U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Workshop for Existing Grantees Only November 15, 2012

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 22 NOFA Available Funding Allocation (Section “II. Award Information” of NOFA) Approx. $300 million available for SSVF grants this year (with approximately $140 million available for Funding Priority 1, i.e. renewals) Maximum allowable grant size is $2 million per year. Organizations may receive up to 5 grants nationally, with no limit on quantity per state. Each application cannot exceed $2 million funding request. Grantees cannot submit more than one application serving the same geographic area. Supportive Services Grant Award Period (Section VI.C.6., not I.1 and N.6) SSVF grants awarded for a one-year period for successful renewal grantees with less than 1 full year of previous operations (those who began services around October 1, 2012) Grantees with at least one full year of operational experience can be awarded 2 or 3 year grant renewals.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 33 NOFA Available Funding Two Year Renewal Consideration Must have completed 1 full year of operations to qualify. Grantee demonstrated substantial compliance with grant agreement Grantee consistently met program targets including: 1.Required proportion of resources for rapid re-housing 2.Successful placement into or retention in permanent housing (allowances given for complexity) 3.Appropriate expenditure of funding 4.Timely compliance with data submission requirements, including HMIS uploads 5.Satisfactorily resolving corrective actions plans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 44 NOFA Available Funding Three Year Renewal Consideration Grantee met requirements for 2 year renewal. SSVF Program (not just organization) gets full accreditation by either: 1.The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for Employment and Community Services. 2.The Council on Accreditation (COA) - pending. Cost on program (not organization) accreditation can be included as a budget expense. Accreditation process can take up to a year and may not be feasible prior to February 1. May be opportunity to begin process for next NOFA.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 55 Accreditation Contact Information CARF: Pete Hathaway, Employment and Community Services CARF International 6951 E. Southpoint Rd, Tucson, AZ Toll-Free: , ext or Phone: , ext Fax: CARF Websites: COA: Zoë Hutchinson COA Associate Director of Client Relations Phone: , ext ; COA’s Website: COA’s Website:

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Funding priorities described in Section II.B. of the NOFA: Funding Priority 1 (for Renewal Grantees)   Given to existing grantees seeking to renew their grant who are eligible under “Funding Priority 1”   Eligibility requires program concept to remain “generally consistent” with current grant award.   Additional changes to program would require new application (as per NOFA’s Funding Priority 2). $140 million available under Funding Priority 1   Potentially, all grants could be renewed with some receiving increased funding.   Grant request can be up to 200% (double) of current award.   Funding increases must correspond with increases in both the number of Veterans served and the geographic area served. 6 Eligibility

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Funding is not automatic.   Application score must be at least 80 points. Application must meet threshold requirements   Included in Executive Summary, Section B in renewal application Renewal applications are focused on program outcomes and implementation. Be sure to your answers focus on this, not the organizational experience and program concept which is for new applicants. 7 Eligibility (cont.)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Expansion is targeted at areas with no existing SSVF services or areas with services, but unmet need. This should be demonstrated in application. Assessing need is not simply a matter of counting homeless and at-risk populations. How do existing resources match need?   Use current data, not anecdotal information based on HIC, HMIS, shelter capacity reports, etc. Areas with relatively low numbers of homeless and at-risk populations may have high need due to few available resources. 8 Assessing Need (Exec Sum D and A.4b on application)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration NOFA VA’s Goals & Objectives Priorities for Awards under 2013 NOFA Rapidly re-house or prevent homelessness among the following target populations who also meet all requirements for being part of a very low- income Veteran family occupying permanent housing: 1.Veteran families earning less than 30% of area median income (AMI) as most recently published by HUD ( 2.Veterans with at least one dependent family member 3.Veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. 4.Veteran families located in a community, as defined by HUD’s Continuums of Care, not currently served by a SSVF grantee. 5.Veterans located in a rural area. 6.Veteran families located on Indian Tribal Property.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Applied for Prevention assistance Number who subsequently entered shelter (within 3 year period) Percent of group Households that were turned down for prevention assistance * % Households that received prevention assistance % Total % Why Target – What We Know Katherine Gale: 2009 Table: San Mateo/Redwood City Prevention Assistance and Shelter Entry Comparison *Most common reason for being refused assistance was not having adequate ongoing income (i.e. too poor). Slide courtesy NAEH

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Why Target – What We Know IMPLICATIONS Most important: “Prevention makes the most difference for those at highest risk. There is no level of risk that is too high.” Use of data to refine targeting Development of an instrument: use of risk factors to screen in those w/most acute risk, screen out those w/fewer risk factors –Serving smaller pool of families more intensively –Lightened, almost minimal touches for other families NYC commissioned a study, Understanding Family Homelessness, (release date for 2012). Slide Courtesy NAEH.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Focus Is Essential to End Veteran Homelessness SSVF projects to serve 67,000 people in FY 2013 and there are over 1.3 million impoverished Veteran households. How do we ensure that SSVF is an effective program to end and prevent homelessness, and not suffer “mission creep” and become an anti-poverty program? Question 4 and Exhibit II address prevention and targeting.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration TFA budget can be 50% of overall budget. TFA optional, but all successful grantees have included it in their proposals Appropriate to ask for co-pays. Payments to third party only. Restrictions on time and amount of TFA described in Final Rule Waiver can increase prevention (Category 1) funding to 60% 13 Use of Grant Funds

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 14 SSVF Financial Assistance Type of Temporary Financial Assistance Time/Amount Limitation Emergency Housing Assistance* Max. of 30 days of temporary housing when no space is available at community shelter, and where permanent housing has been identified and secured for participant but is not immediately available. Limited to families with children under the age of 18. General Housing Stability Assistance* Includes items necessary for participants life or safety (includes Emergency Supplies with max. $500 during a 3- year period); expenses associated to employment gain or maintenance; expenses associated with moving into permanent housing; and expenses necessary for securing appropriate permanent housing. *See NOFA Section I.B. on page for additional requirements and restrictions. Definitions: This NOFA introduces two program areas.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 15 SSVF Financial Assistance Type of Temporary Financial Assistance Time/Amount Limitation Rental AssistanceMax. of 8 months in a 3-year period; no more than 5 months in any 12-month period Utility-Fee Payment Assistance Max. of 4 months in a 3-year period; no more than 2 months in any 12-month period Security Deposits or Utility Deposits Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period for security deposit; Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period for utility deposit Moving CostsMax. of 1 time in a 3-year period General Housing Stability Assistance Max. $1500 during a 3-year period Child CareMax. of 4 months in a 12-month period Emergency HousingMax of 30 days – families with children under 18 only TransportationTokens, vouchers, etc. – no time limit Car repairs/maintenance – $1,000 max in 3-year period

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 16 NOFA Payments of SSVF Grants Payments of Supportive Services Grant Funds Payments will be made to grantees electronically via the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Payment Management System Grantees may request payments as frequently as they choose, subject to the following limitations: Time PeriodLimitation on Cumulative Requests for Grant Funds During 1st Qtr of Grant Award Period May not exceed 35% of the total grant award without written approval by VA End of 2nd Qtr of Grant Award Period May not exceed 60% of the total grant award without written approval by VA End of 3rd Qtr of Grant Award Period May not exceed 80% of the total grant award without written approval by VA End of 4th Qtr of Grant Award Period May not exceed 100% of the total grant award

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 17 Scoring Criteria SectionPointsElements A.Program Outcomes 55Housing Stability Participant Satisfaction Program Timeline Homelessness Prevention Reduction in Homelessness B. Cost- Effectiveness 30Cost per Household Program Budget C. Compliance with Program Goals and Requirements 15SSVF Program Goals Laws, Regulations, and Guidelines Grant Agreement Application Review Scoring Criteria

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration DO: If asking for additional funds, describe in specific terms how you will target additional Veteran families. Follow exact formatting and submission requirements. Be sure to answer the questions posed in the SSVF application. Focus on current grant performance Describe program’s impact on homelessness Where performance could be improved, explain barriers to success and remediation efforts 18 General Advice

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration If necessary, you may reproduce the application on Word. If you do so: Include the question as a header for each response. Ensure that the entire narrative portion (Executive Summary D, plus Sections A through C) does not exceed 8 pages. Submit responses in 12 point Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins. DON’T: Rewrite and/or re-justify original grant Spend time explaining need, unless proposing expansion Describe program concept, as existing program concept is understood 19 General Advice

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section A has highest point value, worth 55 points. The VA is funding these programs to end homelessness among Veterans so our primary focus is on outcomes. What did you achieve? Critical to provide answer with data demonstrating effectiveness in meeting objectives in grant proposal. Demonstrate program’s effectiveness in reducing homelessness and promoting housing stability. Detail how proposed modifications will improve program interventions. 20 Section A: Program Outcomes

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Ability to meet implementation timeline. Describe barriers to delayed implementation & remediation efforts. Be specific, for example, “Program coordinator resigned after 1 month, so…” Participant satisfaction. Describe feedback and efforts to improve service. Break down outcomes for prevention (question 4) and rapid re-housing (question 5). Describe how Exhibit II will be integrated, and include proposed threshold score. 21 Section A: Program Outcomes

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section B is worth 30 points. Provide data demonstrating cost efficiency. Did you serve the number of participants you expected? If not, explain result and remediation efforts. For example, “Grant target was that 20% of all served would have AMI less than 30%, but we ended up serving 70% with AMI less than 30%, so…” For question 2, the “Note” only applies to the second half of the question. i.e. programs with at least one full year of operations. 22 Section B: Cost Effectiveness

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Explain if program was not implemented according to approved budget (approved changes to the grant agreement do not need to be addressed). Grantees must specify in budget form (Exhibit III), proposed changes in program costs. These changes are limited to 200 percent of the original grant. Make sure these changes are consistent with, D) Changes to Proposed Program. Grantees should include estimated costs related to utilization of HMIS including system access and training, if necessary. 23 Section B: Cost Effectiveness (continued)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section C is worth 15 points Did you meet grant requirements (serve target population, follow use of funding regulations, satisfy time criteria, deliver required services)? 2. 2.Straightforward certification, but explain any issue Grant agreement, including your proposal, is part of overall compliance. Did you follow what you promised in your grant proposal? If not, explain deviation. 24 Section C: Compliance

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration TFA up to 50% of budget Grant caps increased, state restrictions eliminated Multi-year funding for existing grantees by meeting performance goals and CARF or COA accreditation. List of services that SSVF will not fund Use of VA approved screening tool (Exhibit II) Definition of “but for” Availability of family emergency housing (up to 30 days) when community resource is not available “General Housing Stability Assistance” category supports expenses for move-in costs, employment, housing fees Waiver can increase prevention (Category 1) funding to 60% 25 Highlighted Changes from Last NOFA

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration For questions regarding the renewal application and 2013 NOFA: Deadline for application submission is 4:00 PM Eastern Time on February 1, Contact Information