VA homeless technical assistance
Since 2009, TAC has worked under a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide technical assistance (TA) to non-profit organizations interested in developing programs serving homeless veterans. TAC works with the VA and community-based providers to expand the array of funding resources accessed and leveraged to serve homeless veterans, and to strengthen the ability of non-profits to incorporate best practices into the continuum of programs available to homeless veterans.
TAC's VA TA team consists of 15 TA/training experts including TAC Staff, staff from Abt Associates, and other consultants.
News & Announcements
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the availability of approximately $11 million in funds this week for currently operational fiscal year 2009 VA Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Special Need Grant Recipients. The focus of this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is to encourage applicants to continue to deliver services to the homeless Special Need veteran population as outlined in their FY 2009 Special Need grant application. Recipients of this funding are providing supportive housing beds and services for the Special Needs of the following homeless veteran populations: Women, including women who have care of minor dependents; frail elderly; terminally ill; or chronically mentally ill.
For more information on the program, application process, and amount of funding available
click here.
On July 26, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the award of 85 new grants under the VA’s new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. The SSVF Program is a new VA program that awards grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives who will provide supportive services to very low-income Veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. The grantees will provide a range of supportive services designed to promote housing stability.
A list of the grant awardees (listed by state) can be found at:
SSVF FY 2011 Grant Award List.pdf. Awardees will be receiving an e-mail notification from the VA in addition to an Award package detailing the procedure for claiming funds.
Technical assistance for the SSVF program grantees will be provided by the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and Abt Associates in partnership with the VA SSVF Program Office. Details regarding TA available to grantees will be distributed after grantee contracts are processed.
For more information about the SSVF program, visit the
SSVF Program Web Site or contact VA's SSVF Program Office at 877-737-0111 (toll-free) or by email at
SSVF@va.gov.
On July 14, 2011, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced that HUD will provide $46.2 million to public housing agencies (PHAs) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to supply permanent housing and case management for 6,790 homeless veterans in America through HUD’s Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. This funding to local PHAs is part of the Obama Administration's commitment to end Veteran and long-term chronic homelessness by 2015, and is part of $50 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2011 to support the housing needs of 6,900 homeless Veterans. This is the first of two rounds of the 2011 HUD-VASH funding. HUD expects to announce the remaining funding by the end of this summer.
Working closely with local Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs), local PHAs will target these grants specifically to homeless veterans in their area. Homeless veterans are referred to PHAs for these vouchers and rent privately owned housing, generally contributing no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) provide supportive services and case management to eligible homeless veterans.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will develop housing opportunities for homeless and at-risk Veterans at 34 VA locations across the country. A recent strategic study, the Building Utilization Review and Repurposing (BURR) initiative, identified unused and underused buildings at existing VA property with the potential to develop new housing opportunities for homeless or at-risk Veterans and their families through public-private partnerships and VA’s enhanced-use lease (EUL) program. Under the EUL program, VA retains ownership of the land and can determine and control its reuse. Additional opportunities identified through BURR will include housing for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and their families, assisted living for elderly Veterans and continuum of living residential communities.
The project will support VA’s goal of ending Veteran homelessness by providing safe, affordable, cost effective, and sustainable housing for Veterans on a priority basis.
Supportive housing projects are planned for homeless Veterans and their families at 23 VA sites: Tuskegee, Ala.; Long Beach and Menlo Park, Calif.; Bay Pines, Fla.; Dublin, Ga.; Hines, North Chicago, and Danville, Ill.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Leavenworth, Kan.; Perry Point, Md.; Bedford, Brockton and Northampton, Mass.; Battle Creek, Mich.; Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minn.; Fort Harrison, Mont.; Castle Point, N.Y.; Chillicothe and Dayton, Ohio; and Spokane and Vancouver, Wash.
Eleven VA sites have been identified to provide senior and non-senior independent living and assisted living: Newington, Conn.; Augusta, Ga.; Marion, Ill.; Topeka, Kan.; Togus, Maine; Grand Island, Neb.; Big Springs and Kerrville, Texas; Salem, Va.; Martinsburg, W.Va.; and Cheyenne, Wyo.
For more information regarding this initiative, contact
VA_BURR@va.gov
HUD Awards VASH Project-Based Vouchers
U. S. Department of Labor Announces HVRP Grant Competition
On June 9, U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a competition for grants totaling more than $5 million through DOL’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) which is administered through the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). HVRP is the only federal program that focuses exclusively on the employment of veterans who are homeless. The new grants will provide approximately 3,000 homeless veterans with job training and other services to help them obtain meaningful employment.
Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to state and local workforce investment boards, local public agencies and nonprofit organizations, including faith-based and community-based organizations. Grantees will coordinate their efforts with other local, state and federal social service providers to provide homeless veterans with occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services.
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