From: SSVF
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2019 3:13 PM
To: SSVF
Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday October 25th, 2019
Topics:
1.
Important: Activation of FY2020 Accounts for Grantees on Extension
2.
Register Now: 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 VA Data Guide
6.
Update: Revision to Returning Home Description and Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)
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.
Register Now:
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.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8463927662961650947
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.
•
Mid-Region (Dallas, TX): November 5-6, 2019
•
West Coast (Hollywood, CA): November 19-20, 2019
Registration is
still open for the 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 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
Update: Revision
to Returning Home Description and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Returning Home is
an approach to ending Veteran homelessness through use of SSVF practices.
Returning Home supports social and familial reunification by allowing SSVF
grantees to use TFA to assist Veterans in returning to their community of
origin. Returning Home was initially piloted in certain high rent/low
vacancy rate communities but has been expanded and can now be utilized by all
SSVF providers. The SSVF Program Office has revised the description and
FAQs regarding Returning Home, which is available on the SSVF University and is
included with this update.
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/Returning_Home_Guidance_and_FAQs.pdf
Thank you,
SSVF Program Office