Funding Availability Under Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, 73846-73851 [2020-25402]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 224 (Thursday, November 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73846-73851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25402]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Funding Availability Under Supportive Services for Veteran 
Families Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of fund availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the 
availability of funds for supportive services grants under the 
Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program. This Notice of 
Fund Availability (NOFA) contains information concerning the SSVF 
Program, renewal of supportive services grant application processes, 
and the amount of funding available. Awards made for supportive 
services grants will fund operations beginning October 1, 2021.

DATES: Applications for supportive services grants under the SSVF 
Program must be received by the SSVF Program Office by 4:00 p.m. 
Eastern Time on February 5, 2021. In the interest of fairness to all 
competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to date and hour, and VA 
will treat as ineligible for consideration any application that is 
received after the deadline. Applicants should take this practice into 
account and make early submission of their materials to avoid any risk 
of loss of eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays, computer 
service outages or other submission-related problems.

ADDRESSES: For a Copy of the Application Package: Copies of the 
application can be downloaded from the SSVF website at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf. Questions should be referred to the SSVF Program Office 
at [email protected]. For detailed SSVF Program information and requirements, 
see 38 CFR part 62.
    Submission of Application Package: Applicants must submit 
applications electronically following instructions found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf. Applications may not be mailed, hand carried or sent by 
facsimile (FAX). Applications must be received in the SSVF Program 
Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the application deadline date. 
Applications must arrive as a complete package. Materials arriving 
separately will not be included in the application package for 
consideration and may result in the application being rejected. See 
Section II.C. of this NOFA for maximum allowable grant amounts.
    Technical Assistance: Information regarding how to obtain technical 
assistance with the preparation of a renewal supportive services grant 
application is available on the SSVF Program website at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Kuhn, National Director, 
Supportive Services for Veteran Families, at [email protected] or by phone at 
816-806-7348.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Funding Opportunity Title: Supportive Services for Veteran Families 
Program.
    Announcement Type: Initial.
    Funding Opportunity Number: VA-SSVF-103120.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 64.033, VA 
Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose: The SSVF Program's purpose is to provide supportive 
services grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer 
cooperatives, who will coordinate or provide supportive services to 
very low-income Veteran families who:
    (i) Are residing in permanent housing and at risk of becoming 
homeless; (ii) are homeless and scheduled to become residents of 
permanent housing within a specified time period; or (iii) after 
exiting permanent housing within a specified time period, are seeking 
other housing that is responsive to such very low-income Veteran 
family's needs and preferences. SSVF prioritizes the delivery of rapid 
re-housing services to homeless Veteran households.
    Rapid re-housing is an intervention designed to help individuals 
and families quickly exit homelessness, return to housing in the 
community and avoid homelessness again in the near term. The core 
components of a rapid re-housing program are housing identification, 
move-in and rent financial assistance and rapid re-housing case 
management and services. These core components represent the minimum 
that a program must be providing to households to be considered a rapid 
re-housing program, but do not provide guidance for what constitutes an 
effective rapid re-housing program. Applicants should familiarize 
themselves with the Rapid Re-housing Performance Benchmarks and Program 
Standards found at https://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf/?page=/ssvf_university/fidelity_tool_ssvf_standards.
    B. Funding Priorities: The principle goal for this NOFA is to 
provide support to those applicants who demonstrate the greatest 
capacity to end homelessness among Veterans or, in communities that 
have already met U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) 
Federal Criteria and Benchmarks, sustain the gains made in ending 
homelessness among Veterans. Priority will be given to grantees who can 
demonstrate adoption of evidence-based practices in their application. 
Priorities 1, 2 and 3 are open only to existing grantees. Under 
Priority 1, VA will provide funding to those grantees with 3-year 
accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation 
Facilities (CARF) in Employment and Community Services including: Rapid 
Rehousing and Homeless Prevention standards, a 4-year accreditation 
from the Council on Accreditation's (COA) accreditation in Housing 
Stabilization and Community Living Services standards, or a 3-year

[[Page 73847]]

accreditation in The Joint Commission's (JC) Behavioral Health Care: 
Housing Support Services Standards. Priority 2 includes existing 
grantees not included in Priority 1 with annual awards, seeking to 
renew their grants. Priority 3 includes existing grantees previously 
awarded Priority 3 grants stemming from the SSVF NOFA published on 
December 5, 2019.
    C. Definitions: 38 CFR part 62, contains definitions of terms used 
in the SSVF Program. In addition to the definitions and requirements 
described in 38 CFR part 62, this NOFA provides further clarification 
in this paragraph on the use of Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA). EHA 
may be provided by the SSVF grantee under 38 CFR 62.34(f) to offer 
transition in place when a permanent housing voucher, such as is 
offered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) 
Section 8 program, is available from any source, but access to the 
permanent housing voucher is pending completion of the housing 
inspection and administrative processes necessary for leasing. In such 
circumstances, the EHA payment cannot exceed what would otherwise be 
paid when the voucher is utilized. EHA may also be used as part of a 
Rapid Resolution or diversion response that helps Veteran households 
avoid entry into homelessness through placements with family or 
friends.
    D. Approach: Respondents to this NOFA will have their renewal 
funding requests scored based on applications submitted in response to 
the December 5, 2019, NOFA. Grantees will be expected to leverage 
supportive services grant funds to enhance the housing stability of 
very low-income Veteran families who are occupying permanent housing. 
In doing so, grantees are required to establish relationships with 
local community resources. Therefore, agencies must work through 
coordinated partnerships built either through formal agreements or the 
informal working relationships commonly found among successful social 
service providers.
    The aim of the provision of supportive services is to assist very 
low-income Veteran families residing in permanent housing to remain 
stably housed and to rapidly transition those not currently in 
permanent housing to stable housing. SSVF emphasizes the placement of 
homeless Veteran families who are described in 38 CFR 62.11(b)-(c) as 
(i) very low-income Veteran families who lack a fixed, regular and 
adequate nighttime residence and are scheduled to become residents of 
permanent housing within 90 days, pending the location or development 
of housing suitable for permanent housing, and (ii) very low-income 
Veteran families who have exited permanent housing within the previous 
90 days to seek other housing that is responsive to their needs and 
preferences. As a crisis intervention program, the SSVF Program is not 
intended to provide long-term support for participants, nor will it be 
able to address all of the financial and supportive services needs of 
participants that affect housing stability. Rather, when participants 
require long-term support, grantees should focus on connecting such 
participants to income supports, such as employment and mainstream 
Federal and community resources (e.g., HUD-VA Supportive Housing 
program, HUD Housing Choice Voucher programs, McKinney-Vento Funded 
Supportive Housing Programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
(TANF) and Social Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance 
(SSI/SSDI), etc.) that can provide ongoing support as required.
    Assistance in obtaining or retaining permanent housing is a 
fundamental goal of the SSVF Program. Grantees must provide case 
management services in accordance with 38 CFR 62.31. Such case 
management should include tenant counseling, mediation with landlords 
and outreach to landlords.
    E. Authority: Funding available under this NOFA is authorized by 38 
U.S.C. 2044. VA implements the SSVF Program through regulations in 38 
CFR part 62. Funds made available under this NOFA are subject to the 
requirements of these regulations.
    F. Requirements for the Use of Supportive Services Grant Funds: The 
applicant's request for funding must be consistent with the limitations 
and uses of supportive services grant funds set forth in 38 CFR part 62 
and this NOFA. In accordance with the regulations and this NOFA, the 
following requirements apply to supportive services grants awarded 
under this NOFA:
    1. Grantees may use a maximum of 10% of supportive services grant 
funds for administrative costs identified in 38 CFR 62.70(e).
    2. Grantees must use a minimum of 60% of the temporary financial 
assistance portion of their supportive services grant funds to serve 
very low-income Veteran families who qualify under 38 CFR 62.11(b). 
(NOTE: Grantees may request a waiver to decrease this minimum, as 
discussed in section V.B.3.a.)
    3. Priority 1 and 2 grantees may use a maximum of 50% of supportive 
services grant funds to provide the supportive service of temporary 
financial assistance paid directly to a third party on behalf of a 
participant for child care, emergency housing assistance, 
transportation, rental assistance, utility-fee payment assistance, 
security deposits, utility deposits, moving costs and general housing 
stability assistance, in accordance with 38 CFR 62.33 and 38 CFR 62.34, 
unless a waiver is granted by the SSVF Program Office.
    4. Priority 3 grantees must use a minimum of 40% of funds to 
support temporary financial assistance with the expectation that much 
of these funds will be used for rental assistance in accordance with 38 
CFR 62.34(a)(8). Priority 3 awards will extend to September 30, 2023, 
existing awards made based on the NOFA published on December 5, 2019.
    G. Guidance for the Use of Supportive Services Grant Funds: 
Grantees are expected to demonstrate adoption of evidence-based 
practices most likely to lead to reductions in homelessness. Housing is 
not contingent on compliance with mandated therapies or services; 
instead, participants must comply with a standard lease agreement and 
are provided with the services and supports that are necessary to help 
them do so successfully.
    Grantees must develop plans that will ensure that Veteran 
participants have the level of income and economic stability needed to 
remain in permanent housing after the conclusion of the SSVF 
intervention. Both employment and benefits assistance from VA and non-
VA sources represent a significant underutilized source of income 
stability for homeless Veterans. Income is not a pre-condition for 
housing. Case management should include income maximization strategies 
to ensure households have access to benefits, employment and financial 
counseling. The complexity of program rules and the stigma some 
associate with entitlement programs contributes to their lack of use. 
For this reason, grantees are encouraged to consider strategies that 
can lead to prompt and successful access to employment and benefits 
that are essential to retaining housing.
    1. Consistent with 38 CFR 62.30-62.34, grantees are expected to 
offer the following supportive services: Counseling participants about 
housing; assisting participants in understanding leases; securing 
utilities; making moving arrangements; providing representative payee 
services concerning rent and utilities when needed; and mediation and 
outreach to property owners related to locating or retaining housing. 
Grantees may also assist participants by

[[Page 73848]]

providing rental assistance, security or utility deposits, moving 
costs, emergency housing or general housing stability assistance; or 
using other Federal resources, such as HUD's Emergency Solutions Grants 
Program, or supportive services grant funds, subject to the limitations 
described in this NOFA and 38 CFR 62.34.
    2. As SSVF is a short-term crisis intervention, grantees must 
develop plans that will produce sufficient income to sustain Veteran 
participants in permanent housing after the conclusion of the SSVF 
intervention. Grantees must ensure the availability of employment and 
vocational services either through the direct provision of these 
services or their availability through formal or informal service 
agreements. Agreements with Homeless Veteran Reintegration Programs, 
funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, are strongly encouraged. For 
participants unable to work due to disability, income must be 
established through available benefits programs.
    3. Per 38 CFR 62.33, grantees must assist participants in obtaining 
public benefits. Grantees must screen all participants for eligibility 
for a broad range of entitlements such as TANF, Social Security, the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Low-Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program, the Earned Income Tax Credit and local General 
Assistance programs. Grantees are expected to access the Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's SSI/SSDI Outreach, 
Access and Recovery (SOAR) program directly by training staff and 
providing the service or subcontracting services to an organization to 
provide SOAR services. In addition, where available, grantees should 
access information technology tools to support case managers in their 
efforts to link participants to benefits.
    4. Grantees are encouraged to provide, or assist participants in 
obtaining, legal services relevant to issues that interfere with the 
participants' ability to obtain or retain permanent housing. (NOTE: 
Information regarding legal services provided may be protected from 
being released to the grantee or VA under attorney-client privilege, 
although the grantee must provide sufficient information to demonstrate 
the frequency and type of service delivered.) Support for legal 
services can include paying for court filing fees to assist a 
participant with issues that interfere with the participant's ability 
to obtain or retain permanent housing or supportive services, including 
issues that affect the participant's employability and financial 
security. Grantees (in addition to employees and members of grantees) 
may represent participants before VA with respect to a claim for VA 
benefits, but only if they are recognized for that purpose pursuant to 
38 U.S.C. Chapter 59. Further, the individual providing such 
representation must be accredited pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Chapter 59.
    5. Access to mental health and addiction services are required by 
SSVF; however, grantees cannot fund these services directly through the 
SSVF grant. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate, through either 
formal or informal agreements, their ability to promote rapid access to 
and engagement with mental health and addiction services for the 
Veteran and family members.
    6. VA recognizes that extremely low-income Veterans, with incomes 
below 30% of the area median income, face greater barriers to permanent 
housing placement. Grantees should consider how they can support these 
participants.
    7. When serving participants who are residing in permanent housing, 
the defining question to ask is: ``Would this individual or family be 
homeless but for this assistance?'' The grantee must use a VA-approved 
screening tool with criteria that target those most at-risk of 
homelessness. To qualify for SSVF services, a participant who is served 
under 38 CFR 62.11(a) (homeless prevention) must not have sufficient 
resources or support networks (e.g., family, friends, faith-based or 
other social networks) immediately available to prevent them from 
becoming homeless. To further qualify for services under 38 CFR 
62.11(a), the grantee must document that the participant meets at least 
one of the following conditions:
    (a) Has moved because of economic reasons 2 or more times during 
the 60 days immediately preceding the application for homelessness 
prevention assistance;
    (b) Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship;
    (c) Has been notified, in writing, that their right to occupy their 
current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days 
after the date of application for assistance;
    (d) Lives in a hotel or motel, and the cost of the hotel or motel 
stay is not paid by charitable organizations or by Federal, state or 
local government programs for low-income individuals;
    (e) Is exiting a publicly funded institution or system of care 
(such as a health care facility, a mental health facility or 
correctional institution) without a stable housing plan; or
    (f) Otherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated 
with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified 
in the recipient's approved screening tool.
    8. SSVF grantees are required to participate in local planning 
efforts designed to end Veteran homelessness. Grantees may use grant 
funds to support SSVF involvement in such community planning by sub-
contracting with continuums of care (CoC), when such funding is 
essential, to create or sustain the development of these data-driven 
plans.
    9. When other funds from community resources are not readily 
available to assist program participants, grantees may choose to 
utilize supportive services grants, to the extent described in this 
NOFA and in 38 CFR 62.33 and 62.34, to provide temporary financial 
assistance. Such assistance may, subject to the limitations in this 
NOFA and 38 CFR part 62, be paid directly to a third party on behalf of 
a participant for child care, transportation, family emergency housing 
assistance, rental assistance, utility-fee payment assistance, security 
or utility deposits, moving costs and general housing stability 
assistance as necessary.
    10. SSVF requires grantees to offer Rapid Resolution (also known as 
diversion) services. These services engage Veterans immediately before 
or after they become homeless and assist them to avoid continued 
homelessness. These efforts can reduce the trauma and expense 
associated with extended periods of homelessness, and the strain on the 
crisis response and affordable housing resources in the community. 
Through Rapid Resolution, the grantee and the Veteran explore safe, 
alternative housing options immediately before or quickly after they 
become homeless. Rapid Resolution can identify an immediate safe place 
to stay within the Veteran's network of family, friends or other social 
networks. All Veterans requesting SSVF services should have a Rapid 
Resolution screening, and if not appropriate, for Rapid Resolution 
grantees should then assess the Veteran for other SSVF services. More 
information about Rapid Resolution can be found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.

II. Award Information

    A. Overview: This NOFA announces the availability of funds for 
supportive services grants under the SSVF Program and pertains to 
proposals for renewal of existing supportive services grant programs.
    B. Funding: The funding priorities for this NOFA are as follows:

[[Page 73849]]

    1. Priority 1. Under Priority 1, VA will provide funding to those 
grantees with 3-year CARF, 4-year COA accreditations or 3-year JC 
accreditations. Proof of accreditation must be submitted with the 
application no later than the application due date.
    2. Priority 2. Priority 2 includes other existing grantees seeking 
to renew their annual grant awards.
    3. Priority 3. Priority 3 includes existing grantees operating 
grants previously funded as Priority 3 awards in response to the 
December 5, 2019, NOFA.
    All applicants must apply using Letters of Intent (LOI). Priority 1 
and 2 grantees submitting a LOI must include a proposed budget for 
fiscal year (FY) 2022. Priority 3 grantees would include a budget 
covering the period through FY 2023. In response to this NOFA, VA will 
evaluate their previously awarded FY 2020 renewal grants for scoring 
purposes. To be eligible for renewal of a supportive services grant, 
the Priority 1 and 2 applicants' program concept must be substantially 
the same as the program concept of the grantees' current grant award. 
Renewal applications can request funding that is equal to or less than 
their current annualized award. If sufficient funding is available, VA 
may provide an increase of up to 10% from the previous year's award. 
Any percentage increase, if provided, will be awarded uniformly to all 
Priority 1 and 2 grant recipients, regardless of their grant award and 
may be applied to Priority 3 grant recipients if sufficient funding is 
available.
    4. Priority 3. Under Priority 3, VA will provide funding to current 
grantees previously awarded grants stemming from the SSVF NOFA 
published on December 5, 2019. Applicants apply by submitting an LOI by 
the NOFA deadline indicating their intention of continuing SSVF 
services with a focus on rental subsidies described in 38 CFR 62.34(a). 
Each Priority 3 award will be up to the amount made to that applicant 
stemming from the SSVF NOFA published on December 5, 2019. Awards may 
be increased to reflect additional amounts awarded through funding 
processes described in 38 CFR 62.25(d) and Section II.C.8. of the 
December 5, 2019, NOFA. Awards may also be decreased based on 
annualized spending of grantee if current spending rates of that 
Priority 3 grantee will not exhaust available funding by September 30, 
2023. These awards will extend the duration of existing awards through 
September 30, 2023.
    C. Allocation of Funds: Funding will be awarded under this NOFA to 
existing grantees for a 1-year to 3-year period beginning October 1, 
2021. The following requirements apply to supportive services grants 
awarded under this NOFA:
    1. In response to this NOFA, only existing grantees can apply as 
Priority 1, 2 or 3 grantees.
    2. Priority 1 and 2 renewal grant requests cannot exceed the 
current award. (The current award may include funds that were added to 
the original award through disaster relief support or through the 
process described in Section II.C.8.)
    3. Priority 3 renewal grant requests cannot exceed the award they 
received based on the December 5, 2019, NOFA. The current award may 
include funds that were added to the original award through the process 
described in Section II.C.8.)
    4. Existing applicants may request an amount less than their 
current award. (This will not be considered a substantial change to the 
program concept.)
    5. If a Priority 1 or 2 grantee failed to use all of the awarded 
funds from FY 2020 by December 31, 2020, VA may elect to limit the 
renewal award to the amount of funds used in the previous fiscal year, 
or in the current fiscal year, less the money swept.
    6. If, during the course of the grant year, VA determines that 
grantee spending is not meeting the minimum percentage milestones 
below, VA may elect to recoup projected unused funds and reprogram such 
funds to provide supportive services in areas with higher need. Should 
VA elect to recoup unspent funds, reductions in available grant funds 
would take place the first business day following the end of the 
quarter. VA may elect to recoup funds from Priority 1 and 2 grantees 
under the following circumstances:
    (a) By the end of the first quarter (December 31, 2021) of the 
grantee's supportive services annualized grant award period, the 
grantee's cumulative requests for supportive services grant funds is 
fewer than 10% of the total supportive services grant award. (During 
this same period, the grantee's cumulative requests for supportive 
services grant funds may not exceed 30% of the total supportive 
services grant award.)
    (b) By the end of the second quarter (March 31, 2022) of the 
grantee's supportive services annualized grant award period, the 
grantee's cumulative requests for supportive services grant funds is 
fewer than 30% of total supportive services grant award. (During this 
same period, the grantee's cumulative requests for supportive services 
grant funds may not exceed 55% of the total supportive services grant 
award.)
    (c) By the end of the third quarter (June 30, 2022) of the 
grantee's supportive services annualized grant award period, the 
grantee's cumulative requests for supportive services grant funds is 
fewer than 55% of the total supportive services grant award. (During 
this same period, the grantee's cumulative requests for supportive 
services grant funds may not exceed 80% of the total supportive 
services grant award.) VA may recoup funds from Priority 3 grantees if 
by the end of the third quarter (June 30, 2022) of the Priority 3 
grantee's supportive services grant award period, the grantee's 
cumulative requests for supportive services grant funds is fewer than 
40% of the total supportive services grant award. (During this same 
period, the grantee's cumulative requests for supportive services grant 
funds should not exceed 65% of the total supportive services grant 
award.)
    7. Applicants should submit separate LOIs for each supportive 
services funding request.
    8. Should additional funding become available over the course of 
the grant term from funds recouped under the Award Information section 
of this Notice, funds that are voluntarily returned by grantees, funds 
that become available due to a grant termination or other funds still 
available for grant awards, VA may elect to offer these funds to 
grantees in areas where demand has exceeded available SSVF resources. 
Additional funds will be provided first to the highest scoring grantee 
in the selected area who is in compliance with their grant agreement 
and has the capacity to utilize the additional funds.
    D. Supportive Services Grant Award Period: Priority 2 grants are 
made for a 1-year period, although selected grants may be eligible for 
a 3-year award (see Section VI.C.6) as Priority 1 awards. All grants 
are eligible to be renewed subject to the availability of funding.

III. Eligibility Information

    A. Eligible Applicants: Applicants must submit an LOI on their 
organization letterhead stating the intent to apply for renewal funding 
and agreement for VA to evaluate their previously awarded FY 2020 
application and renewal grant for scoring purposes. Only eligible 
entities, that are existing grantees previously awarded grants stemming 
from the SSVF NOFA published on December 5, 2019, can apply in response 
to this NOFA.
    B. Cost Sharing or Matching: None.

[[Page 73850]]

IV. Application and Submission Information

    A. Obtaining an Application Package: Applications are located at 
www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf. Any questions regarding this process should 
be referred to the SSVF Program Office at [email protected]. For detailed 
SSVF Program information and requirements, see 38 CFR part 62.
    B. Content and Form of Application: Applicants must submit 
applications electronically following instructions found at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.
    C. Submission Dates and Times: Applications for supportive services 
grants under the SSVF Program must be received by the SSVF Program 
Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 5, 2021. Awards made for 
supportive services grants will fund operations beginning October 1, 
2021. Applications must arrive as a complete package. Materials 
arriving separately will not be included in the application package for 
consideration and may result in the application being rejected. 
Additionally, in the interest of fairness to all competing applicants, 
this deadline is firm as to date and hour, and VA will treat as 
ineligible for consideration any application that is received after the 
deadline. Applicants should take this practice into account and make 
early submission of their materials to avoid any risk of loss of 
eligibility brought about by unanticipated delays, computer service 
outages or other delivery-related problems.
    D. Funding Restrictions: Funding will be awarded for supportive 
services grants under this NOFA depending on funding availability. Only 
existing SSVF providers may apply for grant renewals. Applicants should 
submit separate LOIs and accompanying material for each supportive 
services funding request. VA will evaluate funding requests based on 
previously awarded FY 2020 applications made in response to the SSVF 
NOFA published on December 5, 2019, for scoring purposes.
    1. Funding used for staff education and training cannot exceed 1% 
of the overall program grant award. This limitation does not include 
the cost to attend VA mandated training. All training costs must be 
directly related to the provision of services to homeless Veterans and 
their families.
    2. Expenses related to maintaining accreditation are allowable. 
Priority 1 and 2 grantees are allowed to include expenses for seeking 
initial accreditation only once in a 5-year period. The expenses to 
renew full accreditation is allowed and is based on the schedule of the 
accrediting agency: For instance, every 3 years for CARF and every 4 
years for COA. Expenses related to the renewal of less than full 
accreditation are not allowed.
    E. Other Submission Requirements:
    1. Existing applicants applying for Priority 1 or 2 grants may 
apply only by submitting LOIs with required budgets.
    2. At the discretion of VA, multiple grant proposals submitted by 
the same lead agency may be combined into a single grant award if the 
proposals provide services to contiguous areas.
    3. Submission of an incorrect or incomplete application package 
will result in the application being rejected during threshold review. 
The application packages must contain all required forms. Applicants 
and grantees will be notified of any additional information needed to 
confirm or clarify information provided in the application and the 
deadline by which to submit such information. Applicants must submit 
applications electronically. Applications may not be mailed, hand 
carried or sent by FAX.

V. Application Review Information

    A. Criteria: VA will only fund grantees submitting LOIs and 
required budget information by the application deadline.
    B. Review and Selection Process: VA will review all supportive 
services renewal grant applications in response to this NOFA according 
to the following steps:
    1. As this NOFA requires only LOIs for consideration, it is 
expected that all grantees will be funded at the same level as the 
previous award.
    2. Should available funding not be sufficient to fully fund all 
requests, grant awards will be made proportionally with each grantee 
receiving the same percentage of their award request up to the amount 
of available funding.
    3. VA will also utilize the following considerations, in 38 CFR 
62.23(d), to select applicants for funding:
    (a) Give preference to applications that provide or coordinate the 
provision of supportive services for very low-income Veteran families 
transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. Consistent with 
this preference, where other funds from community resources are not 
readily available for temporary financial assistance, applicants are 
required to spend no less than 60% of all budgeted temporary financial 
assistance on participants occupying permanent housing as defined in 38 
CFR 62.11(b). Waivers to this 60% requirement may be requested when 
grantees can demonstrate significant local progress towards eliminating 
homelessness in the target service area. Waiver requests must include 
data from authoritative sources such as USICH certification, that a 
community has ended homelessness, as defined by Federal Benchmarks and 
Criteria, or has reached Community Solution's Functional Zero. Waivers 
for the 60% requirement may also be requested for services provided to 
rural Indian tribal areas and other rural areas where shelter capacity 
is insufficient to meet local need. Waiver requests must include an 
endorsement by the impacted CoC explicitly stating that a shift in 
resources from rapid re-housing to prevention will not result in an 
increase in homelessness.
    (b) To the extent practicable, ensure that supportive services 
grants are equitably distributed across geographic regions, including 
rural communities and tribal lands. This equitable distribution 
criteria will be used to ensure that SSVF resources are provided to 
those communities with the highest need as identified by VA's 
assessment of expected demand and available resources to meet that 
demand.

VI. Award Administration Information

    A. Award Notices: Although subject to change, the SSVF Program 
Office expects to announce grant recipients for all applicants in the 
fourth quarter of FY 2021, with grants beginning October 1, 2021. Prior 
to executing a funding agreement, VA will contact the applicants, make 
known the amount of proposed funding and verify that the applicant 
would still like the funding. Once VA verifies that the applicant is 
still seeking funding, VA will execute an agreement and make payments 
to the grant recipient in accordance with 38 CFR part 62 and this NOFA.
    B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: As SSVF grants 
cannot be used to fund treatment for mental health or substance use 
disorders, applicants must provide evidence that they can provide 
access to such services to all program participants through formal and 
informal agreements with community providers.
    C. Reporting: VA places great emphasis on the responsibility and 
accountability of grantees. As described in 38 CFR 62.63 and 62.71, VA 
has procedures in place to monitor supportive services provided to 
participants and outcomes associated with the supportive services 
provided under the SSVF Program. Applicants should be aware of the 
following:
    1. Upon execution of a supportive services grant agreement with VA, 
grantees will have a VA regional coordinator, assigned by the SSVF 
Program Office, who will provide

[[Page 73851]]

oversight and monitor supportive services provided to participants.
    2. Grantees will be required to enter data into a Homeless 
Management Information System (HMIS) web-based software application. 
These data will consist of information on the participants served and 
types of supportive services provided by grantees. Grantees must treat 
the data, for activities funded by the SSVF Program separate from that 
of activities funded by other programs. Grantees will be required to 
work with their HMIS Administrators to export client-level data for 
activities funded by the SSVF Program to VA on at least a monthly 
basis.
    3. VA will complete annual monitoring evaluations of each grantee. 
Monitoring will also include the submittal of quarterly and annual 
financial and performance reports by the grantee. The grantee will be 
expected to demonstrate adherence to the grantee's proposed program 
concept, as described in the grantee's application. All grantees are 
subject to audits conducted by VA or its representative.
    4. Grantees will be assessed based on their ability to meet 
critical performance measures. In addition to meeting program 
requirements defined by the regulations and applicable NOFA(s), 
grantees will be assessed on their ability to place participants into 
housing and the housing retention rates of participants served. Higher 
placement for homeless participants and higher housing retention rates 
for at-risk participants are expected for very-low income Veteran 
families when compared to extremely low-income Veteran families with 
incomes below 30% of the area median income.
    5. Organizations receiving renewal awards that have had ongoing 
SSVF program operation for at least 1 year (as measured from the start 
of initial SSVF services until February 5, 2021) may be eligible for a 
3-year award. Grantees meeting outcome goals defined by VA and in 
substantial compliance with their grant agreements (defined by meeting 
targets and having no outstanding corrective action plans) and who, in 
addition, receive 3-year accreditation from CARF in Employment and 
Community Services: Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Prevention standards, 
a 4-year accreditation from COA accreditation in Supported Community 
Living Services standards, or a 3 year accreditation in The Joint 
Commission's Behavioral Health Care: Housing Support Services Standards 
are eligible for a 3-year grant renewal subject to funding 
availability. (NOTE: Multi-year awards are contingent on funding 
availability.) If awarded a multiple year renewal, grantees may be 
eligible for funding increases as defined in NOFAs that correspond to 
years 2 and 3 of their renewal funding.

VII. Other Information

    A. VA Goals and Objectives for Funds Awarded Under this NOFA: In 
accordance with 38 CFR 62.24(c), VA will evaluate an applicant's 
compliance with VA goals and requirements for the SSVF Program. VA 
goals and requirements include the provision of supportive services 
designed to enhance the housing stability and independent living skills 
of very low-income Veteran families occupying permanent housing across 
geographic regions and program administration in accordance with all 
applicable laws, regulations and guidelines. For purposes of this NOFA, 
VA goals and requirements also include the provision of supportive 
services designed to rapidly re-house or prevent homelessness among 
people in the following target populations who also meet all 
requirements for being part of a very low-income veteran family 
occupying permanent housing:
    1. Veteran families earning less than 30% of area median income, as 
most recently published by HUD for programs under section 8 of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) (https://www.huduser.org).
    2. Veterans with at least one dependent family member.
    3. Veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation 
Iraqi Freedom or Operation New Dawn.
    4. Veteran families located in a community, as defined by HUD's 
CoC, or a county not currently served by an SSVF grantee.
    5. Veteran families located in a community, as defined by HUD's 
CoC, where the current level of SSVF services is not sufficient to meet 
the demand of Category 2 and 3 (currently homeless) Veteran families.
    6. Veteran families located in a rural area.
    7. Veteran families located on Indian Tribal Property.
    B. Payments of Supportive Services Grant Funds: Grantees will 
receive payments electronically through the U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services Payment Management System. Grantees will have the 
ability to request payments as frequently as they choose, subject to 
the following limitations:
    1. During the first quarter of the grantee's supportive services 
annualized grant award period, the grantee's cumulative requests for 
supportive services grant funds may not exceed 35% of the total 
supportive services grant award without written approval by VA.
    2. By the end of the second quarter of the grantee's supportive 
services annualized grant award period, the grantee's cumulative 
requests for supportive services grant funds may not exceed 60% of the 
total supportive services grant award without written approval by VA.
    3. By the end of the third quarter of the grantee's supportive 
services annualized grant award period, the grantee's cumulative 
requests for supportive services grant funds may not exceed 80% of the 
total supportive services grant award without written approval by VA.
    4. By the end of the fourth quarter of the grantee's supportive 
services annualized grant award period, the grantee's cumulative 
requests for supportive services grant funds may not exceed 100% of the 
total supportive services grant award.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Brooks D. 
Tucker, Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, 
Performing the Delegable Duties of the Chief of Staff, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, approved this document on November 12, 2020, for 
publication.

Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy & 
Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-25402 Filed 11-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P