From:                                         SSVF

Sent:                                           Thursday, August 1, 2024 11:21 PM

Subject:                                     SSVF Program Update Friday August 2, 2024

 

This weekly update is targeted towards the SSVF Grantees and shared with valuable partners for awareness.   

August 2, 2024           

  

  

REGISTER: SSVF National Webinar – Highlighting Housing First and Strategic and Coordinated Outreach: Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 2:00pm EST 

REMINDER:  SSVF Guidance on the Use of Overtime Pay  

RESOURCE: Repository Uploads – Monthly Reports & Zero Data  

REMINDER: Outreach Activities 

 

  

REGISTER: SSVF National Webinar – Highlighting Housing First and Strategic and Coordinated Outreach: Thursday, August 8, 2024 at 2:00pm EST  

The SSVF Program Office will be focusing on Housing First integration throughout SSVF program delivery and strategic and coordinated approaches to outreach. This webinar is intended to improve grantee understanding about how to effectively communicate the role of SSVF within a Housing First approach and practically apply it throughout the entirety of the program.  The strategic outreach portion of the webinar will drill down into specific and tangible practices for increasing coordination, reach, and connection to our Veterans. We will conclude with three SSVF grantees presentations, all of which are serving Veterans in expansive, rural settings and employing creative approaches to reaching and engaging Veterans in services. This webinar will last approximately 90 minutes and will be recorded.  

 

Grantees should ensure the appropriate staff are notified including Program Managers, Outreach staff, Peers Support, Case Managers, Healthcare Navigators, and other relevant staff. Other participants are welcome to join.  

   

Register in advance for this webinar:  

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E8m5r9aSSCG4t9AHoXc9xQ  

   

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. 

 

  

REMINDER:  SSVF Guidance on the Use of Overtime Pay  

Effective July 1, 2024, SSVF Grantees are authorized to use overtime pay for staff as needed without prior approval from the SSVF Program Office. Overtime pay is required to be used in accordance with federal, state, or local laws; whichever is most favorable to employees. This guidance supersedes the overtime pay guidelines in the current version of the SSVF Program Guide (October 2023). Overtime pay is defined as the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours.   

  

Please note that the use of overtime pay is an agency decision and is not subject to Program Office approval. The use of overtime will not impact grantee funding levels and must be used within the current existing approved budget. Agencies should develop and follow internal policies and procedures.  The SSVF Program Office will not be approving individual agency overtime plans and will direct questions on use of overtime to your federal, state, or local laws. The SSVF Program Office hopes this added flexibility will help us make progress toward our goal of ensuring every Veteran has a safe place to call home.  

  

  

RESOURCE: Repository Uploads – Monthly Reports & Zero Data  

The SSVF Program Office continues to encourage grantees to ensure data uploads are of the highest quality possible.  Did you know that you can have a “Successful Upload” with zero data?  Each month grantees receive 3 reports with your upload.  However, these reports are looking for file errors or data entry errors only.  Before each upload, grantees need to verify the CSV file is reviewed and there is data within the file. For more information about these reports and how best to utilize them to improve data quality, follow the link below.   

  

Link: HMIS & Data Reporting (va.gov)  

  

  

REMINDER: Outreach Activities  

The SSVF Program Office would like to remind grantees that outreach is a required activity.  As a core component of the grant, grantees should have a robust outreach strategy to engage Veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.    

SSVF grantees should:    

·                     Ensure outreach activities cover the full geography and all unsheltered Veterans are offered a pathway to permanent or interim housing in the near term.  

·                     Collaborate with community partners for street outreach including Coordinated Entry Outreach Teams, VA Outreach Teams, Law Enforcement, local businesses such as railroads or gas stations, public services such as street or highway departments, health departments, bus or train stations, advocacy groups including domestic violence providers, organizations specifically focused on supporting marginalized groups.  

·                     Strongly consider hiring in-house or elevating existing the employment of peer specialists in outreach settings and across program operations; ensure outreach personnel include Veterans who have had similar experiences to those for whom Services are designed to support.  

·                     Provide access to training in trauma-informed, culturally responsive outreach and engagement strategies, including Rapid Resolution approaches, motivational interviewing, and implicit bias.