NCHV eNewsletter
February 2016
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Call for Abstracts: NCHV Seeks Presenters for 2016 NCHV Annual Conference
Seeking leading experts to showcase proven strategies June 1-3 in Washington, D.C.
Do you want to share what your community is doing to end veteran homelessness? Do you have a service structure in your community that has had a profound impact and is scalable to other communities? Apply to be a presenter at this year's Annual Conference! We are looking for innovative, effective models grounded in research and experience.
Suggested session topics include: Affordable Housing Development, Transitional/Emergency Housing, Medical Services, Data and Research, Rapid Re-Housing, Special Populations, Income Supports, Employment Services, Local Coordination, Coordinated Intake/Assessment, Legal Services, Mental Health Services, and Prevention. Other topics will also be considered.
In order to be considered, all abstract submissions must be completed by March 4, 2016.
To submit your session abstract online, complete this form. If you have any issues with the form, please email akaminski@nchv.org.
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Register Today: 2016 NCHV Annual Conference
June 1-3, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
Register today! Join service providers, government agency representatives, nonprofit partners, VSOs, and other stakeholders from around the country on June 1-3, 2016 when the 2016 NCHV Annual Conference will take place at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
You will want to be in attendance for three days of training sessions, plenary sessions featuring distinguished speakers, policy updates from Federal agencies and Congress, the Annual NCHV Awards, and more!
Have you renewed your NCHV membership? Interested in becoming a member? NCHV members receive discounted rates for the Annual Conference. Click here to renew or become a member today! For more information about NCHV membership, email Anna Kaminski at akaminski@nchv.org. Your NCHV membership must be current to receive the discounted rate.
Stay tuned to www.nchv.org for updates as they become available. |
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The Home Depot Foundation Seeks Applications for Veteran Housing Grants Program
Next deadline for proposals is Feb. 24, 2016
The Home Depot Foundation (THDF) is seeking opportunities to support veteran housing projects around the country to further its mission to provide and preserve housing for veterans. The Veteran Housing Grants Program provides grants to nonprofits to fund the development and repair of housing for veterans. Projects may be new construction or rehab and must be either in progress or about to commence within the next 12 months. Awards typically range from $100,000 to $500,000.
The Foundation will only fund 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that are in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service. Only proposals submitted through the online application process will be considered for funding. Proposals submitted by mail, phone, or e-mail will not receive funding and will be directed to the online application process.
2016 Proposal Deadlines are listed below:
Grant Proposal Due Date
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Final Determinations
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2/24/2016
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August 2016
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6/23/2016
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December 2016
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Call for Nominations: Annual NCHV Awards
To be presented at the Annual NCHV Awards Ceremony, June 2 in Washington, D.C.
Each year, NCHV honors the commitment and service of a few of the many deserving organizations and individuals helping homeless veterans across the nation. We are now accepting nominations for the following awards:
- Outstanding Member - to an NCHV member organization whose programs, partnerships, and people combine to create extraordinary results
- Partnership Award - to an organization or individual whose work building effective partnerships exemplifies creativity and collaboration
- Public Policy Award - to an elected official whose record shows strong commitment and action in measures to help homeless veterans
- Unsung Hero Award - to an individual whose efforts go above and beyond expectations, who expects nothing in return and demonstrates a hero's heart for homeless veterans
- Federal Agency Staff Award - to a Department of Veterans Affairs, Labor, or Housing and Urban Development staff member on the local, state, regional, or national level who exhibits extraordinary commitment to homeless veterans and service providers
Please submit a one- to two-page letter of nomination including the nominee's name, title, and which award you are nominating for by email to rbrown@nchv.org no later than April 18, 2016.
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Hill Watch: Annual Conference and President's Budget
Will you help NCHV advocate to Congress this year?
The Public Policy Session at this year's Annual Conference will be a chance to get attendees up to speed on what is happening on Capitol Hill, and to prepare them for meetings with Congress. Will you help yourself and fellow providers across the country to better serve homeless veterans, by walking the halls of Congress? Even if you have never spoken to your congressional offices before, NCHV will be able to prepare you for your first meeting. Are you already planning on taking these meetings? Let us know!
For more information, or to express your interest in setting a "Hill Meeting" or two, email our Director of Policy, Joshua Stewart, at jstewart@nchv.org.
President's Budget
Recently President Obama unveiled the last budget proposal of his Presidency. This document outlines the goals of the administration and acts as a suggestion to Congress on how to fund federal programs for the upcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, and is mainly an indication of the priorities of the federal agencies. In the Budget, programs that exist to end veteran homelessness have received positive attention and proposed increases in funding.
Specifically, several programs are singled out for increased funding in the next fiscal year:
- For the first time in many years, the Department of Labor (DOL) has requested that the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) be fully funded at its authorization cap of $50 million. This would realize an increase in funding of $11,891,000 over the status quo of the past few years. With this increase, DOL projects that it will be able to increase enrollment of veterans in the program by more than five thousand individuals. The Department is also considering raising the caps on grant awards for both urban and rural areas.
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requested $7 million to actualize the Tribal Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Demonstration program for Native American homeless veterans.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has requested a total of $496 million for the case management and supportive services provided by that department to the HUD-VASH program. This is a year-over-year increase of more than $80 million.
Other programs did not receive increases:
- Funding for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program has been requested at $300 million, which is a flat funding from the previous year.
- The Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program funding request was $247 million. This is $46 million above what the Department requested last year. NCHV was able to stop that year's proposed cut, and is pleased to see that the request for the upcoming fiscal year is in line with what communities across the country need.
- With the exception of the $7 million for Tribal HUD-VASH and the more than $80 million in increased case management and supportive services funding mentioned above, the President's Budget does not request any additional HUD-VASH vouchers for FY 2017.
Altogether, the VA has requested more than $1.6 billion in direct funding to support homeless veteran rescue and prevention programs, permanent supportive housing, employment, healthcare, and legal services. NCHV applauds the advances made in this year's Presidential Budget, and will work with Congress to achieve the increases called for, while pushing for increases in other areas.
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Trauma-Informed Care in Service Systems
New tool from American Institutes for Research
Organizational trauma-informed care is a systemic approach to service delivery that is grounded in an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma and promotes resilience and healing.
Trauma-informed organizations ensure that mission, culture, and practice are aligned to recognize and support trauma survivors.
American Institutes for Research (AIR) supports the adoption of trauma-informed care across service systems through training and technical assistance, resource and curriculum development, and research and evaluation.
To view AIR's tool for assessing trauma-informed care in an organization, click here.
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National Center for Homelessness Among Veterans Releases Permanent Supportive Housing Guide
Evolving document serves to provide overview of emerging strategies
The Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Homelessness Among Veterans has released the second edition of the Permanent Supportive Housing Resource Guide. The Guide mirrors the tremendous progress that has been made towards ending veteran homelessness by placing greater emphasis on issues and strategies related to maintenance of housing, community integration and recovery for the previously homeless veteran.
This guide organizes and encapsulates a broad spectrum of information relevant to staff working with veterans in permanent supportive housing. It is recognized that in spite of being a substantial document it is far from comprehensive and the reader should consider it to be one of the potential tools to utilize in developing competency in this unique clinical arena. It is similarly acknowledged that information is never static or complete and this document is intended to be "living and evolving" with anticipated updates as new material becomes available.
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Service Provider Survey on Food Insecurity
Responses requested by Feb. 27
Service providers working with homeless veterans know that access to food is essential for stability. Veteran food insecurity within the homeless population is unfortunately under-reported and under-researched. Responses to these surveys from providers and homeless veterans will assist in developing an understanding on the issues from both perspectives.
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Funding Opportunities
The Cameron Foundation provides grant funding to nonprofit organizations serving the people of the greater Richmond region in Virginia (the tri-cities area and surrounding counties). The Foundation's funding interest areas include: health care, human services, community and economic development, education, historic preservation, and arts and culture. The next deadline for letters of intent is May 2. For more information, click here.
The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation offers funding to nonprofit organizations serving the United States with an emphasis on Texas. The Foundation focuses its giving in the following categories: arts, community, education, environment, healthcare, and peace. Applications are accepted throughout the year, and for 2016 the last date to submit is Nov. 30. For more information, click here.
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This eNewsletter is funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
For the latest news, resources and grant information, visit our website at www.nchv.org.
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
333 1/2 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003
202-546-1969 or toll-free 1-800-VET-HELP
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