Safe Housing

The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program provides grants and per diem payments (as funding is available) to help public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive housing and service centers for homeless Veterans. Learn more about the Grant Per Diem Program

HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) Program is a joint effort between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA. HUD allocated nearly 38,000 "Housing Choice" Section 8 vouchers across the country. These vouchers allow Veterans and their families to live in market rate rental units while VA provides case management services. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord on behalf of the participating Veteran. The Veteran then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program. Learn more about the HUD-VASH Program.

The Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers Program makes all VA foreclosed properties available for sale to homeless provider organizations—at a 20 to 50 percent discount—to shelter homeless Veterans.

The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program provides grants and technical assistance to community-based, nonprofit organizations to help Veterans and their families stay in their homes. Learn more about the SSVF program.

The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program provides grants and per diem payments (as funding is available) to help public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive housing and service centers for homeless Veterans

Program Description

VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is offered annually (as funding permits) by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Programs to fund community agencies providing services to homeless Veterans. The purpose is to promote the development and provision of supportive housing and/or supportive services with the goal of helping homeless Veterans achieve residential stability, increase their skill levels and/or income, and obtain greater self-determination.

Only programs with supportive housing (up to 24 months) or service centers (offering services such as case management, education, crisis intervention, counseling, services targeted towards specialized populations including homeless women Veterans, etc.) are eligible for these funds. The program has two levels of funding: the Grant Component and the Per Diem Component.

Grants: Limit is 65% of the costs of construction, renovation, or acquisition of a building for use as service centers or transitional housing for homeless Veterans. Renovation of VA properties is allowed, acquiring VA properties is not. Recipients must obtain the matching 35% share from other sources. Grants may not be used for operational costs, including salaries.

Per Diem: Priority in awarding the Per Diem funds goes to the recipients of Grants. Non-Grant programs may apply for Per Diem under a separate announcement, when published in the Federal Register, announcing the funding for "Per Diem Only."

Operational costs, including salaries, may be funded by the Per Diem Component. For supportive housing, the maximum amount payable under the per diem is $38.90 per day per Veteran housed. Veterans in supportive housing may be asked to pay rent if it does not exceed 30% of the Veteran's monthly-adjusted income. In addition, "reasonable" fees may be charged for services not paid with Per Diem funds. The maximum hourly per diem rate for a service center not connected with supportive housing is 1/8 of the daily cost of care, not to exceed the current VA State Home rate for domiciliary care. Payment for a Veteran in a service center will not exceed 8 hours in any day.

Applications are not accepted for Capital Grants or "Per Diem Only" funding until the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is published in the Federal Register. Funds will be awarded to programs determined to be the most qualified. The contact person for the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program is Jeff Quarles. Mr. Quarles may be contacted (toll-free): 1-877-332-0334; E-mail: VA Grant and Per Diem Program. The Homeless programs are administered nationally by Lisa Pape, National Director, VHA Homeless Programs, VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) Program is a joint effort between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and VA. HUD allocated nearly 38,000 "Housing Choice" Section 8 vouchers across the country. These vouchers allow Veterans and their families to live in market rate rental units while VA provides case management services. A housing subsidy is paid to the landlord on behalf of the participating Veteran. The Veteran then pays the difference between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

UPDATE!!

The HUD-VASH Resource Guide for Permanent Housing and Clinical Care

(and the supplemental Resource Guide Quick Tips) was designed to provide case managers, and other who work with homeless Veterans in the HUD-VASH program, with a comprehensive set of resources to assist in addressing the multifaceted needs of homeless Veterans.  The Resource Guide is a product of the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans and was developed by a dynamic team of researchers, policy analysts, public health experts, psychologists, physicians and social workers located throughout the country.

General Information

The Department of Housing and Urban Development – VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program is a joint effort between HUD and VA to move Veterans and their families out of homelessness and into permanent housing. HUD provides housing assistance through its Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) that allows homeless Veterans to rent privately owned housing. VA offers eligible homeless Veterans clinical and supportive services through its health care system across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

From FY 2008 through FY 2011, HUD has allocated funding to local public housing authorities to provide over 37,000 Housing Choice Vouchers to homeless Veterans while VA has hired dedicated VA case managers to assist homeless Veterans in securing and maintaining permanent housing through intensive case management.

For more detailed eligibility criteria, click here. 

SSVF Letter of Intent Published in the Federal Register!!

The VA has published a Letter of Intent for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.  The Letter of Intent is due by September 28 and is non-binding - it does not factor into any decisions on funding awards.  The publication of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) should follow in early FY 2013. 

Under the SSVF program, VA awards grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives who can provide supportive services to very low-income Veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing.  Grantees provide a range of supportive services designed to promote housing stability to eligible very low-income Veteran families.  Details about the SSVF program are available on this website.

Notice - Letter of Intent To Apply for Funding Available Under the ... 

Letter of Intent - Sample  

General Program Information

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) assists homeless and at-risk Veteran families.

Grantees (private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives) will provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include:

In addition, grantees may also provide time-limited payments to third parties (e.g., landlords, utility companies, moving companies, and licensed child care providers) if these payments help Veterans’ families stay in or acquire permanent housing on a sustainable basis.

FY 2012 SSVF Grant Award List 

For the location of available SSVF providers, open the SSVF Grantee Abstract.

SSVF Program Overview Webcast (Note: To view these files, please download VLC Player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/.)

SSVF Program Fact Sheet

Webcast: An Introduction to SSVF

Final Rule

SSVF Program Guide (Updated September 12, 2012) 

SSVF Webcast - September 30, 2010 

SSVF 2011 NOFA 

SSVF FY 2011 Grant Award List

SSVF FY 2011 Grantee Abstract 

SSVF Overview 

SSVF Grants-What They Are and Aren't

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Grant Application Information

SSVF Webinar: 2011 NOFA/Renewal Application, Self-Assessment Tool &... 

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SSVF Success Stories

A Veteran is Told Not to Lose Hope, But to Soldier On*

John Dozier, a 56 year-old Army Veteran, became homeless and was paying a motel $160 per week for himself and his girlfriend, who is suffering from cancer.  That was more than he could afford with his salary from a local grocery store, so he turned to Soldier On, the recipient of an SSVF grant for the state of New York.

Upon contacting the Soldier On New York Veterans Outreach program, John was put in touch with Martin Warren, a Soldier On Case Manager, who recognized the urgency of John's situation.  As John worked diligently to find a suitable apartment, Martin and the Soldier On team quickly put together a plan to provide John with a financial assistance package that paid for his security deposit and first month's rent. 

"Soldier On did everything for me," John said.  "I was getting discouraged, but Mr. Warren said not to lose hope, to Soldier On.  That became an important phrase for me...'Soldier On.'  He wouldn't let me get discouraged."

Soldier On is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies to provide Veterans with both shelter and support.  The Soldier On mission is to offer a continuum of care that includes access to food and clothing, immediate and long-term housing, treatment for addiction, as well as medical, counseling and job-related services.

Now that he has been settled into permanent housing and is on target to make his rent each month, John said a major weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

"The first thing is giving me my personal confidence back," John said.  "When you're homeless, you don't feel confident.  Now I have a home base.  I'm settled, I'm happier and I have my dignity.  I want to show my appreciation to the program by staying here and doing well.  My mate has cancer, and this has provided us with a new start that honestly I never thought would come again.  When you're homeless and struggling, you don't believe your dreams can come true.  This program has provided me with hope and has given me my dignity back as a man."

* The SSVF Program office is accepting submissions in order to recognize and share success stories.

Call for SSVF Articles 

SSVF Success Story Archive Back to Top