November 2017 NCHV Newsletter

NCHV eNewsletter
November 2017
Deadline Approaching for the Home Depot Foundation Veteran Housing Grant Program
Applications must be received by Dec. 1, 2017
The Home Depot Foundation Veteran Housing Grant Program is open to nonprofit organizations in the process of new development/rehabilitation of permanent supportive or transitional housing for veterans. This grant award is between $100,000 and $500,000 for the hard costs of construction.
The next deadline for applications is Dec. 1, 2017. For additional information, please visit: https://corporate.homedepot.com/grants/veteran-housing-grants.
Hill Watch: Congressional Funding Deadline Approaches 
Votes expected soon to fund the federal government
Dec. 8, 2017 is when the stop-gap funding measure known as the “CR” (continuiing resolution), passed by Congress a few months ago, runs out. This CR flat funded the federal government for a few additional months past the end of the fiscal year. We are rapidly approaching the expiration of that extension.
We already have a good picture of where the House and Senate will come down during negations on our core programs. Here are the proposed numbers in both houses of Congress, as compared to the numbers of the President’s budget request of several months ago:
FY 2017
President’s Request
House Proposed
Senate Proposed
Grant and Per Diem
$257m
$257m
$257m
$257m
Supportive Services for Veteran Families
$320m
$320m
$320m
$340m
HUD-VA Supportive Housing
$40m
(~5,500 vouchers)
$0
$0
$40m
(~5,500
vouchers)
Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program
$45m

$45m
$45m
$47.54m
NCHV supports the Senate proposed numbers in every case. The need for more HUD-VASH vouchers is seen in many of the communities you work in, especially when it comes to the creation of new affordable housing through project basing of these vouchers. The SSVF program is in need of an infusion of funds to the tune of $400m this year in order to prevent the expiration of the 2015 surge grants, but the additional funds seen in the Senate numbers will go a long way towards preventing that expiration in many communities. Likewise, the Senate numbers for HVRP are not perfect – NCHV supports, at the minimum, funding that program at its fully authorized level of $50m.
This will come down to negotiations between the House and Senate. It is imperative that we all encourage Congress to accept the numbers proposed by the Senate committee. NCHV cannot predict exactly when the final measure will be written, agreed to, or passed, so it is imperative that we are all calling our representatives now before it is too late.
There is some talk that a larger, far reaching, budget deal may be met between the two political parties. In this case, the potential to increase program spending (including wider HUD funded programming) may present itself. There is also some talk that yet another temporary funding package (CR) may be passed before the deadline; this would essentially delay the decisions and create a new deadline sometime in January. 
NCHV will be there to update you as these events unfold. Stay tuned to these pages, and to our eNewsletters and website, to make sure you are up to date on what is happening on the Hill.
Factors Contributing to Eviction from Permanent Supportive Housing: Lessons from HUD-VASH
Research brief from the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans
The VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans has released the research brief, Factors Contributing to Eviction from Permanent Supportive Housing, by Dr. Ann Elizabeth Montgomery.
The results of this study indicate a number of factors associated with an eviction from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) as well as factors that may mitigate this risk, both of which may inform field-based applications to identify imminent eviction among tenants of permanent supportive housing.
To view this research brief, click here.
National GPD Office Hosting Calls on Recent NOFAs
Be sure to call in to better prepare your GPD applications
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently released two NOFAs for the Grant and Per Diem program:
The National GPD Program Office is hosting a series of calls to review the NOFAs that recently published. Below are the dates and topics to be covered on each call. Click the links with the calls that have already taken place to hear a recording of the call. The dial in number for all the calls is 1-800-767-1750; access code 17663#
  • Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Overview of the NOFA's
  • Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Review of the Hospital to Housing model
  • Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Review of the Bridge Housing and Clinical Treatment models
  • Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Review of the Transition In Place (TIP) NOFA
  • Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Review of the Low Demand model
  • Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Review of Service Intensive Transitional Housing model and Service Centers
  • Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017 at 2pm Eastern - Question and Answer Session
Open Enrollment for Medicare and the Marketplace
Enrollment for 2018 coverage now open, closes Dec. 15
Now through Dec. 15, Medicare Open Enrollment is your time to see if you can find lower premiums and extra benefits. Look at all your health plan choices for 2018 — including prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans from private insurers.
To help make the process easier, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have released this important dates guide and a fact sheet on Open Enrollment.
Funding Opportunities
Ameren Missouri accepts funding proposals year-round from nonprofits in the communities in Missouri that Ameren serves. Ameren Missouri’s funding priorities are arts and culture, civic and community, youth and education, health and human services, and the environment. To take the eligibility quiz and apply, click here.
The Securian Foundation is currently accepting grant applications from nonprofits located in Minnesota. The Foundation's funding priorities are economic independence, education, human services and special community needs, and the arts. Applications are due Feb 1. For information on eligibility and the application process, click here.
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