Western North Carolina VA Health Care System surpasses goal for housing placements

“Our community’s goal was 190 households, and we have housed 196 as a community between Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), and Grant & Per Diem (GPD) collaborative efforts,” Jerry Kivett-Kimbro, WNC VA Health Care System HUD-VASH Supervisor, said. “That doesn’t even include the December move-ins we have already had!”

HUD-VASH is a collaborative program which pairs HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance with VA case management and supportive services for homeless Veterans. These services are designed to help homeless Veterans and their families find and sustain permanent housing and access the health care, mental health treatment, substance use counseling, and other supports necessary to help them in their recovery process and with their ability to maintain housing in the community.

SSVF grants have been awarded to selected private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that will assist very low-income Veteran families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. Grantees will provide a range of supportive services to eligible Veteran families that are designed to promote housing stability.

VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program is offered annually (as funding permits) by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Programs to fund community agencies providing services to homeless Veterans. The purpose is to promote the development and provision of supportive housing and/or supportive services with the goal of helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and/or income, and obtain greater self-determination.

“The only other site in the VISN to achieve the goal so far is Salem, Virginia,” Kivett-Kimbro added. “So we are the only one in North Carolina!”