Homeless Veterans Provider Technical Assistance Center


Expanding the Definition of Homeless
		December 20th, 2011
On Thursday, December 15, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity held a hearing on HR 32, The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011, sponsored by Congresswoman Judy Biggert. The bill would change the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homeless to include children, youth, and their families (if appropriate) if they are verified as homeless by program directors or designees working on other federally funded programs serving homeless children and youth. If this bill were law, determining eligibility for HUD homeless assistance would be much easier than under the complex HEARTH Act regulation recently released. The National Center on Family Homelessness wrote a letter in support of HR 32.


Crisis hot line saves suicidal war veterans
		December 20th, 2011
December 18, 2011 – CNN Suicide continues to plague the American military, with an estimated 18 war veterans in the United States ending their lives each day. One of the last resorts for veterans struggling with the return to civilian life is a suicide-prevention hot line based in upstate New York. The humble offices of the Veterans Crisis Line in Canandaigua, New York, are like any other office space: desks, computers, telephones. But as you walk past each cubicle, you begin to hear extraordinarily disturbing conversations. “I have a .45 pointed at my head,” one caller says. “Can you put that knife away for a bit while we talk? Can you do that for me? Can you hold off just for a little bit?” a hot line worker asks. “What sort of weapons do you have?” another calmly responds. The men and women who answer the Veterans Crisis Line phones are on the front lines of an all-out war on suicide. Each speaks to the caller with a very clear purpose: keep the person on the phone long enough to get help. Read the full article.


HUD Launches New NED Vouchers Website
		December 20th, 2011
December 19th, 2011 - Tacinc.org HUD just launched a new website that provides information related to vouchers targeted to Non-Elderly Disabled persons (referred to as NED vouchers) in one place. This one-stop website includes information about the various different special purpose voucher program types that have been awarded since 1997, including program Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs), HUD Funding Announcements, and Frequently Asked Questions. This website also provides critical information for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) currently administering these NED vouchers. Specifically, the website states that all vouchers awarded since 1997 for non-elderly disabled families must be reestablished and maintained as NED vouchers. HUD also provides a link to a list of PHAs and the number of NED vouchers that HUD has established as the PHA ”baseline” for meeting PHA obligations [click here (MS-Excel)]. All PHAs will now be clear that, upon turnover, those vouchers must continue to be provided ONLY to non-elderly disabled households. The disability community can use these baseline data to engage PHAs in a dialogue around using these vouchers to meet the housing needs of people with disabilities. For more information about NED Vouchers and to view TAC’s database of special purpose vouchers, go to www.tacinc.org.


2012 NCHV Annual Conference: Call for Abstracts
		December 19th, 2011
Presentations sought for premier event, May 30 – June 1, 2012 The 2012 NCHV Annual Conference will be held May 30 through June 1, 2012, in Washington, D.C. We are now accepting abstracts from those interested in presenting at next year’s conference. The theme for the 2012 conference will be “Halfway Home: The Five-Year Plan to End Veteran Homelessness.” In order to be considered, all abstract submissions must be emailed to NCHV Technical Assistance Director Baylee Crone at bcrone@nchv.org by Jan. 16, 2012. To download the abstract submission form, click here. Stay tuned to the NCHV website for registration information and more details about the 2012 conference as they become available.


Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Requirements Proposed Rule
		December 19th, 2011
Comments due by Feb. 7, 2012 On Dec. 9, 2011, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) continued its process of implementing the HEARTH Act by publishing the proposed rule for HMIS Requirements. Interested parties should submit comments to www.regulations.gov by Feb. 7, 2012. The HEARTH Act required HUD to establish standards related to HMIS, including standards related to encryption of the data collected and the rights of persons receiving services under the McKinney-Vento Act. This proposed rule provides for: - Uniform technical requirements of HMIS, - Proper collection of data and maintenance of the database, and - Confidentiality of the information in the database. This proposed rule will apply to recipients of financial assistance under the following programs: - Emergency Solutions Grants, - Continuum of Care, - Rural Housing Stability Assistance, - Supportive Housing Program, - Shelter Plus Care, and - Section 8 Single Room Occupancy Moderate Rehabilitation. HUD published the HMIS rule separate from these program rules in part to avoid repetition in these rules. Please note: This rule is being published for public comment, and not for effect. HMIS systems that are currently in operation must continue to use the standards currently in place (the 2004 Technical Standards and the 2010 Data Standards) until the HMIS rule is published as final.


Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program
		December 15th, 2011
*General Information* The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (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. *UPDATE!!* The 2011 SSVF Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) has been published in the Federal Register! Please click on the links provided below to view the NOFA as well as for resources and instructions regarding the grant application process. SSVF 2011 NOFA 2011 SSVF Application for Supportive Services Grant (New Applicants) 2011 SSVF Renewal Application for Supportive Services Grant 2011 SSVF Applicant Budget Template 2011 SSVF NOFA Workshop Schedule and Registration Form SSVF NOFA Workshops To learn about the NOFA, application, and scoring process, please view the National Center’s SSVF Program Overview Webcast. This webcast was recorded on September 30, 2010, however, the procedural information is applicable to this year’s NOFA announcement and grant application process. Note: To view these files, please download VLC Player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. For more information, please see the SSVF Program Fact Sheet, the Webcast: An Introduction to SSVF, the Final Rule, the list of SSVF Frequently Asked Questions (Updated October, 2011) and the list of Network Homeless Coordinator. Please note that NHCs provide information regarding SSVF as well as any other Homeless Programs offered by the VA. If you are an SSVF Grantee, please view our Grantee Resources webpage for information pertaining to the development and implementation of your program.


HUD Releases 2011 Point-in-Time Count
		December 14th, 2011
This afternoon, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the results of the January 2011 point-in-time count. According to their report, 636,017 people were homeless in the United States on a single night in January. This represents a 2.1 percent decline from the year before. Earlier this morning, HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a 12 percent decline in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness decreased from 76,329 homeless veterans to 67,495 homeless veterans between January 2010 and January 2011. According to press releases, these declines are largely attributed to federal programs providing housing to homeless people and families, including the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program and the HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program. Read VA Press Release Read the Point-in-Time Report

2012 AIA Webinar Series

December 14th, 2011

The first webinar of our 2012 series, Program Strategies to Improve Housing Stability for Vulnerable Families, is scheduled for January 11!As the demand continues to sky-rocket, finding affordable housing for low-income clients has become a particularly difficult challenge for case workers. Join us as the much-admired expert, Tanya Tull, covers how to partner with housing authorities, nonprofit affordable housing developers, private market landlords and management companies, as well as screening and assessment tools to help determine appropriate services, financial assistance, and housing types for families based on need. Since we know this is such a daunting topic, we encourage you to take this opportunity to reach out to your own local community partners and organizations who are interested in client housing.

Click here to register today!


Homelessness among Veterans Declines 12% in 2011
		December 13th, 2011
The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development today announced that a new national report shows that homelessness among Veterans has been reduced by nearly 12 percent between January 2010 and January 2011. The 12 percent decline keeps the Obama Administration on track to meet the goal of ending Veteran homelessness in 2015. According to the 2011 supplement to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), 67,495 Veterans were homeless in the United States on a single night in January 2011 — a significant reduction from last year’s single night count of 76,329. VA also announced it will make $100 million in grants available to community agencies across the country to prevent nearly 42,000 Veterans and their families from falling into homelessness or to quickly return them to stable housing. Read the full article.


VA Announces Availability of Funds for SSVF Program
		December 2nd, 2011
$100 million available to serve very low-income veteran families In the Dec. 1, 2011, Federal Register, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the availability of funds for supportive services grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice contains information concerning the SSVF Program, initial and renewal supportive services grant application processes, and the amount of funding available. The SSVF Program’s purpose is to provide supportive services grants to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives that will coordinate or provide supportive services to very low-income veteran families who: are residing in permanent housing; are homeless and scheduled to become residents of permanent housing within a specified time period; or after exiting permanent housing within a specified time period, are seeking other housing that is responsive to such very low-income veteran family’s needs and preferences. Approximately $100 million is available for initial and renewal supportive services grants to be funded under this Notice for a one-year period. Grant applications must be received by the SSVF Program Office by 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 15, 2012. For a copy of the application packages, download directly from the SSVF Program web page by clicking here. Questions should be referred to the SSVF Program Office via phone at (877) 737-0111 (this is a toll-free number) or via email at SSVF@va.gov. To view the entire announcement from the Dec. 1, 2011, Federal Register, click here.