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

        

· REMINDER: Office Hours Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans: 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month

· REMINDER: SSVF Monthly Repository Upload Change

· REMINDER: Update Grantee Intake Information

· REGISTER: SSVF Program Office – Data Office Hours: End of Year Closeout

· RESOURCE: Donation Socks from Bombas (Order Form Closes: October 3, 2022)

· RESOURCE: Suicide Prevention Month Tool Kit Available Now

· RESOURCE: Social Security Administration (SSA) National Disability Forum, Homelessness: Working with Stakeholders to Improve Access to SSA Benefits and Services.

 

REMINDER: Office Hours Permanent Housing Placement (PHP) National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans: 2nd and 4th Fridays of the Month

The next PHP National Challenge to House 38,000 Veterans Office Hours call will be on Friday, September 23, 2022. This call will provide guidance on the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing and Grant and Per Diem Collaborative Case Management model and will showcase bright spot communities.

As this call series is intended to provide broad technical assistance and support that integrates all VA and community-partner programs and services towards accomplishing the goal, SSVF grantees are strongly encouraged to participate. 

These calls will be held on the 2^nd and 4^th Fridays of the Month at 3pm EST/12pm PT. As this goal will be a major focus of homeless program operations for the remainder of CY 2022.

Recordings to previous calls can be accessed publicly here: https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/38k_National_Housing_Challenge.asp

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device

Please click this URL to join. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84802201078

One tap mobile:

+16465588656,,84802201078# US (New York)

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Join by phone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location)- US:

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+1 312 626 6799 

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+1 346 248 7799

Webinar ID: 848 0220 1078

REMINDER: SSVF Monthly Repository Upload Change

The SSVF Program Office would like to remind grantees the monthly repository upload deadline was changed from the 9^th day of the month to the 7^th day of the month.  Grantees should ensure uploads are attempted within the first two days of the month, allowing for modifications or corrections to be made up to the 7^th day. 

October 2022 Upload periods:

· First upload due Monday, October 3^rd

· Final upload due Friday, October 7^th

Should you have any questions or concerns about your October upload, please contact your SSVF Regional Coordinator and/or SSVFHMIS@abtassoc.com.

REMINDER: Update Grantee Intake Information

It is required that grantees ensure their grantee intake contact information is up to date at all times. As you have changes in that information, ensure you update this in UDPaaS, by selecting your fiscal year grant page, request activity tab, and complete the “SSVF Intake Information” activity.

REGISTER:  SSVF Program Office – Data Office Hours: End of Year Closeout

The SSVF Program Office will be hosting an additional Data Office Hours for SSVF grantees and their community partners October 4, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. EST.  This office hours will focus on the end of year SSVF Repository close out requirements.  Our Technical Assistance partners will review these requirements and be available to answer questions regarding HMIS report uploads in addition to troubleshooting errors and/or data quality issues.

Please register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y3roBySYTpiUn0QB9Q200w

RESOURCE: Donation Socks from Bombas (Order Form Closes: October 3, 2022)

The Department of Veterans Affairs are partnering with Bombas and Veterans United Home Loans again this year to bring donation socks to Veterans experiencing homelessness.

VA Grantees that are interested in receiving donation socks from Bombas (250 per box) will need to submit an order form by October 3, 2022. Please refer to the attached resources for additional information.  Socks will be delivered by early November. 

If your location is interested in providing photos and testimonials from Veterans and/or your facility (in a “Good News Story”), please make the notation on the order form (in the applicable location). Our team will work collaboratively with you to develop the “Good News Story”.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Leisa.Davis@va.gov (before October 3, 2022) and include the following information: Name, Email, Phone, Organization, Address, Quantity Requested, Brief Description of the Issue and insert “Bombas” in the subject line.

RESOURCE: Suicide Prevention Month Tool Kit Available Now

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and we want Veterans to know that they don’t have to solve life’s challenges alone. 

Suicide is a complex problem, and stressful life events like divorce or job loss can be risk factors. VA.gov/REACH offers resources to help support Veterans across a wide range of challenges, before these problems become overwhelming. 

Suicide is preventable, and we all have a role to play. Help us spread the word with the “Don’t Wait. Reach Out.” campaign toolkit here.

RESOURCE: Social Security Administration (SSA) National Disability Forum, Homelessness: Working with Stakeholders to Improve Access to SSA Benefits and Services.

National Disability Forum, Homelessness: Working with Stakeholders to Improve Access to SSA Benefits and Services.  This is a two-part series.  SSA will host Part I on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, and Part II October 19, 2022.  Both forums will be held via Microsoft (MS) Teams from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.  

The purpose of these forums is to learn from researchers, stakeholders, advocates, and the public about how we can improve access to our benefits and services for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.  Discussion topics for Part I include:

• Demographics of people experiencing homelessness;
• Access to benefits applications for the sheltered and unsheltered;
• Addressing receipt of benefits when they have no address.

Joy Moses, Director for the Homelessness Research Institute, National Alliance to End Homelessness, will moderate the forum.  Confirmed Panelists include:

• Kenyatta T. Brunson, President & CEO, N Street Village
• Chiquita Goode, Benefits Counselor, N Street Village
• Patricia Malley, Senior Staff Attorney, Homeless Advocacy Project
• Sam Tsemberis, Founder and CEO, Pathways Housing First Institute and, Associate Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA
• Donald Whitehead Jr., Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless

We will notify grantees when registration link is available for the October forum.

To learn more about the National Disability Forum, please visit www.ssa.gov/ndf.