The Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grant launched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during Fiscal Year 2012 in response to concerns regarding homelessness and housing instability among Veterans. For more than a decade, SSVF has been an innovator in providing trauma-informed services that are flexible and Veteran-centered to meet the individual housing needs of Veterans and their families. The initiative, which began with 85 grantees in 40 states and the District of Columbia and was funded with $60 million, aimed to quickly rehouse Veterans who were experiencing literal homelessness and to prevent Veterans from becoming at-risk of experiencing homelessness. A combination of rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention services offers Veterans a wide range of opportunities to secure and retain permanent housing.
Rapid re-housing services provide individualized support to Veteran households to facilitate rapidly moving into permanent housing from literal homeless situations, ensuring that they can achieve long-term housing stability.
Key elements of Rapid re-housing include:
- Housing navigation: housing search and identification to quickly move Veteran households into permanent housing.
- Temporary Financial Assistance: Covers things like rent, utility assistance, and move-in assistance.
- Case management: Supportive services and housing stabilization support that assists Veteran households connecting to necessary resources to achieve long-term housing stability.
Prevention services provide individualized support to Veteran households who are at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness, helping them to maintain housing and avoid the experience of homelessness. They provide Veteran households with the necessary tools, support, and resources to stabilize their housing.
Key elements of Prevention include:
- Crisis resolution to address the immediate risk of housing loss.
- emporary Financial Assistance: Covers things like rental and utility arrears and other housing-related expenses.
- Case management: Supportive services and housing stabilization supports that assists Veteran households connecting to necessary resources to achieve long-term housing stability.
There are four inter-related core concepts that underlie homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing programs. The core concepts are Housing First, Crisis Response, Participant Choice, and Progressive Engagement. These core concepts are supported by many years of practice and positive program outcomes. It is important for SSVF grantees to center their services on the core concepts to ensure effective service delivery.
The core concept of Housing First is central to both rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention programs. Housing First emphasizes securing permanent stable housing, without preconditions such as employment, minimum income, participation in treatment or evidence of sobriety. This is a trauma-informed approach that recognizes that having a safe place to live provides the foundation for individuals to address other challenges that they face.
SSVF grantees should ensure Veteran households receive individualized supportive services in order for them to rapidly move into permanent housing and to address any underlying housing stability issues. The individualized services should be driven by Veteran households preferences and needs.
Consistent with the Housing First core concept, rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention programs are designed to respond immediately and urgently to the housing crisis at hand. The loss of or imminent loss of a household’s housing is a specific crisis that rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention programs are designed to address.
SSVF follows a crisis intervention model rather than a longer-term, rehabilitative, or other behavioral change model. SSVF grantees should support Veteran households in developing individualized housing stability plans that focus on resolving the immediate housing crisis, and the additional supportive services that are needed for long term housing stability.
Participant choice is fundamental to rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention programs. It empowers participants to make decisions about their housing and the supportive services that they receive. Participant choice supports the idea that people experiencing homelessness are the experts in their own lives and have a voice in determining what would best meet their needs. It also promotes long-term housing stability as it builds trust and encourages increased involvement in activities.
SSVF grantees should ensure Veteran households are empowered to make decisions for themselves in relationship to their housing plans and goals.
Progressive Engagement is a core concept of rapid re-housing programs and homelessness prevention programs that allows for a flexible, client centered approach to providing services. Progressive engagement starts by providing minimal assistance, offering the basic level of support necessary for households to secure and stabilize in permanent housing, gradually increasing resources and services as needed. This individualized approach can help with right-sizing services to best meet the needs of those served.
SSVF grantees should utilize a progressive engagement approach to determine the length and amount of assistance provided to each Veteran household to overcome barriers to obtaining and retaining permanent housing. Progressive engagement begins with light services like rapid resolution and increases interventions to respond to individual needs and desires.