Continuum of Care Letter of Support for VA Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Applications
“A strong letter of support (should) highlight how the
applicant supports and participates in the CoC efforts”
as noted in Notice of Fund Availability (NOFA)
A new SSVF NOFA has been published and provides funding opportunities for new applicants and existing grantees. Applications are due by February 22, 2019 at 4pm EST and the competition is expected to be highly competitive according to the Announcement on web site.
Priority 3 (existing grantees) and 4 (new applicants) must have a CoC letter of support accompanying their application to be considered for funding. Priority 1 (existing grantees) and 2 (existing grantees) applicants without a letter of support will be limited to 90 percent of their potential award (see NOFA Allocation of Funds, 11. on page 65205).
The SSVF Program Office provided general guidance to applicants about how they may be able to attain a sufficient letter of support from the CoC. As stated in the Guidance for Applicants Seeking Letters of Support from Continuum of Care (CoC),
“A strong letter of support will highlight how the applicant supports and participates in the CoC efforts, as well as describe the impact of these actions within the community.”
Guidance also noted the following considerations that focus on supporting the capacity of the local Coordinated Entry System and participation in CoC community planning efforts:
• How has the applicant supported CoC resource needs?
• How have applicant staff positions been utilized in roles related to overall coordinated entry?
• Does the applicant receive prioritized referrals generated from the local CES?
• Does applicant offer targeted outreach, goal-specific, and time-limited individualized services?
• How does applicant participate in the local HMIS and data sharing?
• How does the applicant utilize the local assessment tool to support coordinated screening and referrals within the CoC?
• How does applicant impact CoC’s rate of housing placement and stabilization?
• What role does the applicant have in the development of the CoC’s by-name list?
• What level of participation does applicant have with case conferencing, on local Veteran committees, or other working groups that design, test, and continuously improve support services and approaches to ending homelessness?
• What is the applicant’s level and impact of collaboration among other Veteran-serving providers within the continuum, such as SSVF, HUD-VASH, Grant and Per Diem, and the VA?
• How has the applicant supported and participated in the annual Point in Time Count?
• In what ways has the applicant contributed to the community’s progress toward achieving the benchmarks and criteria set forth by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness on effectively ending homelessness among Veterans?
• Is applicant viewed as a model program for other Veteran and non-Veteran programs dedicated to rapid re-housing and homelessness prevention?
• If participation and coordination limitations exist, in what ways has applicant and CoC addressed such issues? What strategies may be in place for improving the participation and coordination efforts among partners?”