June 2016 NCHV eNewsletter

NCHV eNewsletter
June 2016
HUD Releases FY 2016 CoC NOFA
Submission deadline is Sept. 14, 2016
The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition has been posted to the FY 2016 CoC Program Competition: Funding Availability page on the HUD Exchange. 
Approximately $1.9 billion is available through this funding notice. All of the requirements in the FY 2016 application process, including requirements for the entire CoC Consolidated Application and the total amount of funding available, are contained in this NOFA.
It is vital that homeless veteran service providers are working in collaboration with their local CoCs. Find your local CoC contact here. 
Thank You to All Who Participated in the 2016 NCHV Annual Conference! Presentations and More Available Online
See presentation materials, NCHV Award winners, and more
Thank you to all who made the 2016 NCHV Annual Conference a great success! Over 600 service providers, experts, and other stakeholders participated in this year's event. We especially thank those who provided input in the various listening sessions to help NCHV communicate the most pressing needs from the field to our partners in the Federal agencies and in Congress.
Hill Watch: NCHV Advocacy Team and Appropriations
Progress and setbacks in funding process
First of all, we want to send a big “thank you!” to the folks who attended the NCHV Annual Conference and in particular the Public Policy Session. The follow up discussions were some of the most fruitful and promising we have ever had with members. So many of you committed to going up on the Hill to talk to your congressional offices, and several of you told us you were going to go for your first time! That is the stuff that movements are made of – thank you for your zeal and willingness.
If you are one of those people who did take a meeting with a congressional office while you were in town, please don’t forget to fill out a NCHV Advocacy Team Hill Meeting Debrief Form by clicking here. For those of you who conduct advocacy back home, please also fill out one of those forms if you think there is something NCHV should be aware of, or do follow-up on.
Those of you who follow Hill Watch closely, or who were in the Public Policy Session, will remember the discussion of appropriations as they relate to veteran homelessness program funding, and how the vast majority of the funds those programs expend will be governed by this year’s Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act (MilCon/VA). The House and the Senate passed different versions of this bill, but just recently their appointed conferees have come to an agreement resolving the differences. The only remaining step before the President signs this bill into law is final passage out of the Senate (the House having already done this).
Unfortunately, this week when the Senate attempted final passage, unrelated political “riders” caused the otherwise good bill to be rejected. You can read more about that in a Roll Call article here (the focus of the article is on Zika funding, which was tied in with the MilCon/VA bill). The core of the bill as far as veteran homelessness is concerned is solid: it calls for $320 million for the SSVF program, $257 million for GPD, and backfills the missing HUD-VASH case management dollars from last year.
NCHV projects that whatever final form the package around the MilCon/VA Appropriations bill takes, the core numbers for VA homeless programs will remain the same as quoted above. Whether those numbers will become law right after the Fourth of July holiday week, or well after the statutory deadline of Sept. 30, is hard to tell. Stay tuned to NCHV’s communications to find out!
Homeless Court Program Training to Take Place at San Diego Stand Down
July 22-23, registration is free but limited to the first 15 registrants
Key players from San Diego’s Homeless Court Program will provide participants with a review of the
history and the development of homeless court at Stand Down, answer questions from observers and discuss what resources are needed to replicate the program in their communities. Participants will also tour the full Stand Down program which features Child Support Court, civil legal aid services, and dozens of non-legal services.
This free training is available to the first 15 registrants and will take place July 22-23 at the San Diego Stand Down.
Veteran Employment Resources at Your Fingertips
DOL-VETS launches Veterans.gov, excerpt from blog post by Assistant Secretary Mike Michaud
In my travels around the country, one of the comments I hear the most is about the variety of websites for veterans’ employment. It’s often hard for transitioning service members, veterans and their spouses to know where to start, whether they’re looking for a first civilian job after the military, wanting a career change or hoping to start a business. And I’ve heard similar things from employers who want to hire veterans but don’t know where to begin.

I am pleased to share with you the best starting point to build a better network of resources: our virtual, one-stop online employment services website, Veterans.gov. The site brings together job banks, state employment offices, American Job Centers, opportunities in top trending industry sectors and tools for employers.
As we continue to grow Veterans.gov and its content, we want to give customers the most robust and valuable experience we possibly can. To do that, we’ll be meeting with our government and private sector partners to learn from them what works well and hear their suggestions for improving the site. I encourage everyone to try it out today, and spread the word about all the resources Veterans.gov has to offer.

Mike Michaud is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training.
Guidance from USICH, HUD: Criteria and Benchmark for Ending Chronic Homelessness
Federal criteria for ending all chronic homelessness
Permanent housing with individually tailored supportive services is the solution to chronic homelessness. To make sure all individuals experiencing chronic homelessness are on a quick path to permanent housing, communities need robust, coordinated systems that are focused on shared outcomes.
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and Department of Housing and Urban Development have released criteria and benchmarks for ending chronic homelessness that are intended to help communities build and fine-tune those systems, to help define the vision of ending chronic homelessness within communities, and to align local efforts in support of that vision.
To view these new criteria and benchmarks, click here. 
Funding Opportunities
MetLife Foundation primarily focuses on grants to organizations that help with financial inclusion for low-income individuals and families. Financial inclusion grant requests are accepted and reviewed throughout the year. Applications are accepted through their online application system. For more information, click here.
Sam L. Cohen Foundation grants to nonprofit organizations that benefit people living in southern Maine. The five program areas that are funded are: arts and culture; civic and community; education; health and human services; Jewish culture and tradition. The fall cycle for initial inquiry is from June 1 to Aug. 1. For more information, click here.
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