VA Announces New SSVF Grants to Help End Veteran Homelessness

Washington – April 1, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald today announced the award of nearly $93 million in Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) three-year grants that will help approximately 45,000 homeless and at-risk veterans and their families. The grants will be distributed to 24 nonprofit agencies in 15 communities, with $30 million in awards being distributed to the Los Angeles area.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs is committed to using evidence-based approaches such as SSVF to prevent homelessness and produce successful outcomes for veterans and their families,” said Secretary McDonald. “This is a program that works, because it allows VA staff and local homeless service providers to work together to effectively address the unique challenges that make it difficult for some veterans and their families to remain stably housed.”

Under the SSVF program, VA is awarding grants to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives that provide services to very low-income veteran families living in – or transitioning to – permanent housing. The grants announced today will provide additional resources to the fourth year operations of the SSVF program.

“With the addition of these crucial resources, communities across the country continue an historic drive to prevent and end homelessness among veterans,” said Matthew Doherty, Acting Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. “The SSVF program gives veterans and their families the rapid assistance they need to remain in permanent housing or get back into permanent housing as quickly as possible.”

To view a list of these new grantees, click here. More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at www.va.gov/homeless. Details about the SSVF program are online atwww.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.