VA Funds Michigan Agencies in Battle to End Homelessness Among Vets

S of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald announced today the award of $3 million in homeless prevention grants to Wayne County. The grants will serve homeless and at-risk Veteran families as part of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program.

This award will serve Veteran families associated with Volunteers of America, Inc., one of 82 community agencies in 56 high-need communities to receive a grant.

“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,” McDonald said. “This is a program that works, because it allows VA staff and local homeless service providers to work together to address the unique challenges that make it difficult for some Veterans and their families to remain stably housed.”

As part of the SSVF program, VA awards grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that provide services to very low-income Veteran families living in -- or transitioning to -- permanent housing. Those community organizations provide a range of services that promote housing stability among eligible very low income Veteran families.

Under the terms of the grants, homeless providers will offer Veterans and their family members outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits and assistance in receiving other public benefits. Community-based groups can offer temporary financial assistance on behalf of Veterans for rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

VA estimates these grants will serve approximately 70,000 homeless and at-risk Veteran families nationwide. This is the program’s fourth year.

In 2009, President Obama announced the federal government’s goal to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. The grants are intended to help accomplish that goal. According to the 2014 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, homelessness among Veterans has declined 33 percent since 2010.

Through the homeless Veterans initiative, VA committed over $1 billion last year to strengthen programs that prevent and end homelessness among Veterans. VA provides a range of services to homeless Veterans, including health care, housing, job training, and education.

More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at www.va.gov/homeless. Details about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program are online at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.

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