local Education and Networking Groups (CHALENG) participant survey over several
years. The 2021 CHALENG survey found, seven of the top ten unmet needs reported
by homeless Veterans are legal issues. These top ten cited legal needs
disproportionately impact Women, and Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Native
Americans, Pacific Islanders, Latinx populations.
Furthermore, In
October 2020, the SSVF Program Office implemented an internal Legal Services
Survey of Grantees. The survey revealed only 26% (65) Grantees reported
providing direct legal services via contract or in-house counsel. The report
also indicated that a major reason for not providing direct legal services was
lack of SSVF grant funds.
The SSVF expansion of
legal services with the ARPA funding contributes to a solution. This is an opportunity
to bridge the justice gap and directly improve housing stability for SSVF
participants.
REMINDER:
Join a Veteran-focused SOARing Over Lunch June 29 at 1:00pm EST
Join the
SAMHSA SOAR TA Center Project Director, Kristin Lupfer, and Senior SOAR
Advisor, Jen Elder, on June 29, 2023, from 1:00-2:00pm ET to discuss
implementing SOAR with Veterans. Bring your questions about assisting
with Social Security disability applications, SSA work incentive programs, dual
eligibility for VA and SSA disability benefits, and more! This event is an
informal conversation to help you with answers to your questions and identify
solutions for application barriers.
·
Add to your calendar
·
Join via Zoom on June 29 at 1:00pm ET
REMINDER:
PACT Act Expands Health Care and Benefits for Veterans
What
is the PACT Act?
The PACT Act
is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans with toxic
exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War, and post-9/11 era. Toxic
exposures include substances such as Agent Orange, burn pits, pesticides, and
other toxic substances. The PACT Act adds more than 20 presumptive health
conditions based on exposures, expanding benefits for eligible Veterans. If a
Veteran has a presumptive condition established by the PACT Act, they do not
need to prove their service caused the condition, only meet the service
requirements for the presumption. The PACT Act also requires VA to provide a
toxic exposure screening (TES) to every Veteran enrolled in VA health care to
determine potential exposure to toxic substances while serving.
Resources
for Veterans:
·
To learn about how to
get benefits and file a claim online, visit The PACT Act and VA Benefits or call 800-698-2411
·
Handout: 
TES Fast
Facts for Veterans
·
Handout: Toxic Exposure Screening
Information
·
Handout: PACT Act Benefits