VA Awards More SSVF Funding to Help Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it awarded $137 million in grants through VA’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program to help veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and their families.

These grant awards will increase the number of veterans who are eligible for SSVF assistance and allow the 150 non-profit organization SSVF grantees to expand existing services for veterans and their families. These grants are being awarded in addition to the FY 2023 SSVF Grants, which were announced August 1. The SSVF grant awards can be used to:

• Support veterans with HUD-VASH vouchers and connect them with landlords from whom to rent.
• Provide incentives to encourage landlords to rent to veterans, including the equivalent of two months’ rent to landlords as a fee when necessary to assist a Veteran in obtaining or keeping permanent housing.
• Improve veterans’ quality of life by providing additional funds for move-in expenses, including essential items, and home furnishings that can help turn their house into a home.
• Expand program eligibility by lifting the income limit for participants from 50% to 80% of the Area Median Income in designated communities. This is significant because veterans who previously may not have been eligible for assistance due to income restrictions can now receive assistance with identifying and obtaining permanent housing from SSVF grantees’ housing navigators.

In the fiscal year 2021, SSVF served 114,175 participants, including 80,049 veterans and 19,266 children. In this calendar year, VA has already placed more than 22,000 homeless veterans into permanent housing—putting VA on track to meet its goal of 38,000 permanent housing placements for homeless veterans in 2022.

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