1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program Grantee National Call (Live Meeting) “2011 NOFA/ Renewal Application, Self-Assessment Tool, and Quarterly Reporting” December 15, 2011 at 2 PM EDT Phone: 1-866-266-3378 Access Code: 8224620016

2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 2 I.2011 NOFA and Renewal Application II.Grantee Self-Assessment Tool III.Quarterly Reporting Requirement A.Overview B.Quarterly Performance Report (Fillable PDF Form) C.Attachment 1: Quarterly Financial Report (Excel)Agenda

3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) Workshop for Existing Grantees Only John Kuhn NOFA

4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 4 4 NOFA Available Funding Allocation (Section E of NOFA) Approx. $100 million available for SSVF grants this year (with up to $60 million available for Funding Priority 1, i.e. renewals) Maximum allowable grant size is $1 million per year per grantee per state and $3 million per grantee nationwide. Supportive Services Grant Award Period (Section F of NOFA) SSVF grants awarded this year will be for a one-year period If funding allows, future NOFAs may continue to be issued to enable grantees to renew their grant through a simplified application process

5. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Two funding priorities, described in section J of the NOFA. Priority given to renewals who are eligible under “Funding Priority 1”. Renewal applications are about one-third the length of new applications. Since $60 million available under Funding Priority 1, potentially all grants can be re-funded. Funding not automatic. Threshold score must be higher than 85 overall. Meet threshold requirements (Executive Summary B in renewal application) 5 Eligibility

6. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Renewal applications can only be used by existing grantees proposing “substantially the same” program as their original funded application. Grant request cannot vary by more than 10% (subject to the limits in Section E of the NOFA) Significant changes would require new application (as per NOFA’s Funding Priority 2). Minor changes in personnel, target populations, geographic areas, allocations of budgeted financial assistance allowed. 6 Eligibility (cont.)

7. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 77 SSVF Financial Assistance Type of Temporary Financial Assistance Time/Amount Limitation Rental Assistance*Max. 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 Costs*Max. of 1 time in a 3-year period Emergency Supplies*Max. $500 during a 3-year period Child Care**Max. of 4 months in a 12-month period Transportation**Tokens, vouchers, etc. – no time limit Car repairs/maintenance – max. of $1,000 during 3-year period *See § 62.34 of Final Rule for additional requirements and restrictions. **See § 62.33 of Final Rule for additional requirements and restrictions.

8. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 8 Requirements for the Use of SSVF Grant Funds (NOFA Section G) NOFA Uses of SSVF Grant Funds *Note: Maximum of 30% of supportive services costs may be used for temporary financial assistance paid directly to a third party on behalf of a participant for child care, transportation, rental assistance, utility-fee payment assistance, security deposits, utility deposits, moving costs, and emergency supplies in accordance with §§ 62.33 and 62.34 of Final Rule. 60-75% <10% Admin 20-35% (Categ. 1: Residing in Perm. Housing) 60-75% (Categs. 2 & 3: Transitioning from Homelessness to Perm. Housing) <10% Admin

9. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 9 9 NOFA Payments of SSVF Grants Payments of Supportive Services Grant Funds (NOFA Section M) 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

10. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 10 Scoring Criteria SectionPoint s Elements 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

11. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration DO: Follow exact formatting and submission requirements. Be sure to answer the questions posed in the SSVF application. Focus on current grant performance Program’s impact on homelessness Where performance could be improved, explain barriers to success and remediation efforts 11 General Advice

12. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration DON’T: Rewrite and/or re-justify original grant Spend time explaining need Describing program structure 12 General Advice

13. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section with 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 answer with data demonstrating effectiveness in meeting objectives in grant proposal. Effectiveness in reducing homelessness and promoting housing stability. 13 Section A: Program Outcomes

14. 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 out outcomes for prevention (question 4) and rapid re-housing (question 5). 14 Section A: Program Outcomes

15. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section B is worth 30 points. Provide data demonstrating 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…” 15 Section B: Cost Effectiveness

16. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Grantees must specify, in both the narrative and budget form, proposed changes in program costs. These changes are limited to 10 percent of the overall grant. Complete the excel budget template. Explain if program was not implemented according to approved budget (approved changes to the grant agreement do not need to be addressed). Grantees should include estimated costs related to utilization of HMIS including system access and training, if necessary. Consider costs for training of SSVF personnel including those beyond VA-sponsored events. 16 Section B: Cost Effectiveness

17. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Section C is worth 15 points. 1. 1.Did you meet grant requirements (serve target population, follow use of funding rules, satisfy time criteria, deliver required services). 2. 2.Straightforward certification, but explain any issue. 3. 3.Grant agreement, your proposal, is part of overall compliance. Did you follow what you promised in your grant proposal? If not, explain deviation. 17 Section C: Compliance

18. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Exhibits II & III: Monthly SSVF Program Budget and Budget Narrative Grantees must specify (in both the narrative and budget form) what program costs will be used for the direct provision and coordination of supportive services [to be included in Section I of the budget] and which costs are associated with the management of the program [to be included in Section II of the budget]. Grantees should research and include estimated costs related to utilization of HMIS (system access and training, if necessary). Line items in each budget should be clearly specified in Section D narrative, including estimated cost and time commitments of SSVF personnel. Consider costs for training of SSVF personnel (beyond VA- sponsored events). 18 Budget Exhibits

19. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 19 II. SSVF Grantee Self-Assessment Tool Marge Wherley

20. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Dec 9 Program Office sent “Grantee Survey” to all grantees Jan 13 Grantees return Survey to their Regional Coordinator; RCs send Surveys to TA Provider Jan 20-Feb ?? Conference call between Grantee, Regional Coordinator and TA Provider to review Survey results 20 Initial Grantee Self-Assessment Self-Assessment Tool

21. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Purpose: SSVF “Learning Community” Through periodic program surveys, Grantees, VA staff and TA providers will learn about the stages of SSVF program development—including both “universal” and unique obstacles and solutions. Self-Assessment Tool

22. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Benefits to your program Enables you to do a check-up of your own program to identify: 1.At this point, are we (and our subgrantees) on track in meeting program requirements? 2.What partnerships are in place; which ones are still missing? 3.What are our strengths and barriers? 4.What actions are needed to overcome barriers Self-Assessment Tool

23. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Benefits to VA Enables us to gain an overview of SSVF program implementation to identify: 1.Patterns of implementation obstacles 2.Best practice strategies for implementing a new program 3.Subjects for national training curriculum 4.Where to allocate limited TA resources 5.How to plan start-up assistance for new grantees in Year 2 Self-Assessment Tool

24. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Filling out the Survey You should rate your program’s current stage of program development for each program area separately. For example, your connections with VA Partners for employment may be different from your connections to VA Partners for health care. Rate each separately. This will help VA identify where internal program assistance might be helpful. If you have subcontractors and more than one is responsible for a program component, score that component at the level of the subcontractor that is facing the most obstacles. This will help everyone identify areas where more within-program actions or VA/TA assistance may be helpful. Self-Assessment Tool

25. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration “Comments” Section If you score a program component as a 1 (high performing, could share successful strategies with other grantees) or 5 (serious obstacle in this area), we’re asking you to include a brief comment about your rationale or issues. If you believe you might want/need technical assistance for one or more components, please add “DISCUSS TA” in the Comments section. Survey includes other places where you can fill in details about: any issues from similar grant programs, or problems partnering with VA programs. THE SPACE WILL EXPAND TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR COMMENTS so don’t be shy. Tell us what you want us to know! Self-Assessment Tool

26. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Due Date: COB January 13, 2012 Please complete the Self-Assessment Tool electronically Please send completed Self- Assessment Tool to your assigned Regional Coordinator Please ask questions! Self-Assessment Tool

27. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 27 III. SSVF Quarterly Reporting Requirements Linda Southcott

28. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 28 Quarterly Report Requirement SSVF Reporting Overview Monthly APRs / Dashboards Due 5 business days after the end of each month Program Office only accepts HPRP APR from HMIS Check your calculations! APR #s must match Coversheet #s Quarterly Performance Reports Due 10 calendar days after the end of each quarter Includes programmatic and financial information

29. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 29 Programmatic Reporting Significant events that have occurred within program during quarter Assistance required from SSVF Program Office Locations where outreach has been conducted List of organizations/entities referring >5% of Veteran families Copy of participant screening form being used # of ineligible participants screened Types of supportive services provided Most requested supportive services (top 3) Types of temporary financial assistance provided Any participant safety issues that arose Program goals and outcomes 1.Best practices 2.HMIS data entry 3.Notable cases Grant agreement compliance Quarterly Report Requirement

30. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 30 Financial Reporting Actual expenditures during quarter (compared to estimated costs) Explanation of any variances Subcontractor expenses Total funding drawn down compared to total funds expended Number of participants served 1.Current caseload 2.New participants served 3.New participants served by category of “occupying permanent housing” 4.Target populations of new participants served Non-VA funding sources used for SSVF program Quarterly Report Requirement

31. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 31 Timeline for Submission of Quarterly Reports Send Quarterly Reports to Your Regional Coordinator

32. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Thank you for participating! Questions? Email: SSVF@va.gov This presentation will be posted at http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp