Are you a veteran who is at risk of homelessness? Do you know a veteran who struggles to find stable housing? The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program may be able to help you!
What is the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program?
Supportive Services for Veteran Families is a grant program managed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Their goal is to ensure that veterans have access to stable housing. The program focuses on three areas: Housing First, Crisis Response, and Choice.
The VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program issues grants to various non-profit organizations to reduce and prevent veteran homelessness. Last year, the VA issued $418 million in grants to over 260 agencies! There may be a service provider near you!
Housing First
Many traditional homelessness programs prioritize addressing other life problems before providing housing. These may include personal issues, disabilities, substance abuse challenges, employment, and more.
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program believes that providing housing first is most important and can help provide stability for veterans to resolve other life challenges.
Crisis Response
The Crisis Response portion of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program focuses on shorter-term solutions for someone in a homelessness crisis. The program can help provide access to services to help prevent eviction in the short term while transitioning to long-term assistance later. This is based on a crisis intervention approach to resolve emergency placements.
Choice
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program strives to offer participants opportunities to have more control over choices available to them. These may include where to live and who to live with, as well as choosing to be involved with other programs for employment, addiction treatment, and more. Participants who feel more empowered to make their own choices are more likely to keep stable housing and become more independent.
Where do I find help?
The VA maintains a directory of non-profit organizations who are working with Supportive Services for Veteran Families grants.
There are currently nearly 300 agencies participating in the Supportive Services for Veteran Families grant program. These include all 50 states, plus Washington D.C. and Guam, with multiple counties in most.
What can the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Rapid Resolution program help with?
Assistance may be available through the Rapid Resolution portion of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program! This may include arranging for a veteran to stay with family or friends, return to a community where they have a support system, or find immediate temporary housing to avoid spending the night outside or in a shelter.
Family or friends may be eligible to receive rent assistance payments or financial help with paying for utility bills. Participants in the program may also receive direct help with grocery and fuel purchases, vehicle repairs, transportation costs, moving costs, and more.
There may be income limits to qualify to receive services from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program. More information is available on the Rapid Resolution program!
What if I’m homeless and need medical care?
The Supportive Services for Veteran Families program also provides grants for access to health care navigators. Health care navigators help veterans access medical care through VA facilities and elsewhere. They can help coordinate care with medical providers as well as provide patient education. This goes hand-in-hand with the goal of reducing homelessness and shelter enrollment!
Rachel Grayless
After 27 years in law enforcement and state Veterans Affairs agencies, I found myself working from home and looking for dollar-stretching resources. Government programs can be notoriously difficult to navigate and I'm happy to lend my experiences to make this easier for others!