Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 213 / Monday, November 6, 2017 / Notices 51483 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

the use of other forms of information 

technology. 

Authority: 38 U.S.C. part 1, Chapter 5, 

Section 527. 

Title: VA Cooperative Studies 

Program (CSP); VA Form 10–10074, CSP 

Customer Satisfaction Survey; VA Form 

10–10074a, Meeting Evaluation. 

OMB Control Number: 2900–0772. 

Type of Review: Reinstatement of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The information collected 

will be used by VA Cooperative Studies 

Program (CSP) leadership to evaluate 

their Coordinating Centers’ effectiveness 

in conducting meetings and interacting 

with participating study sites and other 

customers. 

Affected Public: Individuals and 

households. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 

VA Form 10–10074—83 hours. 

VA Form 10–10074a—83 hours. 

Estimated Average Burden per 

Respondent: 

VA Form 10–10074—10 minutes. 

VA Form 10–10074a—10 minutes. 

Frequency of Response: Annually. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

VA Form 10–10074—500. 

VA Form 10–10074a—500. 

By direction of the Secretary. 

Cynthia Harvey-Pryor, 

Department Clearance Officer, Office of 

Quality, Privacy and Risk, Department of 

Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2017–24057 Filed 11–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Funding Availability Under Supportive 

Services for Veteran Families Program 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice of Fund Availability 

(NOFA). 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is announcing the 

availability of funds for supportive 

services grants under the Supportive 

Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) 

Program. This Notice of Fund 

Availability (NOFA) contains 

information concerning the SSVF 

Program, renewal supportive services 

grant application processes, and the 

amount of funding available. Awards 

made for supportive services grants will 

fund operations beginning October 1, 

2018. 

DATES: Applications for supportive 

services grants under the SSVF Program 

must be received by the SSVF Program 

Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on 

January 12, 2018. In the interest of 

fairness to all competing applicants, this 

deadline is firm as to date and hour, and 

VA will treat as ineligible for 

consideration any application that is 

received after the deadline. Applicants 

should take this practice into account 

and make early submission of their 

materials to avoid any risk of loss of 

eligibility brought about by 

unanticipated delays, computer service 

outages, or other submission-related 

problems. 

For a Copy of the Application 

Package: Copies of the application can 

be downloaded from the SSVF Web site 

at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp. 

Questions should be referred to the 

SSVF Program Office via email at 

SSVF@va.gov. For detailed SSVF 

Program information and requirements, 

see part 62 of Title 38, Code of Federal 

Regulations (38 CFR part 62). 

Submission of Application Package: 

Applicants must submit applications 

electronically following instructions 

found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf. 

Applications may not be mailed or sent 

by facsimile (FAX). Applications must 

be received in the SSVF Program Office 

by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the 

application deadline date. Applications 

must arrive as a complete package. 

Materials arriving separately will not be 

included in the application package for 

consideration and may result in the 

application being rejected. See Section 

II.C. of this NOFA for maximum 

allowable grant amounts. 

Technical Assistance: Information 

regarding how to obtain technical 

assistance with the preparation of a 

renewal supportive services grant 

application is available on the SSVF 

Program Web site at: www.va.gov/ 

HOMELESS/SSVF. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

John Kuhn, National Director, 

Supportive Services for Veteran 

Families, 151 Knollcroft Road, Lyons, 

NJ 07939, SSVF@va.gov, (908) 413–4259 

(this is not a toll-free number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Supportive Services for Veteran 

Families Program. 

Announcement Type: Initial. 

Funding Opportunity Number: VA– 

SSVF–120517. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 64.033, VA 

Supportive Services for Veteran 

Families Program. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Purpose: The SSVF Program’s 

purpose is to provide supportive 

services grants to private non-profit 

organizations and consumer 

cooperatives, who will coordinate or 

provide supportive services to very lowincome veteran families who: (i) Are 

residing in permanent housing; (ii) are 

homeless and scheduled to become 

residents of permanent housing within 

a specified time period; or (iii) after 

exiting permanent housing within a 

specified time period, are seeking other 

housing that is responsive to such very 

low-income veteran family’s needs and 

preferences. SSVF prioritizes the 

delivery of rapid re-housing services to 

homeless veteran households. Rapid rehousing is an intervention designed to 

help individuals and families quickly 

exit homelessness, return to housing in 

the community, and avoid homelessness 

again in the near term. The core 

components of a rapid re-housing 

program are housing identification, 

move-in and rent assistance, and rapid 

re-housing case management and 

services. These core components 

represent the minimum that a program 

must be providing to households to be 

considered a rapid re-housing program, 

but do not provide guidance for what 

constitutes an effective rapid re-housing 

program. Applicants should familiarize 

themselves with the Rapid Re-housing 

Performance Benchmarks and Program 

Standards found on at www.va.gov/ 

homeless/ssvf/index.asp. 

B. Funding Priorities: The principle 

goal for this NOFA is to provide support 

to those applicants who demonstrate the 

greatest capacity to end homelessness 

among veterans or, in communities that 

have already met US Interagency 

Council on Homelessness (USICH) 

Federal Criteria and Benchmarks, 

sustain the gains made in ending 

homelessness among veterans. Priority 

will be given to grantees who can 

demonstrate adoption of evidence-based 

practices in their application. Under 

Priority 1, VA will provide funding to 

those grantees with 3-year accreditation 

from the Commission on Accreditation 

of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in 

Employment and Community Services: 

Rapid Rehousing and Homeless 

Prevention standards, a 4-year 

accreditation from the Council on 

Accreditation’s (COA) accreditation in 

Supported Community Living Services 

standards, or a 3-year accreditation in 

The Joint Commission’s (JC) Behavioral 

Health Care: Housing Support Services 

Standards. Priority 2 includes existing 

grantees seeking to renew their grants. 

C. Definitions: Part 62 of title 38, Code 

of Federal Regulations (38 CFR part 62), 

contains definitions of terms used in the 

SSVF Program. In addition to the 

definitions and requirements described 


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in 38 CFR 62, this NOFA provides 

further clarification in this paragraph on 

the use of Emergency Housing 

Assistance (EHA). EHA may be 

provided by the SSVF grantee under 38 

CFR 62.34(f) to offer transition in place 

when a permanent housing voucher, 

such as is offered through the 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development’s (HUD) Section 8 

program, is available from any source, 

but access to the permanent housing 

voucher is pending completion of the 

housing inspection and administrative 

processes necessary for leasing. In such 

circumstances, the EHA payment cannot 

exceed what would otherwise be paid 

when the voucher is utilized. 

D. Approach: Respondents to this 

NOFA should base their proposals and 

applications on the current 

requirements of Part 62. Grantees will 

be expected to leverage supportive 

services grant funds to enhance the 

housing stability of very low-income 

veteran families who are occupying 

permanent housing. In doing so, 

grantees are required to establish 

relationships with local community 

resources. Therefore, agencies must 

work through coordinated partnerships 

built either through formal agreements 

or the informal working relationships 

commonly found among successful 

social service providers. 

As part of the application, all 

applicants are strongly encouraged to 

provide letters of support from their 

respective VA Network Homeless 

Coordinator (or their designee). In 

addition, applicants are strongly 

encouraged to provide letters of support 

from the Continuum of Care (CoC) 

where they plan to deliver services that 

reflect the applicant’s engagement in the 

CoC’s efforts to coordinate services. A 

CoC is a community plan to organize 

and deliver housing and services to 

meet the needs of people who are 

homeless as they move to stable housing 

and maximize self-sufficiency. It 

includes action steps to end 

homelessness and prevent a return to 

homelessness (CoC locations and 

contact information can be found at 

www.hudhre.info/ 

index.cfm?do=viewCocMaps. 

The CoC’s letter of support should 

note if the applicant is providing 

assistance to the CoC in building local 

capacity to build Coordinated Entry 

Systems (CES) and the value and form 

of that assistance, whether support is 

direct funding or staffing. CES requires 

that providers ‘‘operating within the 

CoC’s geographic area must also work 

together to ensure the CoC’s coordinated 

entry process allows for coordinated 

screening, assessment and referrals’’ 

(HUD Notice: CPD–17–01). The CoC’s 

letter of support should also describe 

the applicant’s participation in the 

CoC’s community planning efforts. 

Failure to provide a letter of support 

from the CoC as described will limit the 

maximum award to 90 percent of the 

award made in the previous fiscal year 

(as described in II.C.7). 

In addition, any applicant proposing 

to serve an Indian Tribal area is strongly 

encouraged to provide a letter of 

support from the relevant Indian Tribal 

Government. The aim of the provision 

of supportive services is to assist very 

low-income veteran families residing in 

permanent housing to remain stably 

housed and to rapidly transition those 

not currently in permanent housing to 

stable housing. SSVF emphasizes the 

placement of homeless veteran families 

who are described in VA’s regulations 

as (i) very low-income veteran families 

who are homeless and scheduled to 

become residents of permanent housing 

within 90 days, and (ii) very lowincome veteran families who have 

exited permanent housing within the 

previous 90 days to seek other housing 

that is responsive to their needs and 

preferences. As a crisis intervention 

program, the SSVF Program is not 

intended to provide long-term support 

for participants, nor will it be able to 

address all of the financial and 

supportive services needs of 

participants that affect housing stability. 

Rather, when participants require longterm support, grantees should focus on 

connecting such participants to income 

supports, such as employment and 

mainstream Federal and community 

resources (e.g., HUD–VA Supportive 

Housing program, HUD Housing Choice 

Voucher programs, McKinney-Vento 

funded supportive housing programs, 

Temporary Assistance for Needy 

Families (TANF), and Social Security 

Income/Social Security Disability 

Insurance (SSI/SSDI), etc.) that can 

provide ongoing support as required. 

Assistance in obtaining or retaining 

permanent housing is a fundamental 

goal of the SSVF Program. Grantees 

must provide case management services 

in accordance with 38 CFR 62.31. Such 

case management should include tenant 

counseling, mediation with landlords, 

and outreach to landlords. 

E. Authority: Funding available under 

this NOFA is authorized by 38 U.S.C. 

2044. VA implements the SSVF Program 

through regulations in 38 CFR part 62. 

Funds made available under this NOFA 

are subject to the requirements of these 

regulations and other applicable laws 

and regulations. 

F. Requirements for the Use of 

Supportive Services Grant Funds: The 

applicant’s request for funding must be 

consistent with the limitations and uses 

of supportive services grant funds set 

forth in 38 CFR part 62 and this NOFA. 

In accordance with the regulations and 

this NOFA, the following requirements 

apply to supportive services grants 

awarded under this NOFA: 

1. Grantees may use a maximum of 10 

percent of supportive services grant 

funds for administrative costs identified 

in 38 CFR 62.70. 

2. Grantees must use a minimum of 60 

percent of the temporary financial 

assistance portion of their supportive 

services grant funds to serve very lowincome veteran families who qualify 

under 38 CFR 62.11(b). (NOTE: Grantees 

may request a waiver to decrease this 

minimum, as discussed in section 

V.B.3.a.) 

3. Grantees may use a maximum of 50 

percent of supportive services grant 

funds to provide the supportive service 

of temporary financial assistance paid 

directly to a third party on behalf of a 

participant for child care, emergency 

housing assistance, transportation, 

rental assistance, utility-fee payment 

assistance, security deposits, utility 

deposits, moving costs, and general 

housing stability assistance (which 

includes emergency supplies), in 

accordance with 38 CFR 62.33 and 38 

CFR 62.34. 

G. Guidance for the Use of Supportive 

Services Grant Funds: Grantees are 

expected to demonstrate adoption of 

evidence-based practices most likely to 

lead to reductions in homelessness or, 

in communities that have successfully 

ended homelessness among veterans as 

defined by the USICH’s Federal Criteria 

and Benchmarks or, alternatively, 

Community Solutions’ Functional Zero 

(the latter can be found at https://

cmtysolutions.org/sites/default/files/ 

final_zero_2016_metrics.pdf), a capacity 

to sustain these gains. As part of their 

application, the applying organization’s 

Executive Director must certify on 

behalf of the agency that they will 

actively participate in community 

planning efforts and operate the rapid 

re-housing component of their SSVF 

grant in a manner consistent with the 

Rapid Re-housing Performance 

Benchmarks and Program Standards 

found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/. It 

is VA policy to support a ‘‘Housing 

First’’ model in addressing and ending 

homelessness. Housing First establishes 

housing stability as the primary 

intervention in working with homeless 

persons. The Housing First approach is 

based on research that shows that a 

homeless individual or household’s first 

and primary need is to obtain stable 

housing, and that other issues that may 


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affect the household can and should be 

addressed as housing is obtained. 

Research supports this approach as an 

effective means to ending homelessness. 

Housing is not contingent on 

compliance with mandated therapies or 

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. 

Grantees must develop plans that will 

ensure that veteran participants have 

the level of income and economic 

stability needed to remain in permanent 

housing after the conclusion of the 

SSVF intervention. Both employment 

and benefits assistance from VA and 

non-VA sources represent a significant 

underutilized source of income stability 

for homeless veterans. Income is not a 

pre-condition for housing. Case 

management should include income 

maximization strategies to ensure 

households have access to benefits, 

employment, and financial counseling. 

The complexity of program rules and 

the stigma some associate with 

entitlement programs contributes to 

their lack of use. For this reason, 

grantees are encouraged to consider 

strategies that can lead to prompt and 

successful access to employment and 

benefits that are essential to retaining 

housing. 

1. Consistent with the Housing First 

model supported by VA, grantees are 

expected to offer the following 

supportive services: Counseling 

participants about housing; assisting 

participants in understanding leases; 

securing utilities; making moving 

arrangements; providing representative 

payee services concerning rent and 

utilities when needed; and mediation 

and outreach to property owners related 

to locating or retaining housing. 

Grantees may also assist participants by 

providing rental assistance, security or 

utility deposits, moving costs, 

emergency housing, or general housing 

stability assistance; or using other 

Federal resources, such as the HUD’s 

ESG, or supportive services grant funds 

subject to the limitations described in 

this NOFA and 38 CFR 62.34. 

2. As SSVF is a short-term crisis 

intervention, grantees must develop 

plans that will produce sufficient 

income to sustain veteran participants 

in permanent housing after the 

conclusion of the SSVF intervention. 

Grantees must ensure the availability of 

employment and vocational services 

either through the direct provision of 

these services or their availability 

through formal or informal service 

agreements. Agreements with Homeless 

Veteran Reintegration Programs funded 

by the U.S. Department of Labor are 

strongly encouraged. For participants 

unable to work due to disability, income 

must be established through available 

benefits programs. 

3. Per 38 CFR 62.33, grantees must 

assist participants in obtaining public 

benefits. Grantees must screen all 

participants for eligibility for a broad 

range of entitlements such as TANF, 

Social Security, the Supplemental 

Nutrition Assistance Program, the Low 

Income Home Energy Assistance 

Program, the Earned Income Tax Credit, 

and local General Assistance programs. 

Grantees are expected to access the 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration’s SSI/SSDI 

Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) 

program directly by training staff and 

providing the service or subcontracting 

services to an organization to provide 

SOAR services. In addition, where 

available, grantees should access 

information technology tools to support 

case managers in their efforts to link 

participants to benefits. 

4. Grantees are encouraged to provide, 

or assist participants in obtaining, legal 

services relevant to issues that interfere 

with the participants’ ability to obtain or 

retain permanent housing. (NOTE: 

Information regarding legal services 

provided may be protected from being 

released to the grantee or VA under 

attorney-client privilege, although the 

grantee must provide sufficient 

information to demonstrate the 

frequency and type of service 

delivered.) Support for legal services 

can include paying for court filing fees 

to assist a participant with issues that 

interfere with the participant’s ability to 

obtain or retain permanent housing or 

supportive services, including issues 

that affect the participant’s 

employability and financial security. 

Grantees (in addition to employees and 

members of grantees) may represent 

participants before VA with respect to a 

claim for VA benefits, but only if they 

are recognized for that purpose pursuant 

to 38 U.S.C. Chapter 59. Further, the 

individual providing such 

representation must be accredited 

pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Chapter 59. 

5. Access to mental health and 

addiction services are required by SSVF; 

however, grantees cannot fund these 

services directly through the SSVF 

grant. Therefore, applicants must 

demonstrate, through either formal or 

informal agreements, their ability to 

promote rapid access to and engagement 

with mental health and addiction 

services for the veteran and family 

members. 

6. VA recognizes that extremely lowincome veterans, with incomes below 

30 percent of the area median income, 

face greater barriers to permanent 

housing placement. Grantees should 

consider how they can support these 

participants. 

7. When serving participants who are 

residing in permanent housing, the 

defining question to ask is: ‘‘Would this 

individual or family be homeless but for 

this assistance?’’ The grantee must use 

a VA-approved screening tool with 

criteria that target those most at-risk of 

homelessness. To qualify for SSVF 

services, a participant who is served 

under 38 CFR 62.11(a) (homeless 

prevention) must not have sufficient 

resources or support networks (e.g., 

family, friends, faith-based or other 

social networks) immediately available 

to prevent them from becoming 

homeless. To further qualify for services 

under 38 CFR 62.11(a), the grantee must 

document that the participant meets at 

least one of the following conditions: 

(a) Has moved because of economic 

reasons two or more times during the 60 

days immediately preceding the 

application for homelessness prevention 

assistance; 

(b) Is living in the home of another 

because of economic hardship; 

(c) Has been notified in writing that 

their right to occupy their current 

housing or living situation will be 

terminated within 21 days after the date 

of application for assistance; 

(d) Lives in a hotel or motel, and the 

cost of the hotel or motel stay is not paid 

by charitable organizations or by 

Federal, State, or local government 

programs for low-income individuals; 

(e) Is exiting a publicly funded 

institution or system of care (such as a 

health care facility, a mental health 

facility, or correctional institution) 

without a stable housing plan; or 

(f) Otherwise lives in housing that has 

characteristics associated with 

instability and an increased risk of 

homelessness, as identified in the 

recipient’s approved screening tool. 

8. SSVF grantees are required to 

participate in local planning efforts 

designed to end veteran homelessness. 

Grantees may use grant funds to support 

SSVF involvement in such community 

planning by sub-contracting with CoCs, 

when such funding is essential, to create 

or sustain the development of these data 

driven plans. 

9. When other funds from community 

resources are not readily available to 

assist program participants, grantees 

may choose to utilize supportive 

services grants, to the extent described 

in this NOFA and in 38 CFR 62.33 and 

62.34, to provide temporary financial 

assistance. Such assistance may, subject 

to the limitations in this NOFA and 38 


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CFR part 62, be paid directly to a third 

party on behalf of a participant for child 

care, transportation, family emergency 

housing assistance, rental assistance, 

utility-fee payment assistance, security 

or utility deposits, moving costs and 

general housing stability assistance as 

necessary. 

II. Award Information 

A. Overview: This NOFA announces 

the availability of funds for supportive 

services grants under the SSVF Program 

and pertains to proposals for renewal of 

existing supportive services grant 

programs. 

B. Funding: The following funding 

priorities for this NOFA are as follows. 

1. Priority 1. Under Priority 1, VA will 

provide funding to those grantees with 

3-year CARF, 4-year COA 

accreditations, or 3-year JC 

accreditations. Proof of accreditation 

must be submitted with the application 

no later than the application due date. 

Grantees previously awarded a 3-year 

grant that is not scheduled to end by 

October 1, 2018, cannot apply under 

this NOFA but are required to submit a 

letter of intent (LOI) by the NOFA 

deadline indicating their intention of 

continuing SSVF services in FY 2019. 

Grantees submitting a LOI must include 

proof of continued accreditation, a letter 

of support from the CoC (see Section 

II.C.7.) and a proposed budget for FY 

2019. 

2. Priority 2. Priority 2 includes all 

other existing grantees seeking to renew 

their grants. Eligible applicants include 

those grantees who did not receive an 

award in FY 2018, but had been granted 

funding extensions on a previous SSVF 

award that extended program operations 

through the end of FY 2018 [NOTE: only 

extensions that lasted through 

September 30, 2018, will be considered 

as being eligible to apply as renewal 

applicants]. 

Both Priority 1 and 2 applicants must 

apply using the renewal application. To 

be eligible for renewal of a supportive 

services grant, the Priority 1 and 2 

applicants’ program concept must be 

substantially the same as the program 

concept of the grantees’ current grant 

award. Renewal applications can 

request funding that is equal to or less 

than their current annualized award. 

Depending on funding availability, VA 

may reduce awards by an amount from 

1 to 10 percent. Should such a decrease 

take place, it will be applied uniformly 

to all grant recipients regardless of their 

grant award. This decrease would be 

made after any reductions to awards 

based on Sections II.C.4 and II.C.7. If 

sufficient funding is available, VA may 

provide an increase of up to 2 percent 

from the previous year’s award. Any 

percentage increase, if provided, will be 

awarded uniformly to all grant 

recipients regardless of their grant 

award. 

C. Allocation of Funds: Funding will 

be awarded under this NOFA to existing 

grantees for a 1-year to 3-year period 

beginning October 1, 2018. The 

following requirements apply to 

supportive services grants awarded 

under this NOFA: 

1. In response to this NOFA, only 

existing grantees can apply as Priority 1 

or 2 grantees. 

2. Each renewal grant request cannot 

exceed the current annualized award. 

3. Applicants may request an amount 

less than their current award (this will 

not be considered a substantial change 

to the program concept). 

4. If a grantee failed to use all of 

awarded funds in the previous fiscal 

year (FY 2017) or had unspent funds 

returned to VA in FY 2018, VA may 

elect to limit renewal award to the 

amount of funds used in the previous 

fiscal year or in the current fiscal year 

less the money swept. 

5. If, during the course of the grant 

year, VA determines that grantee 

spending is not meeting the minimum 

percentage milestones below, VA may 

elect to recoup projected unused funds 

and reprogram such funds to provide 

supportive services in areas with higher 

need. Should VA elect to recoup 

unspent funds, reductions in available 

grant funds would take place the first 

business day following the end of the 

quarter. 

(a) By the end of the first quarter 

(December 31, 2018) of the grantee’s 

supportive services annualized grant 

award period, the grantee’s cumulative 

requests for supportive services grant 

funds is fewer than 15 percent of total 

supportive services grant award. (During 

this same period, the grantee’s 

cumulative requests for supportive 

services grant funds may not exceed 35 

percent of the total supportive services 

grant award.) 

(b) By the end of the second quarter 

(March 31, 2019) of the grantee’s 

supportive services annualized grant 

award period, the grantee’s cumulative 

requests for supportive services grant 

funds is fewer than 40 percent of total 

supportive services grant award. (During 

this same period, the grantee’s 

cumulative requests for supportive 

services grant funds may not exceed 60 

percent of the total supportive services 

grant award.) 

(c) By the end of the third quarter 

(June 30, 2019) of the grantee’s 

supportive services annualized grant 

award period, the grantee’s cumulative 

requests for supportive services grant 

funds is fewer than 65 percent of total 

supportive services grant award. (During 

this same period, the grantee’s 

cumulative requests for supportive 

services grant funds may not exceed 80 

percent of the total supportive services 

grant award). 

6. Applicants should fill out separate 

applications for each supportive 

services funding request. 

7. Applicants who fail to provide a 

letter of support from at least one of the 

CoCs they plan to serve will be eligible 

for renewal funding at a level no greater 

than 90 percent of their previous award. 

Applicants are responsible for 

determining who in each serviced CoC 

is authorized to provide such letters of 

support. This requirement applies to all 

applicants, including existing multiyear grantees that are only required to 

submit a LOI in response to this NOFA. 

In order to meet this requirement and 

allow the applicant to be eligible for full 

funding, letters must include: 

(a) A detailed description of the 

applicant’s participation in the CoC’s 

Coordinated Entry process or planning 

activities and overall community 

planning efforts (for instance, 

confirmation of applicant’s active 

participation in planning coordinated 

entry, commitment to participating in 

coordinated entry, hours spent on CoCsponsored committee or workgroup 

assignments and names of said 

committees or workgroups). 

(b) The applicant’s contribution to the 

CoC’s coordinated entry process 

capacity building efforts, detailing the 

specific nature of this contribution (for 

instance, the hours of staff time and/or 

the amount of funding provided), if 

such SSVF capacity has been requested 

by the CoC or otherwise has shown to 

be of value to the CoC. 

D. Supportive Services Grant Award 

Period: Grant awards are generally made 

for a 1-year period, although selected 

grants may be eligible for a 3-year award 

(see VI.C.6). All grants are eligible to be 

renewed subject to the availability of 

funding. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants: For Priority 1 

and 2, only eligible entities that are 

existing grantees with grants scheduled 

to end by September 30, 2018, can apply 

in response to this NOFA. 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching: None. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Obtaining an Application Package: 

Applications can be at www.va.gov/ 

homeless/ssvf.asp. Any questions 

regarding this process should be 


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referred to the SSVF Program Office via 

email at SSVF@va.gov. For detailed 

SSVF Program information and 

requirements, see 38 CFR part 62. 

B. Content and Form of Application: 

Applicants must submit applications 

electronically following instructions 

found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp. 

C. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications for supportive services 

grants under the SSVF Program must be 

received by the SSVF Program Office by 

4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 12, 

2018. Awards made for supportive 

services grants will fund operations 

beginning October 1, 2018. Applications 

must arrive as a complete package. 

Materials arriving separately will not be 

included in the application package for 

consideration and may result in the 

application being rejected. Additionally, 

in the interest of fairness to all 

competing applicants, this deadline is 

firm as to date and hour, and VA will 

treat as ineligible for consideration any 

application that is received after the 

deadline. Applicants should take this 

practice into account and make early 

submission of their materials to avoid 

any risk of loss of eligibility brought 

about by unanticipated delays, 

computer service outages, or other 

delivery-related problems. 

D. Intergovernmental Review: This 

section is not applicable to the SSVF 

Program. 

E. Funding Restrictions: Funding will 

be awarded for supportive services 

grants under this NOFA depending on 

funding availability (currently funding 

is only authorized to be appropriated for 

the SSVF program through FY 2019). 

Applicants should fill out separate 

applications for each supportive 

services funding request. Funding will 

be awarded under this NOFA to existing 

grantees for a 1-year to 3-year period 

beginning October 1, 2018. 

1. Funding used for staff education 

and training cannot exceed 1 percent of 

the overall program grant award. This 

limitation does not include the cost to 

attend VA mandated training. All 

training costs must be directly related to 

the provision of services to homeless 

veterans and their families. 

2. Expenses related to maintaining 

accreditation are allowable. Grantees are 

allowed to include expenses for seeking 

initial accreditation only once in a 5- 

year period. The expenses to renew full 

accreditation is allowed and is based on 

the schedule of the accrediting agency, 

for instance every 3 years for CARF and 

every 4 years for COA. Expenses related 

to the renewal of less than full 

accreditation are not allowed. 

F. Other Submission Requirements: 

1. Existing applicants applying for 

Priority 1 or 2 grants may apply only as 

renewal applicants using the 

application designed for renewal grants. 

2. At the discretion of VA, multiple 

grant proposals submitted by the same 

lead agency may be combined into a 

single grant award if the proposals 

provide services to contiguous areas. 

3. Additional supportive services 

grant application requirements are 

specified in the application package. 

Submission of an incorrect or 

incomplete application package will 

result in the application being rejected 

during threshold review. The 

application packages must contain all 

required forms and certifications. 

Selections will be made based on 

criteria described in 38 CFR part 62 and 

this NOFA. Applicants and grantees 

will be notified of any additional 

information needed to confirm or clarify 

information provided in the application 

and the deadline by which to submit 

such information. Applicants must 

submit applications electronically. 

Applications may not be mailed or sent 

by facsimile. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria: 

1. VA will only score applicants that 

meet the threshold requirements 

described in 38 CFR 62.21. 

2. VA will use the criteria described 

in 38 CFR 62.24 to score grantees 

applying for renewal (Priority 1 and 2) 

of a supportive services grant. 

B. Review and Selection Process: VA 

will review all supportive services 

renewal grant applications in response 

to this NOFA according to the following 

steps: 

1. Score all applications that meet the 

threshold requirements described in 38 

CFR 62.21. 

2. Rank those applications who score 

at least 75 cumulative points and 

receive at least one point under each of 

the categories identified for renewal 

applicants in 38 CFR 62.24. The 

applications will be ranked in order 

from highest to lowest scores in 

accordance with 38 CFR 62.25 for 

renewal applicants. 

3. Utilize the ranked scores of 

applications as the primary basis for 

selection. However, VA will also utilize 

the following considerations in 38 CFR 

62.23(d) to select applicants for funding: 

(a) Give preference to applications 

that provide or coordinate the provision 

of supportive services for very lowincome veteran families transitioning 

from homelessness to permanent 

housing. Consistent with this 

preference, where other funds from 

community resources are not readily 

available for temporary financial 

assistance, applicants are required to 

spend no less than 60 percent of all 

budgeted temporary financial assistance 

on participants occupying permanent 

housing as defined in 38 CFR 62.11(b). 

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 USICH certification, 

that a community has ended 

homelessness as defined by Federal 

Benchmarks and Criteria or has reached 

Community Solution’s Functional Zero. 

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. 

Waiver requests must include an 

endorsement by the impacted CoC 

explicitly stating that a shift in 

resources from rapid re-housing to 

prevention will not result in an increase 

in homelessness. 

(b) To the extent practicable, ensure 

that supportive services grants are 

equitably distributed across geographic 

regions, including rural communities 

and tribal lands. This equitable 

distribution criteria will be used to 

ensure that SSVF resources are provided 

to those communities with the highest 

need as identified by VA’s assessment of 

expected demand and available 

resources to meet that demand. 

4. Subject to the considerations noted 

in paragraph B.3 above, VA will fund 

the highest-ranked applicants for which 

funding is available. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notices: Although subject to 

change, the SSVF Program Office 

expects to announce grant recipients for 

all applicants in the fourth quarter of FY 

2018 with grants beginning October 1, 

2018. Prior to executing a funding 

agreement, VA will contact the 

applicants, make known the amount of 

proposed funding and verify that the 

applicant would still like the funding. 

Once VA verifies that the applicant is 

still seeking funding, VA will execute 

an agreement and make payments to the 

grant recipient in accordance with 38 

CFR part 62 and this NOFA. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: It is VA policy to support 

a ‘‘Housing First’’ model in addressing 

and ending homelessness. Housing First 

establishes housing stability as the 

primary intervention in working with 

homeless persons. The Housing First 

approach is based on research that 

shows that a homeless individual or 


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household’s first and primary need is to 

obtain stable housing, and that other 

issues that may affect the household can 

and should be addressed as housing is 

obtained. Housing is not contingent on 

compliance with 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. Research supports this 

approach as an effective means to 

ending homelessness. 

Consistent with the Housing First 

model supported by VA, grantees are 

expected to offer the following 

supportive services: housing counseling; 

assisting participants in understanding 

leases; securing utilities; making moving 

arrangements; providing representative 

payee services concerning rent and 

utilities when needed; and mediation 

and outreach to property owners related 

to locating or retaining housing. 

Grantees may also assist participants by 

providing rental assistance, security or 

utility deposits, moving costs or general 

housing stability assistance, using other 

Federal resources, such as the ESG, or 

supportive services grant funds to the 

extent described in this NOFA and 38 

CFR 62.34. 

As SSVF grants cannot be used to 

fund treatment for mental health or 

substance use disorders, applicants 

must provide evidence that they can 

provide access to such services to all 

program participants through formal 

and informal agreements with 

community providers. 

C. Reporting: VA places great 

emphasis on the responsibility and 

accountability of grantees. As described 

in 38 CFR 62.63 and 62.71, VA has 

procedures in place to monitor 

supportive services provided to 

participants and outcomes associated 

with the supportive services provided 

under the SSVF Program. Applicants 

should be aware of the following: 

1. Upon execution of a supportive 

services grant agreement with VA, 

grantees will have a VA regional 

coordinator assigned by the SSVF 

Program Office who will provide 

oversight and monitor supportive 

services provided to participants. 

2. Grantees will be required to enter 

data into a Homeless Management 

Information System (HMIS) Web-based 

software application. This data will 

consist of information on the 

participants served and types of 

supportive services provided by 

grantees. Grantees must treat the data 

for activities funded by the SSVF 

Program separate from that of activities 

funded by other programs. Grantees will 

be required to work with their HMIS 

Administrators to export client-level 

data for activities funded by the SSVF 

Program to VA on at least a monthly 

basis. 

3. VA shall complete annual 

monitoring evaluations of each grantee. 

Monitoring will also include the 

submittal of quarterly and annual 

financial and performance reports by 

the grantee. The grantee will be 

expected to demonstrate adherence to 

the grantee’s proposed program concept, 

as described in the grantee’s 

application. All grantees are subject to 

audits conducted by the VA or its 

representative. 

4. Grantees will be assessed based on 

their ability to meet critical performance 

measures. In addition to meeting 

program requirements defined by the 

regulations and applicable NOFA(s), 

grantees will be assessed on their ability 

to place participants into housing and 

the housing retention rates of 

participants served. Higher placement 

for homeless participants and higher 

housing retention rates for at-risk 

participants are expected for very-low 

income veteran families when compared 

to extremely low-income veteran 

families with incomes below 30 percent 

of the area median income. 

5. Organizations receiving renewal 

awards and that have had ongoing SSVF 

program operation for at least 1 year (as 

measured from the start of initial SSVF 

services until November 6, 2017) may be 

eligible for a 3-year award. Grantees 

meeting outcome goals defined by VA 

and in substantial compliance with their 

grant agreements (defined by meeting 

targets and having no outstanding 

corrective action plans) and who, in 

addition, receive 3-year accreditation 

from CARF in Employment and 

Community Services: Rapid Rehousing 

and Homeless Prevention standards, a 4- 

year accreditation from COA 

accreditation in Supported Community 

Living Services standards, or a 3 year 

accreditation in The Joint Commission’s 

Behavioral Health Care: Housing 

Support Services Standards are eligible 

for a 3-year grant renewal subject to 

funding availability. (NOTE: Multi-year 

awards are contingent on funding 

availability). If awarded a multiple year 

renewal, grantees may be eligible for 

funding increases as defined in NOFAs 

that correspond to years 2 and 3 of their 

renewal funding. 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

John Kuhn, National Director, 

Supportive Services for Veteran 

Families, 151 Knollcroft Road, Lyons, 

NJ 07939, SSVF@va.gov, (908) 413–4259 

(this is not a toll-free number). 

VIII. Other Information 

A. VA Goals and Objectives for Funds 

Awarded Under This NOFA: In 

accordance with 38 CFR 62.24(c), VA 

will evaluate an applicant’s compliance 

with VA goals and requirements for the 

SSVF Program. VA goals and 

requirements include the provision of 

supportive services designed to enhance 

the housing stability and independent 

living skills of very low-income veteran 

families occupying permanent housing 

across geographic regions and program 

administration in accordance with all 

applicable laws, regulations, and 

guidelines. For purposes of this NOFA, 

VA goals and requirements also include 

the provision of supportive services 

designed to rapidly re-house or prevent 

homelessness among people in 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 percent of area median income as 

most recently published by HUD for 

programs under section 8 of the United 

States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

1437f) (http://www.huduser.org). 

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 CoC, 

or a county not currently served by a 

SSVF grantee. 

5. Veteran families located in a 

community, as defined by HUD’s CoC, 

where current level of SSVF services is 

not sufficient to meet demand of 

Category 2 and 3 (currently homeless) 

veteran families. 

6. Veteran families located in a rural 

area. 

7. Veteran families located on Indian 

Tribal Property. 

B. Payments of Supportive Services 

Grant Funds: Grantees will receive 

payments electronically through the 

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services Payment Management System. 

Grantees will have the ability to request 

payments as frequently as they choose 

subject to the following limitations: 

1. During the first quarter of the 

grantee’s supportive services annualized 

grant award period, the grantee’s 

cumulative requests for supportive 

services grant funds may not exceed 35 

percent of the total supportive services 

grant award without written approval by 

VA. 

2. By the end of the second quarter of 

the grantee’s supportive services 

annualized grant award period, the 


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grantee’s cumulative requests for 

supportive services grant funds may not 

exceed 60 percent of the total 

supportive services grant award without 

written approval by VA. 

3. By the end of the third quarter of 

the grantee’s supportive services 

annualized grant award period, the 

grantee’s cumulative requests for 

supportive services grant funds may not 

exceed 80 percent of the total 

supportive services grant award without 

written approval by VA. 

4. By the end of the fourth quarter of 

the grantee’s supportive services 

annualized grant award period, the 

grantee’s cumulative requests for 

supportive services grant funds may not 

exceed 100 percent of the total 

supportive services grant award. 

Signing Authority 

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or 

designee, approved this document and 

authorized the undersigned to sign and 

submit the document to the Office of the 

Federal Register for publication 

electronically as an official document of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gina 

S. Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 

approved this document on October 30, 

2017, for publication. 

Dated: October 30, 2017. 

Jeffrey Martin, 

Office Program Manager, Office of Regulation 

Policy & Management, Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2017–24118 Filed 11–3–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 


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