This weekly update is targeted towards the SSVF Grantees and shared with valuable partners for awareness.

September 15, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENT: SSVF FY24 Awards Announced

NEW: Shallow Subsidy Data Collection Resource

REMINDER: Immediate Actions to Place Returned Veterans on Paths to Housing

REGISTER: 2023 VA Permanent Housing Conference – One Team Approach: Collaborating to End Homelessness Among Veterans.

REGISTER: SSVF Data Office Hours – SSVF HMIS End of Year Closeout & FY2024 HMIS Data Standards September 15, 2023, at 12:00 pm EST

REGISTER: VA Suicide Prevention – Lethal Means Safety Training September 21, 2023 at 1:00 pm EST

ATTENTION: September is Suicide Prevention Month - Reach Out

DUE: Supplemental Award Monthly Report (August report)

ANNOUNCEMENT: SSVF FY24 Awards Announced

On Monday, August 28, 2023, the VA released the SSVF FY24 award announcement. Grantees have been notified and can check the SSVF website for the full listing of awards for FY24. If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Coordinator.

Link: VA on track to house 38k homeless Veterans

NEW: Shallow Subsidy Data Collection Resource

The SSVF Program Office’s HMIS Technical Assistance Support, ABT and Associates, have developed a resource document about Shallow Subsidy HMIS documentation requirements. This document provides specific information about documentation requirements and links to additional guidance and resources. Please ensure all staff entering data into HMIS or conducting data quality verifications are provided this document for review.

Link: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_Shallow_Subsidy_Data_Supplement.pdf

REMINDER: Immediate Actions to Place Returned Veterans on Paths to Housing

As part of its 2023 Homelessness Goals, VA set a goal to ensure that at least 90% of the Veterans who have returned to homelessness are rehoused or placed on a pathway to rehousing by December 31, 2023. However, as of July 2023, only 84.7% of Veterans have been rehoused or placed on a path to rehousing, and VA is not on track to meet this goal.

As SSVF Rapid Rehousing is one of VA’s key pathways to rehousing, grantees are advised to take the following immediate actions:

Connect with your VA Medical Center homeless program leads to review the list of Veterans who have been identified as returning to homelessness but have not been rehoused or placed on a path to rehousing.
Evaluate those Veterans for SSVF Rapid Rehousing and enroll them quickly if appropriate.
Continue to review the list of Veterans identified as returning to homelessness every two weeks through December 31, 2023.

For questions about this announcement, please email VHA11HPO3kGoalSupport@va.gov.

REGISTER: 2023 VA Permanent Housing Conference – One Team Approach: Collaborating to End Homelessness Among Veterans.

The SSVF Program Office, in partnership with the VA Homeless Program Office and national HUD-VASH office, is excited to bring together practitioners from across the country for the 2023 VA Permanent Housing Conference – One Team Approach: Collaborating to End Homelessness Among Veterans.

All Grantees should have received an invite and registration link to attend one of the PHC locations: Dallas, TX November 14 & 15 or Atlanta, GA December 5 & 6

This intensive, 2-day conference event will focus on various topics and solutions to collectively end homelessness among Veterans. The conference will include multiple plenary sessions, planning discussions and over 20 breakout topics for attendees to choose from.

Each SSVF grantee is allotted two (2) staff members to this event.

Registration ends on November 1, 2023 Please ensure you register for the event and book your hotel (link for hotel information will come via email after you register for the event)

Please contact your SSVF Regional Coordinator if you have questions.

REGISTER: SSVF Data Office Hours – SSVF HMIS End of Year Closeout & FY2024 HMIS Data Standards September 15, 2023, at 12:00 pm EST

The SSVF Program Office in collaboration with our technical assistance partners with Abt Associates will provide guidance and recommendations about the SSVF End of Year HMIS close out. Grantees will also be provided updates about the upcoming FY2024 HMIS Data Standards changes effective 10/1/2024.

Grantees should ensure staff who conduct data entry, data quality reviews and repository uploads are invited.

Please register using the following link: Webinar Registration - Zoom

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

REGISTER: VA Suicide Prevention – Lethal Means Safety Training September 21, 2023 at 1:00 pm EST

September is Suicide Prevention Month!

The Suicide Prevention Program is hosting a webinar on Lethal Means Safety (LMS) for VA grant programs and community partners. Please join the SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) on Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 1:00pm EST to learn more about and join in the conversation about Lethal Means

Safety for the Veterans and families we serve.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

ATTENTION: September is Suicide Prevention Month - Reach Out

Please join the SSVF Program Office in supporting the VA suicide prevention campaign called Reach Out. You can make a difference in helping prevent Veteran suicide by educating your staff about the importance of Veteran Suicide Prevention and sharing tools and resources to support this critical effort. The Reach Out campaign focuses on helping Veterans and their loved ones navigate life’s challenges now, to avoid Veteran suicide later. Veterans have resources they can Reach Out to for help. So do their loved ones. And we can all Reach Out to Veterans early and often to provide support during life’s challenges.

Here are some great ways you, your staff, and your community partners can Reach Out to help Veterans connect with critical supports::

Use the toolkit found at REACH.gov/SPM for more information to share with your agency and community.

Download and share social media posts and graphics, web banners, posters, and e-billboards on the suicide prevention month page to spread the word.
Call, text, or email the Veterans you serve and in your life. For conversation starters, consider putting the Reach Out campaign link REACH.gov/SPM in your signature block.
Continue to reach out throughout September and beyond. You don’t have to be an expert to talk to a Veteran going through life challenges—showing you care makes a big difference.

As a reminder, all SSVF Grantee staff must complete S.A.V.E. training annually by September 30^th. S.A.V.E. is a Suicide Prevention training course developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Grantees should reach out to their local Suicide Prevention Coordinator(s) (SPC) to ask about local in person S.A.V.E. trainings or take S.A.V.E. online at one of the following links:

SSVF S.A.V.E. Training Webinar: SSVF S.A.V.E Training Webinar.
VA/PsychArmor S.A.V.E. Training Webinar: https://psycharmor.org/courses/s-a-v-e/

SSVF Grantees are encouraged to share VA Suicide Prevention resources with your community partners. Please consider discussing S.A.V.E. training, the Reach Out campaign, and other Suicide Prevention resources when working with community members at COC, CES, and other homeless provider meetings.

DUE: Supplemental Award Monthly Report (August reports) 

For grantees with Supplemental Funding awards, the request for August data is due September 30, 2023. Please reach out to your Regional Coordinator if you have any questions.