Coordination & Planning
VA Integration in Coordinated Entry Guidance
VA’s expectation is that homeless Veterans eligible for VA services are connected to care as quickly as possible and rapidly assigned to an intervention that will assist them in resolving their homelessness. While VA funded programs are allowed to conduct assessments and make direct placements into homeless assistance programs, this must be done in collaboration with the Continuum of Care (CoC). SSVF providers are encouraged to work closely with CoCs, Veteran subcommittees, and the Coordinated Entry (CE) process to establish screening practices that facilitate rapid referrals when Veteran households present for services. Active collaboration and troubleshooting will produce improvements that have a positive impact not only for Veteran households but for all households that flow through CE.
To learn more about CoC and CE development requirements go to HUD Exchange Coordinated Entry
SSVF Coordination with VA Homeless Programs
SSVF provides rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention services with the primary intention of those services resulting in sustainable permanent housing opportunities for Veterans. The SSVF Program Office recognizes there are certain instances where other VA Homeless Programs interact with, and support, Veterans with housing stability. SSVF grantees are expected to work in coordinated partnership with their local Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC). Each VAMC offers a range of housing programs including HUD VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH), Grant Per Diem (GPD), and Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV). Specifically, outreach events including planning and participation in Home for the Holidays, Surge events, and the annual Point-in-Time event.
Veteran By-Name-List Collaboration & Tools
VA is intent on sustaining momentum and progress towards ending Veteran homelessness using proven
practices and an active One Team Approach. To support these efforts, VA expects every VAMC in partnership with SSVF grantees to maintain a By-Name List (BNL)—using a standard template and data quality standards—as a tool to ensure every Veteran experiencing homelessness in the country is known and on a path toward permanent housing.
A BNL is a real-time, up-to-date list of all Veterans experiencing homelessness which can be filtered by
categories and shared across agencies. It should account for every homeless Veteran and ensure they have a coordinated housing and service plan. For more information go to Veteran BNL Supportive Documents.
Collaborative Case Conferencing
Case conferencing is a critical tool to address Veteran homelessness. SSVF grantees, VAMC staff, and community providers meet to review Veteran on the BNL. Case conferencing is particularly important when Veterans require high levels of supports.
One Team Collaborations & Tools
One Team Collaboration provides a way to coordinate and unity actions and interconnection between all VA and community-based homeless programs toward the joint mission to end Veteran homelessness. This framework promotes the idea that it is a community’s collective responsibility – rather than the responsibility of any single program or provider to end Veteran Homelessness. This framework encompasses activities ranging from individual Veteran housing and service plans to the collaborations required to achieve goals across a given homeless system. For more information go to VA Homeless Progarms Iniatives.