VA Awards $300 in SSVF Grants to Help End Veteran Homelessness

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today awarded approximately $300 million more in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program to help thousands of very low-income veteran families around the nation who are permanently housed or transitioning to permanent housing. The SSVF grant program provides access to crucial services to prevent homelessness for veterans and their families.

This SSVF funding, which supports outreach, case management and other flexible assistance to prevent veteran homelessness or rapidly re-house veterans who become homeless, has been awarded to 275 nonprofit organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These grants, key elements of VA’s implementation of the Housing First Strategy, enable vulnerable veterans to secure or remain in permanent housing. A list of SSVF grantees is located at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.

Grantees will continue to provide eligible veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include health care, income support services, financial planning, child care, legal services, transportation, housing counseling, among other services.

Grantees are expected to leverage supportive services grant funds to enhance the housing stability of very low-income veteran families who are occupying permanent housing. In doing so, grantees are required to establish relationships with local community resources.

Today’s grant recipients successfully competed for grants under a Jan. 15, 2016, Notice of Fund Availability. Applications were due Feb. 5, 2016. The funding will support SSVF services in FY 2017, which starts Oct. 1, 2016, and ends Sept. 30, 2017.

For more information about the SSVF program, visit www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.