From: SSVF

Sent: Friday, September 17, 2021 11:30 AM

Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday September 17, 2021

TOPICS:

ANNOUNCEMENT: Shallow Subsidy Funding Expands Again

ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations Nikki Barfield - Deputy Director, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Homeless Programs Office

REMINDER: New HMIS Data Standards

REGISTER: SSVF Office Hour Series: Shallow Subsidy: Planning and Implementation September 24, 2021 at 12PM EST

ATTENTION: September is Suicide Prevention Month – Reach Out

ANNOUNCEMENT: Shallow Subsidy Funding Expands Again

VA has previously announced a national expansion of the Shallow Subsidy initiative, which is supported by $200 million from the American Rescue Plan. These funds will be distributed in October 2021 to Grantees who currently do not have dedicated Shallow Subsidy funding. An additional $150 million has now been made available for all Grantees, increasing the total pool of new Shallow Subsidy funding to $350 million. More information about the distribution of these funds will be provided in the coming days.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations Nikki Barfield - Deputy Director, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Homeless Programs Office

Nikki Barfield has been selected as the Deputy Director for SSVF.  As the Deputy Director, Nikki will be supporting SSVF’s daily operations.   Nikki is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who previously served as a Network Homeless Coordinator and was responsible for oversight of the Homeless Programs within VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8).  Nikki started her VA career in 2001 at Bay Pines VA HealthCare System where she worked in the Outpatient Medical Clinics, Domiciliary Residential Treatment Program, Grant and Per Diem Program and as the Social Work Supervisor for the Homeless Programs.  In addition to her professional VA duties, Ms. Barfield is a CARF Behavioral Health Surveyor and Association of Social Work Boards Item Writer for licensure exams.  Nikki is currently stationed in St. Petersburg, Florida.

REMINDER: New HMIS Data Standards

As a reminder: Final SSVF HMIS Uploads are due October 1 – October 5 and must be in the HUD Data Standard in place for the past fiscal year: FY 2020.  After your final upload is completed (no later than October 9), you can work with your HMIS Lead/HMIS Vendor to implement the changes to the HUD Data Standards and Reporting for FY 2022 – but not until after your upload for the fiscal year is complete. HUD is aware of this requirement. CoCs will not be penalized for accommodating SSVF HMIS uploads on the current data standard through October 9th; however, SSVF Grantees could be penalized for not being able to upload the final dataset of the year. 

Please communicate to ssvfhmis@abtassoc.com if you foresee any issues with submitting a CSV file October 1^st – October 9^th using the current CSV standard for FY 2020.

REGISTER: SSVF Office Hour Series: Shallow Subsidy: Planning and Implementation September 24, 2021 at 12PM EST

The SSVF Program Office and Technical Assistance Providers will host a Shallow Subsidy Office Hours conference call for SSVF Grantees and their community partners on Friday, September 24, 2021. The SSVF Program Office staff and Technical Assistance staff will provide an overview of recommendations for inclusive and strategic community planning processes, emerging best practices on implementing assessment and targeting strategies, and an overview of Affordable Housing Resources.   

Please register using the following link:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8271667075105027856 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

ATTENTION: September is Suicide Prevention Month

Please join the SSVF Program Office in supporting this year’s 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.   

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. Staff should first attempt to request in-person training from their local certified S.A.V.E. trainer, either a VAMC Suicide Prevention Coordinator or Homeless Program Staff Point of Contact (POC). For assistance in locating your local Suicide Prevention Coordinator, click here: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/local-resources. If in-person training is unavailable, all staff should view the SSVF S.A.V.E. Training Webinar on Suicide Prevention found in the SSVF Program Guide and below, or the PsychArmor S.A.V.E. Training Webinar on YouTube.

• SSVF SAVE Training Webinar: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_National_Webinar_2019_12_12_FY2020_Suicide_Prevention.pdf
• VA/PsychArmor SAVE Training Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Vg-xM9L7Q&t=3s

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.

Below are additional resources and opportunities to support Veteran suicide prevention efforts and the Reach Out Campaign. Please ask your staff to familiarize themselves with the following: 

• Add the Veterans Crisis line number: 1-800-273-8255 (press 1 for Veterans) to your phone contacts.
• Use the toolkit found at: REACH.gov/SPM and add this link to your email signature block for Suicide Prevention information, awareness, and resources to share with your staff and fellow community providers. This site provides numerous ideas and resources to help prevent Veteran suicide including offering downloadable e-billboards, posters and ways to post support on social media.
• The Veteran Crisis Line webpage: https://www.veteranscrisisline.net has an array of suicide prevention resources including ways to call, chat, email or text with responders 24/7.
• The VA’s website on Suicide Prevention: Veteran Suicide Prevention | Veterans Affairs (va.gov) outlines VA and community Suicide Prevention resources including mobile apps, ways to access mental health, and resources for families and caregivers.
• Share the “VA Coaching into Care” number, available M-F 8am-8pm, 1-888-823-7458, where Licensed Psychologists and Social Workers will help Veterans and family members access critical VA mental health services.
• Learn the signs of crisis and suicide red flags at: http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/education/signs-of-crisis.
• Share with employees and community members the link to VA’s Mental Health resource page at: http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov to find facilities, treatment options, and information on Veteran mental health concerns.
• Visit the National Center for PTSD: Resources for Survivors and the Public Following Disaster and Mass Violence - PTSD: National Center for PTSD (va.gov) to familiarize yourself with resources for helping Veterans cope in the wake of disasters and trauma.

With Regards,

SSVF Program Office