$400M VA grants include Ala. & La.

WASHINGTON - Thousands of low-income Veterans and their eligible family members will continue to have access to crucial homelessness services as a result of $426M in grants to be awarded under the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This funding includes $62M in new SSVF awards that support outreach, case management and other flexible assistance to rapidly re-house Veterans who become homeless or prevent Veterans from becoming homeless. The grants will be awarded to 271 non-profit organizations in all 50 states, including new grants in Alabama and Louisiana’s northern Gulf Coast regions. “Ending Veteran homelessness remains a high priority and (SSVF) has proven to be remarkably effective” temporary assistance for (Vets/families) to overcome housing crises,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. In addition to conducting outreach and case management, these non-profit grantees will assist with benefits that may include health care, financial planning, child care, legal, transportation, and housing counseling services. In FY 2018, SSVF grantees served 125,878 Vets and children. As a result of efforts, the number of homeless Vets has been cut by 50 percent since the 2010 launch of the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The applicants to whom grants will be awarded competed under a Notice of Fund Availability published Dec. 19, 2018. The funding will support SSVF services for FY 2020, beginning Oct. 1. (Source: Department of Veterans Affairs 08/01/19) Grantees include: Housing First Inc. via Mobile City/County and Baldwin County (Ala.) Chambers of Commerce: $1.185M; Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans via Lafayette/Acadiana Regional CoC; Shreveport, Bossier/Northwest Louisiana CoC; New Orleans/Jefferson Parish CoC; Monroe/Northeast Louisiana CoC; Slidell/Southeast Louisiana CoC; Alexandria/Central Louisiana CoC; Houma-Terrebonne, Thibodaux CoC; and Louisiana Balance of State CoC: $2.08M. No new funding for either Florida or Mississippi’s northern Gulf Coast regions.