[MARHMIS] SSVF - Program Update
From: SSVF
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2015 9:05 AM
Subject: SSVF Program Update: April 10, 2015
1. Message from John Kuhn, National Director, SSVF
2. Register for the Community Planning Webinar: April 16th at 2:00 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5593811951344165889
Message to Our Partners
Dear CoCs, HMIS Leads, VAMCs, SSVF Grantees, and Community Partners,
As communities actively work to end Veteran homelessness, we thought it was important to reflect on where we are going. First, we are so thankful for you, our partners. Your commitment, your time (often outside of the standard work day), and your insight are crucial to ensuring that no Veteran is forced to live on the streets ever again. Second, several years ago, ending Veteran homelessness was perhaps a dream; communities were skeptical. Today, the goal is within reach because of your hard work. As we work towards this admirable goal, the level of intensity and urgency will continue to increase over the next 9 months.
Over the past month, SSVF grantees have attended regional meetings where they learned about creating a meaningful community plan that charts a path to end homelessness. In addition, grantees have attended webinars, participated in conference calls, and some of have participated in similar conversations with the 25 Cities initiative, Zero 2016, the Mayor's Challenge, and other local planning efforts. We recognize that at times all of this "help" can feel a bit overwhelming. Although the data we request is critically important, for like road signs it sure helps to know where you are going, ultimately the most important element in developing your community plans is serving anyone who is homeless and figuring out the most direct path to housing them.
As we continue to plan together, we will be sharing new tools and ideas that may help you with your work. These tools will continue to be developed as we learn from you; they are a work in progress. Over the next few weeks, we will be asking all SSVF grantees to provide an update or summary on their community's progress thus far. We want you to spend your time focusing on how you will identify, engage, and house homeless Veteran households. Use the data to help frame that discussion, but do not let it distract you from this central task. We will work with you, offering on the April 16th webinar what we hope is a simplified tool (yes, we heard your feedback after the webinar on the VA Gap Analysis!) that will help guide your planning. Keep in mind that this process will be continually evolving as new data, such as the 2015 PIT and ongoing placement efforts, move the demand curve. We know that as a result your planning will be a dynamic process that will change and need to be updated as the information available to you changes.
We will continue to work on refining our efforts, as represented through these plans, throughout the year. These plans will be our vehicles for collaboration with community stakeholders, identifying and sharing best practices, and regularly reviewing our efforts. Throughout the remainder of the year, conference calls, training, our next regional meetings (tentatively planned for June), and our next national launch conference for grantee awards (tentatively planned for October), will all be designed to support you in shaping and executing your community plans. The work is demanding, but as we approach the cusp of this seminal goal - we have the opportunity to not only end homelessness for Veterans, but by so doing, demonstrate a pathway for banishing homelessness for all.
Thank you,
John Kuhn, MSW, MPH
US Department of Veterans Affairs
National Director, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
April 16th Webinar Registration
The VA will provide the updated planning tools as soon as possible, as final components are still be reviewed. All grantees will have these tools before the webinar on Thursday.
SSVF Webinar Series: SSVF Community Plan & Gaps Analysis Tool Review
Join us for a webinar on Apr 16, 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT.
Register now!
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5593811951344165889
The webinar is for all SSVF grantees and is open to local CoC and VA partners. The webinar will review the recently issued SSVF Gaps Analysis Tool (GAT) and SSVF Community Plan Summary, including instructions for completing and submitting plans for each CoC to SSVF Regional Coordinators by May 1, 2015. The SSVF GAT is a companion to the CoC Gaps Analysis Tool and has been developed to assist grantees with identifying key operational metrics (total households served, proportion of SSVF used for rapid re-housing, and expected rate of permanent housing placement). Identifying these operational metrics allows SSVF grantees to define SSVF "take down" targets within each CoC as part the overall effort to achieve functional zero.
Information on how to complete or update the SSVF Community Plan Summary will also be provided. One SSVF Community Plan Summary should be completed for each CoC - meaning all SSVF grantees serving a given CoC should collaborate to complete and submit the plan to the regional coordinator by May 1st. The Plan Summary should account for information and guidance provided during recent SSVF regional meetings and, for grantees in Priority 1 ("surge") communities, any changes to prior plan submission. As a reminder, all SSVF grantees are expected to be actively working with local partners to define functional zero, identify strategies and measureable targets, monitor progress, and make adjustments as needed to reach functional zero by the end of this year. The webinar will review these expectations, examine how to effectively engage local partners and use the best data available to guide your efforts, and outline additional technical assistance opportunities made available by the SSVF Program Office.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
View System Requirements<http://support.citrixonline.com/s/G2W/Help/SystemRequirements>
Sent: Friday, April 10, 2015 9:05 AM
Subject: SSVF Program Update: April 10, 2015
1. Message from John Kuhn, National Director, SSVF
2. Register for the Community Planning Webinar: April 16th at 2:00 PM
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5593811951344165889
Message to Our Partners
Dear CoCs, HMIS Leads, VAMCs, SSVF Grantees, and Community Partners,
As communities actively work to end Veteran homelessness, we thought it was important to reflect on where we are going. First, we are so thankful for you, our partners. Your commitment, your time (often outside of the standard work day), and your insight are crucial to ensuring that no Veteran is forced to live on the streets ever again. Second, several years ago, ending Veteran homelessness was perhaps a dream; communities were skeptical. Today, the goal is within reach because of your hard work. As we work towards this admirable goal, the level of intensity and urgency will continue to increase over the next 9 months.
Over the past month, SSVF grantees have attended regional meetings where they learned about creating a meaningful community plan that charts a path to end homelessness. In addition, grantees have attended webinars, participated in conference calls, and some of have participated in similar conversations with the 25 Cities initiative, Zero 2016, the Mayor's Challenge, and other local planning efforts. We recognize that at times all of this "help" can feel a bit overwhelming. Although the data we request is critically important, for like road signs it sure helps to know where you are going, ultimately the most important element in developing your community plans is serving anyone who is homeless and figuring out the most direct path to housing them.
As we continue to plan together, we will be sharing new tools and ideas that may help you with your work. These tools will continue to be developed as we learn from you; they are a work in progress. Over the next few weeks, we will be asking all SSVF grantees to provide an update or summary on their community's progress thus far. We want you to spend your time focusing on how you will identify, engage, and house homeless Veteran households. Use the data to help frame that discussion, but do not let it distract you from this central task. We will work with you, offering on the April 16th webinar what we hope is a simplified tool (yes, we heard your feedback after the webinar on the VA Gap Analysis!) that will help guide your planning. Keep in mind that this process will be continually evolving as new data, such as the 2015 PIT and ongoing placement efforts, move the demand curve. We know that as a result your planning will be a dynamic process that will change and need to be updated as the information available to you changes.
We will continue to work on refining our efforts, as represented through these plans, throughout the year. These plans will be our vehicles for collaboration with community stakeholders, identifying and sharing best practices, and regularly reviewing our efforts. Throughout the remainder of the year, conference calls, training, our next regional meetings (tentatively planned for June), and our next national launch conference for grantee awards (tentatively planned for October), will all be designed to support you in shaping and executing your community plans. The work is demanding, but as we approach the cusp of this seminal goal - we have the opportunity to not only end homelessness for Veterans, but by so doing, demonstrate a pathway for banishing homelessness for all.
Thank you,
John Kuhn, MSW, MPH
US Department of Veterans Affairs
National Director, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
April 16th Webinar Registration
The VA will provide the updated planning tools as soon as possible, as final components are still be reviewed. All grantees will have these tools before the webinar on Thursday.
SSVF Webinar Series: SSVF Community Plan & Gaps Analysis Tool Review
Join us for a webinar on Apr 16, 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT.
Register now!
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5593811951344165889
The webinar is for all SSVF grantees and is open to local CoC and VA partners. The webinar will review the recently issued SSVF Gaps Analysis Tool (GAT) and SSVF Community Plan Summary, including instructions for completing and submitting plans for each CoC to SSVF Regional Coordinators by May 1, 2015. The SSVF GAT is a companion to the CoC Gaps Analysis Tool and has been developed to assist grantees with identifying key operational metrics (total households served, proportion of SSVF used for rapid re-housing, and expected rate of permanent housing placement). Identifying these operational metrics allows SSVF grantees to define SSVF "take down" targets within each CoC as part the overall effort to achieve functional zero.
Information on how to complete or update the SSVF Community Plan Summary will also be provided. One SSVF Community Plan Summary should be completed for each CoC - meaning all SSVF grantees serving a given CoC should collaborate to complete and submit the plan to the regional coordinator by May 1st. The Plan Summary should account for information and guidance provided during recent SSVF regional meetings and, for grantees in Priority 1 ("surge") communities, any changes to prior plan submission. As a reminder, all SSVF grantees are expected to be actively working with local partners to define functional zero, identify strategies and measureable targets, monitor progress, and make adjustments as needed to reach functional zero by the end of this year. The webinar will review these expectations, examine how to effectively engage local partners and use the best data available to guide your efforts, and outline additional technical assistance opportunities made available by the SSVF Program Office.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
View System Requirements<http://support.citrixonline.com/s/G2W/Help/SystemRequirements>