Topics:
1. NEW: COVID 19 Guidance- Consolidated Overview
2. REQUIREMENT: Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) GIFTS Requirement Due Friday May 29, 2020
3. NEW: Memorandum: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Assistance for Veterans Participating in Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)
4. ATTENTION: A Message from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Executive in Charge – COVID-19: Reaching Those Experiencing Homelessness
5. REQUEST: SSVF Program Office Request for SSVF Success Stories
NEW: COVID 19 Guidance- Consolidated Overview
The SSVF Program Office in partnership with their Technical Assistance providers have created a new reference resource for SSVF grantee staff; this resource document summarizes the current regulatory/requirement changes in response to COVID-19. The reference document will help new and existing SSVF staff by providing a quick at-a-glance resource that describes major policy changes, with references to SSVF Website and the SSVF COVID 19 FAQ as well. This resource has been posted to the SSVF website and is available here:
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_COVID_Consolidated_Guidance.pdf
REQUIREMENT: Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) GIFTS Requirement due Friday May 29, 2020
The SSVF Program Office is request the EHA data from all grantees. This information is essential in the reporting process of CARES Funding and must be submitted by May 29th. SSVF Providers must continue to ensure that EHA placements happen quickly, and grantees should continue to evaluate their referral process to identify and eliminate any barriers to accessing this resource.
The GIFTS online requirement form, SSVF CARES EHA, is now visible in the GIFTS account portal.
The GIFTS account portal can be found at:
https://grantrequest.com/SID_2115
NEW: Memorandum: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Assistance for Veterans Participating in Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH)
The SSVF Program Office has temporarily modified guidance as it relates to HUD-VASH and SSVF collaboration for housing search and placements. The COVID-19 outbreak has caused many public housing authorities (PHA) to temporarily close offices or operate on modified schedules. These changes may have resulted in a backlog of Veterans participating in HUD-VASH from being able to move into housing. This memorandum provides guidance on the availability of SSVF resources to assist Veterans participating in HUD-VASH through December 31, 2020. The memorandum is available on the SSVF Website at link below.
Link to Memo:
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_Assistance_for_Veterans_Participating_in_Housing_and_Urban_Development_Veterans_Affairs_Supportive_Housing_HUDVASH.pdf
ATTENTION: A Message from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Executive in Charge – COVID-19: Reaching Those Experiencing Homelessness
As the VHA Executive in Charge, Richard A. Stone MD, oversees the work being done by the entire Veterans Health Administration System, he has shared a brief message about those serving our Nations Veterans experiencing Homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this video message, Dr. Stone shares his thoughts and appreciation for the work homeless program providers are doing every day.
We encourage SSVF providers to watch the video using the link below:
https://players.brightcove.net/2851863979001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6158258244001
REQUEST: SSVF Program Office Request for SSVF Success Stories
The SSVF Program Office is seeking Success Stories from grantees for the FY19 Annual Report. The Annual Report is a great platform for grantees to share the wonderful work of their agencies and communities. When sending story ideas, please include the following information:
• Case manager's name, telephone number and email address
• Veteran's name, telephone number, and email address
• Veteran's demographic information (age, gender, branch of service, etc.)
• Veteran's location (city and state)
• Closest VAMC to the Veteran
• Overview of Veteran's journey from homelessness to stable housing (one-page maximum)
Please send Success Stories to the SSVF inbox at
SSVF@va.gov.
You may view/download the
Release of Information as it related to VA Media Platforms for Grantee use.
Thank you,
SSVF Program Office