From: SSVF
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2021 9:02 AM
Subject: SSVF Program Update Friday July 16, 2021
TOPICS:
NEW: VA Homeless Programs Overview Recording
REGISTER: Voluntary Training Opportunity, Peer
Specialists in Homeless Programs - Screening for Suicide Risk in the Community,
July 21, 2021 at 1pm EST
UPDATE: End of Eviction Moratoriums
REGISTER: SSVF Office Hour Series: Homelessness
Prevention & the End of the Eviction Moratorium July 30, 2021 at 12:00pm
EST
REMINDER: Repository Uploads and Data Reports
RESOURCE: SSVF Compliance Corner- Review of
Commonly Asked Compliance Questions
NEW: VA
Homeless Programs Overview Recording
The SSVF
Program in conjunction with VA Homeless Programs Offices of Healthcare for
Homeless Veterans (HCHV), Grant per Diem (GPD), HUD VA Supportive Housing
(HUD-VASH), and Homeless Veterans Community Employment Services (HVCES) have
developed a comprehensive overview of available homeless services. This
recording provides general information about each of the VA Homeless Veteran
Programs. This recording will be helpful for new employees who will
provide homeless services in addition providing a refresher to existing staff.
Please take the time to review the recording and integrate the use of this
recording into your new employee orientation process. The recording can
be accessed at: https://youtu.be/g-dcsC2f-O0
REGISTER:
Voluntary Training Opportunity, Peer Specialists in Homeless Programs -
Screening for Suicide Risk in the Community, July 21, 2021at 1pm EST
The VA
National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans is presenting this voluntary
live webinar to VA and Community homeless providers outlining the ability of
paraprofessionals, like VA Peer Support Specialists, to use a universal suicide
screener to identify Veterans at high risk of suicide. The webinar will discuss
how VA Peer Support Specialists and other VA staff should address encounters
with Veterans screened as high risk for suicide, especially when outside of VA
Medical Centers. All SSVF Providers are encouraged to attend. Course - VHA
TRAIN - an affiliate of the TRAIN Learning Network powered by the Public Health
Foundation. You will first be asked to create a VHA TRAIN account or login,
prior to registering. Please click the appropriate box to register:
VA
staff register here
Non-VA staff
register here
UPDATE: End of Eviction Moratoriums
The Treasury
Department now maintains a list of Emergency Rental Assistance Programs (ERAP)
assistance by state. These programs can provide the financial assistance
necessary to prevent evictions. This broader mandate, preventing evictions
rather than SSVF’s more focused mandate to prevent homelessness, may mean that
ERAP is a resource for some Veterans who would not be eligible for SSVF
prevention services. Find providers at: Find rental assistance | U.S.
Department of the Treasury
SSVF’s Stage 2
Homeless Prevention Screener is an important tool for prioritizing eligible
Veterans who are likely to become homeless since research indicates that most
of those who are evicted do not become homeless. However, COVID-19’s
economic impact has placed many more renters at-risk. In response, the SSVF
Program Office issued guidance that gave SSVF Grantees broad flexibility in
delivering prevention services. While the Stage 2 Screener was reinstated
on January 1, Grantees can choose a threshold score that meets the anticipated
increase in service demands that may occur with the end of Eviction
Moratoriums. Additionally, Grantees have been provided substantial additional
funding through CARES and the 40% cap on prevention spending has been lifted
for FY 2021.
REGISTER: SSVF Office Hour Series:
Homelessness Prevention & the End of Eviction Moratoriums July 30, 2021 at
12:00pm EST
This webinar
will discuss the expiring Eviction Moratoriums as well as provide guidance to
SSVF Grantees related to Homelessness Prevention. The webinar will also discuss
policy updates and practice considerations for all Grantees. Program Directors
and other SSVF staff are strongly encouraged to attend.
Please
register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8362153582468086288 After registering, you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
REMINDER:
Repository Uploads and Data Reports
As continuing
education regarding Data Entry, HMIS and Repository uploads, this week we are
highlighting the availability of data quality reports following successful
uploads. As noted in the FY2021 SSVF Monthly Report Guide, the guide
presents introductory and usage information on the monthly report. The main
purpose of this guide is to improve Grantees’ ability to understand, navigate
and share SSVF HMIS Monthly Report findings internally and locally.
Understanding and usage of this report should help Grantees to improve their
SSVF program’s policies and practices, client outcomes, and their external
coordination efforts. Additionally, the report provides a shared picture of
Grantee service provision and outcomes to both VA and the SSVF Grantee.
On a monthly
basis, the HMIS Repository generates a SSVF Monthly Report for each upload
slot. The report is emailed via an automated process to SSVF Grantee staff with
associated HMIS Repository accounts. The report is generated on or around the
11th of every month and will include data from the most recent upload provided
to the repository from the 1st through the 9th of that same month. As a
reminder, repository uploads are grant-to-date and grow in size each month,
building toward a full fiscal year data set by the 12th upload of every fiscal
year.
Grantees
should refer to the FY2021 SSVF Monthly Report Guide as needed to support
ongoing data quality needs at: SSVF Monthly Report Guide – FY 2021 v 1.0
(va.gov)
RESOURCE:
SSVF Compliance Corner- Review of Commonly Asked Compliance Questions
Question: Should we treat the 2021 child tax
credit as income?
Answer: No. SSVF Grantees should not include
this when calculating and determining income eligibility. The payments that a
veteran or family may receive are advance payments of the 2021 child tax
credit, so they are not taxable.
Regards,
SSVF Program
Office