From: SSVF
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 9:32 AM
To: SSVF
Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday October 11th, 2019
Topics:
1.
Important: Activation of FY2020 Accounts for Grantees on Extension
2.
Save the Date: Shallow Subsidy Office Hours Call October 31, 2019 12:00 PM ET
3.
Reminder: Federal Partners Housing Conferences
4.
Reminder: FY2020 Grant Resolution Requirement Available in GIFTS
5.
New: FY2020 Participant Satisfaction Survey Update
6.
New: FY2020 VA Data Guide
Important:
Activation of FY2020 HHS accounts for Grantees on Extension:
For those grantees
that requested a 1-month extension of the FY19 grant period, but do not require
the full month to meet program goals and spend down funds, HHS activations for
FY20 will occur every two weeks after 10/1/19. It is imperative that
grantees email the Regional Coordinator (email subject line must include your
SSVF grant ID) to notify the Program Office of the last day they incur SSVF
expenses of their FY19 award. At that time, the grantee’s FY20 HHS account
will be activated in the next round of activations.
For example, if a
grantee requested a 1-month extension (thru 10/31/2019) and identifies the last
day of incurred expenses to the FY19 grant is on 10/11/19, then the grantee
must email the SSVF Regional Coordinator to report this final date of
expenditures and confirm the end of the grant extensions. Having
completed these steps, the grantee can expect the HHS PMS account for the FY20
grant award to be activated on 10/15/19. If the last day of incurred
expenses to the FY19 grant is identified between 10/15/19 and 10/31/19, then
activation will occur on 11/01/19. To be clear, if a grantee with an
extension does not notify the program office of the final day their grant
incurred FY19 expenses, then the SSVF Program Office will assume the full month
extension was needed and will activate the FY20 HHS PMS accounts between
11/1/19 and 11/15/19.
Save the Date:
Shallow Subsidy Office Hours Call October 31, 2019 12:00 PM ET
SSVF Program
Office and technical assistance staff will present updates to the Shallow
Subsidy Program Guide. Grantees will have an opportunity to ask planning,
implementation and compliance questions and to share processes and practices
they are developing to implement the new service. Call-in information
will be provided when available.
Reminder:
Federal Partners Housing Conference
The SSVF Program
Office, with the support of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), the US Interagency Council on Homelessness and other federal and
national partners, is pleased to announce confirmed locations for the upcoming
2019 Federal Permanent Housing Conferences. The events are targeted to SSVF
Grantees, HUD-VASH representatives, and CoC Partners. Please note
location changes for the East and West coast conferences:
•
East Coast (Ft Lauderdale, FL): October 22-23, 2019
•
Mid-Region (Dallas, TX): November 5-6, 2019
•
West Coast (Hollywood, CA): November 19-20, 2019
Registration is
now open for the East Coast, Mid-Region and West Coast conferences; please
register for your assigned conference and book hotel rooms as soon as
possible. Questions related to these events can be sent to the SSVF
program’s technical assistance address at ssvf@tacinc.org.
Reminder: FY 2020
Grant Resolution Requirement Available in GIFTS- Due October 30, 2019
The Grant
Agreement Resolution verifies the key program components for each grant award,
including service area, households to be served, homelessness prevention
threshold score, subcontracts (if applicable) and confirmation of the budgeted
Services, TFA and Administrative allocations within approved budget for FY
2020. When completing this form, please keep in mind that responses must
reflect program components that have been approved by VA. Significant
changes to the grant program that may occur after this resolution process will
require submission of a Program Change Request in the second and third quarters
of the fiscal year.
SSVF Grant
Resolution submissions are due no later than Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The grantee portal
can be found at https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_2115/.
Grantees are required to attach the completed CoC Distribution Excel document,
which has been emailed to all grantees. The CoC Distribution Excel
document and a sample copy of the Resolution Requirement are available on the
SSVF website at:
New: FY2020 SSVF
Participant Satisfaction Survey Update
All grantees have
received the web link to be used to register Veterans to take the Participant
Satisfaction Survey, for use in the new fiscal year. If you do not have
your registration link for FY20, please contact M. Davis and Company, Inc. at VASSVF@mdavisco.com or 215-790-8900
x124. The registration process is exactly the same as FY19. As a
reminder, here are a few points of which to take note:
TIP: Please
ensure the registration link is saved as a desktop shortcut on all PC’s which
will be used to register Veterans.
• The registration
portal displays the Grant ID at the top of the welcome screen. If an
organization operates multiple SSVF grants, grantees will be able to easily
verify that staff is using the appropriate link by verifying the Grant ID at
the top of the screen.
• When registering
multiple Veterans, you must close your browser window after registering each
Veteran. To begin the next registration, you must re-access the
registration link from your desktop shortcut (do not use your browser’s “back”
button).
• For future
auditing and compliance purposes save the “Thank You” screen of each
registration for your records.
• When a Veteran
is registered using an e-mail address, the Veteran will receive the survey link
via e-mail within 2 minutes of registration.
• When a Veteran
is registered using a telephone number connected to a smart phone, the Veteran
will receive a text message with the survey link within 15 minutes.
Again, if you have
not received the survey registration link or if you have any questions
regarding the registration process, please contact M. Davis and Company
at: VASSVF@mdavisco.com or
215-790-8900 x124.
New: FY2020 VA
Data Guide
The updated VA
Data Guide describes data management expectations for SSVF grantees that are
required to participate in HMIS. The guide conveys information regarding
the tools needed to properly meet HMIS requirements and manage program
data. The reporting requirements in 38 CFR 62.71 have been designed to
provide VA with the information needed to assess the outcomes associated with
grantees’ programs. As a result of this, VA anticipates grantees’
programs will assist in reducing the number of Veteran families who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness. Grantees are encouraged to pay close
attention to updates in the VA Data Guide related to data standards, including
new guidance on Returning Home and Rapid Resolution data capture requirements.
New in FY2020, the
SSVF Program Office will collect information on all Rapid Resolution
interventions, including Rapid Resolution conversations that do not result in
SSVF enrollments. In order to capture all Rapid Resolution activities, including
conversations only, HMIS Administrators must create a separate project in HMIS
utilizing the Coordinated Entry Event data element. This data element is
intended to standardize data collection on core components of Coordinated Entry
like access, assessment, referral and prioritization. This data element will be
used by SSVF providers as needed to record all Rapid Resolution
conversations. After recording the conversation result, the client can be
exited from the Rapid Resolution project. In many cases, households will
be enrolled in either SSVF Rapid Rehousing or SSVF Homelessness Prevention
project types after being exited from the Rapid Resolution Coordinated Entry
Event project.
Please work with
your HMIS Administrator/HMIS Lead for project set up of these new Rapid
Resolution projects. The VA expects these projects to be in operation no later
than December 1, 2019, and for all data to be fully captured on all active
clients with whom conversations are being held as of the date the project is established
by HMIS Leads.
The FY2020 VA Data
Guide is located on the SSVF website and can be found using the link below:
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/FY2020_VA_Provider_Data_Guide_October_2019.pdf
Thank you,
SSVF Program
Office