January 2018 NCHV Newsletter

NCHV eNewsletter
January 2018
Helping Homeless Veterans Return to Work: A New Online Training for HVRP Staff
First in a series of self-paced, free online trainings from NVTAC
The National Veterans Technical Assistance Center (NVTAC) is thrilled to announce the launch of Helping Homeless Veterans Return to Work a self-paced online training course developed for staff members of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) grantees. Whether you are a brand new grantee trying to ramp up a program, or a long-term grantee trying to keep a successful program moving, the struggle to provide comprehensive training amidst other competing priorities is real. Unfortunately, so are the consequences of inadequate training: a steep learning curve, a trial and error approach and, far too often, poor grant performance. Designed to address this ongoing challenge, Helping Homeless Veterans Return to Work will include several modules on the core components of HVRP service delivery.

Module 1: An Introduction to HVRP is complete and ready to use. The purpose of this module is to provide staff with a foundation for their work in HVRP including understanding the role of HVRP within the larger landscape of veteran homelessness in your community. You can access Module 1 at https://www.nvtac.org/training-ta/#accordion3.

Additional modules expected to be completed and posted in the coming months are listed below:
Module 2: Finding Veterans – Outreach and Engagement
Module 3: Screening, Intake, and Assessment
Module 4: Case Management and IEPs
Hill Watch: Funding Process Delayed Again
Series of CRs pushes deadline into February
  
A series of continuing resolutions (“CR’s”) have funded the government past its funding deadline of last September. The most recent was the CR passed to end the three day government shutdown of Jan. 19-22, 2018. This bill extends funding at the current levels until Feb. 8, 2018.
For a final funding bill numbers may change, either up or down from the current level. We already have a good picture of where the House and Senate will come down during negations on our core programs. Here are the proposed numbers in both houses of Congress, as compared to the numbers of the President’s budget request of several months ago:
FY 2017
President’s Request
House Proposed
Senate Proposed
Grant and Per Diem

$257m
$257m
$257m
$257m
Supportive Services for Veteran Families
$320m
$320m
$320m
$340m
HUD-VA Supportive Housing
$40m
(~5,500 vouchers)
$0
$0
$40m
(~5,500
vouchers)
Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program
$45m
$45m
$45m
$47.54m
NCHV supports the Senate proposed numbers in every case. The need for more HUD-VASH vouchers is seen in many of the communities you work in, especially when it comes to the creation of new affordable housing through project basing of these vouchers. The SSVF program is in need of $400 million this year in order to prevent a decrease in services that will come with the expiration of the 2015 surge grants, but the additional funds seen in the Senate numbers will go a long way towards preventing that expiration in many communities. Likewise, the Senate numbers for HVRP are not perfect – NCHV supports, at the minimum, funding that program at its fully authorized level of $50 million.
This will come down to negotiations between the House and Senate. It is imperative that we all encourage Congress to accept the numbers proposed by the Senate committee. NCHV cannot predict exactly when the final measure will be written, agreed to, or passed. It is therefore vital that we are all calling our representatives now before it is too late.
NCHV will continue to update you as these events unfold. Stay tuned to these pages, and to our eNewsletters and website, to make sure you are up to date on what is happening on the Hill.
Veteran Sex Offender Access to Housing and Health Services after Release from Incarceration: Obstacles and Best Practices
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 1:00-2:00 pm EDT
Veterans leaving incarceration -- “reentry veterans” -- need to be engaged in services upon release in order to reduce their risk of homelessness and reoffending. The VA’s Health Care for Reentry Veterans (HCRV) program uniquely works to address this gap and identifies 10,000-15,000 incarcerated veterans annually transitioning back to the community.
Within this reentry population, sex offenders are both a particularly vulnerable group and a large sub-population (29% of those incarcerated nationally) who are likely to experience homelessness and emotional and financial hardship due to policies that restrict their housing options.
Some research shows that the emotional and financial toll of residency restrictions hamper the efforts of sex offenders to reintegrate into the community, thus making them more likely to re-offend. This study, funded in part by the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, sought to identify common pathways that sex offenders in Massachusetts take upon release from incarceration; housing restrictions; and barriers to housing, employment, and healthcare. In addition, researcher Molly Simmons and her colleagues documented best practices used by the VA, and state and community organizations to overcome the barriers faced by sex offenders.
Join the discussion of these issues and solutions online at
http://va-eerc-ees.adobeconnect.com/research2practice/
Call 800-767-1750 and use access code 92715# for the audio.
The Homeless Evidence and Research Synthesis (HERS) Roundtable Series: Suicide and Homeless Veterans
Tuesday, February 27, 1:00-3:00 pm ET
Join the meeting online at http://va-eerc-ees.adobeconnect.com/hers/
Call 800-767-1750 and use access code 70207# for the audio
This virtual symposium takes a look at recent research on the high rate of suicide among homeless veterans and considers the implications for policy and practice in light of VA’s current suicide prevention efforts encompassing education, training, collaborative partnerships, and the use of predictive modeling tools to identify Veterans at risk. We will hear from senior researchers in VA and executives from the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Their presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion featuring leaders from the VA Office of Homeless Programs, SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Office, and one of the seven cities participating in the recently launched Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among service members, veterans, and their families.
Funding Opportunities
The Amboy Foundation is committed to supporting local efforts that enhance the quality of life of the people who live and work in the communities Amboy serves. Community development and social welfare are priorities for the foundation, including homelessness prevention and supportive services. The maximum grant amount is $10,000. Funding decisions are made quarterly. For application information, click here.
The Wilmington Trust’s M&T Charitable Foundation strives to strengthen communities by providing grants and in-kind services for a diverse range of civic, cultural, health, and human service organizations. All requests are reviewed monthly by local charitable contributions committees. For full grant guidelines and more information, click here.
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