Topics:
1. Reminder: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Published in the Federal Register
2. Update: SSVF Program Guide Updated December 2019
3. Important: Mandatory Return of Funds Exception for First Quarter fY2020
4. Save the Date: Rapid Resolution Office Hours Call January 8, 2:30 Eastern
5. Save the Date: SSVF GPD Joint call January 14, 2:00 Eastern
6. Update: Master List Template and Benchmark Generation Tool
Reminder: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Published in the Federal Register
On December 5, 2019, a new SSVF NOFA has been published in the Federal Register. This NOFA provides funding opportunities to renew existing grants. This NOFA is competitive, and applicants are urged to closely review the NOFA and the associated training available on the SSVF website by using the link below. The principal goal of this NOFA is to provide support to those applicants who demonstrate the greatest capacity to end homelessness through the adoption of evidence-based practices likely to lead to reductions in homelessness. Scoring criteria are described in 38 CFR 62.21, 62.23, and 62.24. Awards are for services to begin October 1, 2020. Applications are due no later than January 31, 2020 at 4pm EST. Please contact
SSVF@va.gov if you have questions.
Applications can be accessed on the SSVF website using the link below:
https://www.grantrequest.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fapplication.aspx%3fSA%3dSNA%26FID%3d35230%26sid%3d2115&SA=SNA&FID=35230&sid=2115
The NOFA and training are available on the SSVF website and can be found using the link below:
https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/index.asp
Update: SSVF Program Guide Updated December 2019
The SSVF Program Guide has been updated as of December 1, 2019. The main changes are provided in the attached summary, and in Exhibit I of the document. It is highly recommended that grantees review the complete guide and share with SSVF staff. The new Program Guide is available on the SSVF website at:
https://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/ssvf/docs/SSVF_Program_Guide_December_2019.pdf
Important: Mandatory Return of Funds Exception for First Quarter FY2020
As stated in each SSVF grant agreement, at the end of each quarter a grantee's requests for SSVF funds (also known as draw-downs) must meet the minimum spending percentage rate outlined in the grant agreement. Grantees that don't meet minimum spending percentage rates will be subject to a mandatory return of funds. Please note that grantees do not submit physical invoices to the SSVF Program Office; therefore, expenditure rates are assessed using the draw down information in the HHS Payment Management System. As a reminder, the process requires grantees to have drawn down at least 15% of the full award by the end of the first quarter, 40% by the end of the second quarter, and 65% of the award by the end of the third quarter, if that standard is not met then a mandatory return is processed.
The program office will NOT be implementing the mandatory return of funds process after the first quarter. Please note that the mandatory return process WILL be in effect after the second and third quarters of FY2020. Shallow subsidy awards and grantees that have received Disaster Relief funds in FY2019 will be exempt from mandatory return of funds during the FY2020 grant year. If you have any questions, please direct them to your Regional Coordinator.
Save the Date: Rapid Resolution Office Hours Call January 8, 2:30 Eastern
The SSVF Program Office will continue to support grantees in their efforts to implement Rapid Resolution in their communities by holding Office Hours calls. SSVF Program Office staff and Technical Assistance Providers will be available to answer questions and provide guidance during this time. The next SSVF Rapid Resolution Office Hours call will provide an overview of the updated Rapid Resolution Compliance guide and will take place on January 8, at 2:30 Eastern time.
Save the Date: GPD and SSVF Joint Call January 14, 2:00 Eastern
GPD and SSVF Joint Call: 2019 VA, HUD, and USICH Community Planning Survey
The SSVF and GPD Program Offices would like to invite you to save the date for a joint call on Tuesday, January 14th at 2pm Eastern/11am Pacific. GPD will provide general program updates for their grantees, and then the results from the 2019 VA, HUD, and USICH Community Planning Survey will be shared. Both Program Offices are thankful for the work that SSVF and GPD grantees did with their CoC, VAMC, and community partners to prepare responses to the survey. Please join us for this exciting presentation.
Update: Master List Template and Benchmark Generation Tool
This tool provides communities with templates to help develop or improve their master list – also known as the "active" or "by-name" list – in order to meet the Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran Homelessness. The templates can be used "as-is" or can be adapted by communities to enhance local efforts. Users should closely review the Criteria and Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran Homelessness (revised June 2019) using the link below when using the template and generation tool.
https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-action/criteria-for-ending-veteran-homelessness
The Master List template includes all data fields necessary to measure each of the four Federal benchmarks, as well as other fields to support case conferencing with the goal of rapidly exiting the Veteran to permanent housing. The Benchmark Generation Tool uses data from the Master List template to automatically calculate the benchmarks and accurately monitor progress. Instruction tabs are included to provide guidance for how to use the tools and programming logic for the benchmarks.
This Tool was updated in December 2019 to Version 3 to include a new data element, Transitional Housing Type to identify the type of transitional housing bed the Veteran entered, and to update the Benchmark Report logic for Benchmarks B and D. A complete description of the changes to the Tool can be found in the Technical Notes tab. The Tool is available on the HUD Exchange and can be found using the link below:
https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/4900/master-list-template-and-benchmark-generation-tool/
Thank You,
SSVF Program Office