Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Webinar Series

Program Updates and

Predictors of Homelessness Following Exit from the SSVF

Program

November 20, 2014

Presenters

Sandra Foley, SSVF Supervisor Regional Coordinator

Craig McKaige, SSVF Program Support Assistant

Thomas Byrne, PhD, Investigator at the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work

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Webinar Format

• Webinar will last approximately 1.5 hours• Participants’ phone connections are “muted” due to the

high number of callers• Questions can also be submitted anytime to

SSVF@va.gov

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QUESTIONS…

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Submit questions and comments via the Questions panel

Your

Research Brief

Predictors of Homelessness Following Exit from the SSVF

Program

Thomas Byrne, PhD

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SSVF Evaluation

• Two main questions :– How many Veterans experience homelessness

following exit from SSVF? – To what extent are Veteran characteristics, SSVF

program factors, and community level housing market characteristics associated with an increased/decreased risk of homelessness following SSVF exit?

• Study conducted using SSVF program data (collected by grantees) and VA National Homeless Registry

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SSVF Evaluation Cohort

Singles Families0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

10491

4770

17230

3872

Prevention Rapid Rehousing

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Identifying Homelessness Following SSVF Exit

• Homeless episode included:1. Record of completion of HOMES assessment

2. HOMES record of entry into a VA specialized homeless program

3. Record of use of SSVF rapid rehousing services

• Key shortcoming: Will only identify users of VA homeless services

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Veteran Characteristics•Age•Gender•Race/Ethnicity•Disabling condition•History of homelessness•Accessed VA healthcare within 1 year of exit

SSVF Program Factors

•Length of participation•Type of service (legal, housing search, rental assistance, security deposit, utility payment, moving costs)•Destination at exit (VASH, other permanent, temporary w/family friends, other)

Community characteristics

•Median rent level•% Vacant housing units•% Renter households•% Rent burdened households

Results

  Prevention Rapid Rehousing

 

Veterans in Families

Single Veterans

Veterans in Families

Single Veterans

  1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Year

Primary analytic sample 6.5 10.9 10.3 17.9 9.4 15.5 16.0 26.6

Prior studies looking at returns to homelessness among persons exiting shelter show that 46% of

single adults and 22% of families return to shelter within 2 years

Results

• Age a risk factor for singles, but not families (44-54 at highest risk)

• Males at increased risk among singles• Prior history of homelessness increased risk• Use of VA healthcare in previous yearstrong predictor of

increased risk• Exit to VASH or other permanentdecreased risk• Rental assistanceincreased risk (prevention only)• Security deposit &utility paymentdecreased risk (single

RR only)• Participation>90 daysdecreased risk (family RR only)

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Results

• Community housing market characteristics generally not significant predictors of risk of homelessness following SSVF exit

• Two exceptions:– % vacant housing unitssmall in risk of

homelessness ONLY among single Veterans receiving prevention

– % renter householdssmall in risk of homelessness ONLY among single Veterans receiving prevention

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Conclusions & Next steps

• Findings that only a small % of Veterans who received SSVF assistance experienced an episode of homelessness is promising

• More in depth analysis of SSVF program factors• More rigorous comparative effectiveness design• Use HMIS data from 1 or more communities to identify

Veterans who may have been missed with VA data

Questions About the Study?

Thomas.Byrne@va.gov

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SSVF Updates

• Program Guide Revisions• Annual Monitoring (UMP) Updates• Grantee Orientation Guide• Veteran Consumer Surveys (TruthPoint)

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Program Guide

• Has force for oversight, auditing and program review purposes• Is to be used by applicants to the SSVF Program, grantees,

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff members, and other interested third parties involved in the SSVF Program.

• Is intended to be consistent with SSVF Program regulations (38 CFR Part 62), and other applicable laws, Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, and VA regulations.

• In the event of a conflict between the Program Guide and VA regulations, applicable laws, OMB Circulars, or Executive Orders, such regulations, laws, OMB Circulars, or Executive Orders shall control.

• Guidelines should not be construed to supersede, rescind, or otherwise amend such laws, Executive Orders, OMB Circulars, and regulations.

Regulations

• Federal Register Publications

– November 10, 2010 Final Rule 38 CFR 62– December 17. 2010 NOFA - $60 million – December 1, 2011 NOFA - $100 million – October 26, 2012 NOFA - $300 million – January 14, 2014 NOFA- $600 million

• Includes Priority 1 non renewable 3 year awards • Applicable OMB Circulars

– A-133– A-122

• Agency grant application, as approved by SSVF Program Office– Include Resolutions

Regulations

• Federal Register Publications pending responses

– May 9, 2014: Proposed Final Rule 38 CFR 62• Closed for public comment June 23, 2014

– October 10, 2014: NOFA- $93 million• Priority 1 non-renewable 3 year awards • Applications due December 5, 2014 at 4 pm EST

Program Guide Updates

• Grantees must use a minimum of 60 percent of supportive services grant funds to serve very low-income Veteran families who either (i) are homeless and scheduled to become residents of permanent housing within 90 days pending the location or development of housing suitable for permanent housing or (ii) have exited permanent housing within the previous 90 days to seek other housing that is responsive to their needs and preferences - as per 38 CFR 62.2(a).

• Waivers to this 60 percent requirement may be requested when grantees can demonstrate significant local progress towards eliminating homelessness in the target service area. Waiver requests must include data from authoritative sources such as HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report, annual Point-In-Time Counts and evidence of decreased demand for emergency shelter and transitional housing. Waivers for the 60 percent requirement may also be requested for services provided to rural Indian tribal areas and other rural areas where shelter capacity is insufficient to meet local need.

Rapid Re-Housing Assistance

Program Guide Updates

• SSVF grantees work in coordinated partnership with their local Continuums of Care (CoCs).

• A CoC is a community plan to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the needs of all people who experience homelessness in a given community. SSVF grantees engage as active members in each and every CoC that lies within their SSVF jurisdiction.

• SSVF grantees formally participate in planning the local coordinated intake and assessment processes, which each CoC establishes for itself, for how all households experiencing homelessness access homeless assistance services and are matched with best fit resources.

• SSVF grantees are responsible for ensuring that SSVF is formally integrated into this local CoC process.

Continuum of Care (CoC) Coordination

Program Guide Updates

• VA policy supports a ‘‘Housing First’’ approach in addressing and ending homelessness, where housing stability is the primary intervention in working with homeless persons.

• The Housing First approach is informed by research demonstrating that a homeless individual or household’s first and primary need is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues impacting the household can and should be addressed as housing is obtained.

• Research supports this approach as an effective means to end homelessness. Under Housing First, housing is not contingent on compliance with support services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard lease agreement and are provided with the services and supports that are necessary to help them do so successfully.

Housing First

Policy Update: Eligibility

• 3/31/2014 VA Memorandum– Veterans do not presently also have to be VHA eligible– Legal opinion requested– In meantime, grantees may serve Veterans per requirements in effect

prior to December 2013

• Period covered when VHA eligibility was required– 12/19/2013 to 3/31/2014

• Note: Veterans with multiple discharges, the best discharge status may be used for SSVF eligibility.

Program Guide Updates

Former:

Temporary Financial Assistance is an optional Supportive Service

Current:Temporary Financial Assistance is a required Supportive Service• All grantees have TFA as part of grantee agreement• Priority 2, 3 awards- no more than 50% TFA• Priority 1 awards- between 40% and 50%

• However, not all households require TFA . Supportive services grant funds should only be used as direct financial assistance when “but for” criteria are met.

Temporary Financial Assistance

Program Guide Updates

• Table added per recommendation from reviewers– Required SSVF Forms – Download

Format from SSVF University– Official* SSVF Forms - Download

Recommended Format from SSVF University

Case File Documentation Requirements

Program Guide Updates

Habitability Standards – When moving into a new (different) housing

unit, grantees are strongly encouraged to conduct initial and any appropriate follow-up inspections of the housing unit into which the participant will be moving.

– While inspections are not required, they are strongly encouraged, as grantees assisting a participant to move into anew housing unit should be interested in ensuring that the new housing unit meets certain basic standards. The habitability inspection does not need to require a certified inspector.

Program Guide Updates

• Market Study– A market study involves documenting details of three

comparable advertised rental units– May substitute a letter from the property manager of the

unit under consideration that cites details of three comparable units within the manager’s portfolio

– Citing Fair Market Rents (FMRs) is insufficient for market study purposes

– Assisted unit must be comparable to rents charged during the same time period for similar units in the private, unassisted market

– Assisted unit must not be in excess of rents charged by the property owner during same time period for other unassisted units

Rent Reasonableness

Program Guide Updates

• General Housing Stability Assistance refers to provision of goods or payment of expenses not included in other SSVF categories but which are directly related to supporting participant's housing stability. – Emergency supplies– Expenses associated with gaining or keeping

employment– Expenses associated with moving into permanent

housing– Expenses necessary for securing appropriate permanent

housing

• Emergency Housing Assistance

TFA Updates from FY 2013

Program Guide Updates

• Outreach activity and costs are typically made up of direct outreach staff time. However, SSVF may pay for SSVF marketing materials to enhance conventional staff-driven outreach provided that all of the following terms are met before incurring such costs:– Traditional staff-driven methods of outreach were tried but target

numbers are still unmet.– An assessment was performed to ensure chosen marketing method will

be effective.– A comparison was made between effectiveness of staff outreach versus

marketing.– Care was taken to market only the SSVF program itself and not the

sponsoring agency.– Marketing was designed to ensure effectiveness in connecting Veterans

to SSVF

Eligible Expenses for Outreach

Monitoring Process

1. Notification Email

2. Entrance Conference

3. Program Review/Documentation Review and Staff Interviews

4. Exit Conference

5. Follow-up Results Letter

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Section B: Overall Management Systems/Structure

• TruthPoint Survey• Grantees must provide each participant with a

satisfaction survey and must register Veterans using the electronic survey link provided by the VA

• CoC Participation• Information security to include electronic

records

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Section D: Outreach and Targeting

• Grantees must provide outreach to all areas proposed to be served in their application• Outreach includes identifying very low income

veteran families and screening them to determine eligibility

• Outreach logs or schedules should indicate where and when outreach workers are on location in all areas

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Section E: Participant Eligibility

– What is the process for determining participant eligibility?

– What happens when a person is found ineligible• Inform the ineligible person as to the reasons, Recommend

alternatives, Provide referrals

– Do the files document the following:• Proper Veteran status• Occupying permanent housing status• Annual Median income at or below 50% AMI• Recertification• Exit from the program

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Section F: Supportive Services and Case Management

• Grantees are required to enter client-level data on all participants into HMIS• The FY2015 VA Data Guide provides guidance on

HMIS setup for SSVF grants, data collection and data quality requirements to assist grantees with meeting these requirements

• Grantees must upload client-level data from HMIS to the secure SSVF Data Repository

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Section H: Vehicle Usage

• If grantees are providing direct transportation to Veteran households, monitoring should include Section H.

• This applies even if grantee is providing transportation using their own vehicles or vehicles owned by the grantee (not paid with SSVF funds)

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Additional Visits (or two day Visits)

• Notification Email• Regular monitoring visit with additional elements• Review additional client files• More in-depth review of the following:

– General Ledger– Payroll Documentation– Administrative Expenditures– Subcontractor Expenditures

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Grantee Orientation Guide

Introductory Training to SSVF• Covers: program requirements, program

practices and philosophies, and examples of best practices in the field

• Contains prerecorded videos and tools• Requirement for new grantees to view within 2

weeks of receiving Grantee Orientation Guide• New grantees must send certification of

completion Regional Coordinator• Recommended for renewal grantees

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TruthPoint – Veteran Survey

• TruthPoint is an electronic assessment for Veterans receiving or who have recently received SSVF services

• Veterans’ responses are used to improve services – at both grantee and SSVF levels

• Grantees will receive reports based upon responses from Veterans

• Grantees are required to make the survey available to Veterans

TruthPoint – How it works:

• Grantees will receive a unique weblink via email in the coming weeks

• Grantees register Veterans through weblink:- Enter Veteran’s first name and email- Veteran’s responses are anonymous

• Email invitation sent to Veteran• Grantees receive customized reports with

feedback from Veterans who are served

TruthPoint

• Kudos to the following grantees for their high Veteran response rate for this year:– Vietnam Veterans of California– Shelter, Inc. of Contra Costa County– United States Veterans Initiative– Harbor Homes

TruthPoint – Question Examples

• “How would you rate the quality of services received from this provider?”

• “Did the provider involve you in creating an individualized housing stabilization plan?”

• “Do you feel that this housing plan is a good fit for your needs?”

• “How would you rate the quality of the services you have received from this supportive services provider?”

TruthPoint – Tips…

• Save your weblink to computer desktop– Link is unique to your grantee organization, but can

be shared w/ subcontractors providing service

• Try practicing using the weblink• Responses will be tracked 1/1/15, and reports

will be sent automatically at end of quarter • Encourage Veterans to voice their opinions! We

CARE!

Supportive Services for Veteran Families

Thank you

Powerpoint Presentation will be posted on

http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvfuniversity.asp

Questions?

Go To: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp

Email: SSVF@va.gov

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