Getting Your SSVF Program Started

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• Getting Your SSVF Program Started
• - A Leaders Perspective
• Colonel James D. McDonough, Jr.
• U.S. Army (Retired)
• Senior Fellow for Veterans Affairs
• New York State Health Foundation
• mcdnonough_at_nyshealth.org
• 212 292 7397

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• Agenda
• The Basics
• 5 Must Do Things
• 5 Should Do Things
• Questions

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The Basics Asking the Right Questions Now

• 25 days in 1/3rd of your first quarters
  performance is behind you
• Are you on-track to meet your grants outcomes?
• Timeframe to renew your application is imminent
• Does your internal evaluation and assessment plan
  provide you with enough insight to measure your
  progress?
• Having difficulty targeting?
• If not, fix this first
• Your program is really your people
• Do they know what theyre doing?
• Do you know what youre doing?
• How connected is the leader to the program?
• Second to people is process
• What does your intake process look like?
• How fast are you connecting vets and families to
  your programs resources?
• How well are you connecting vets and families to
  your programs resources?
• Measuring both matters

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5 Must Do Things

• Hire train the SSVF team as early as possible
• Need time to develop internal processes,
  documentation, targeting methods and collateral
• Failure to do so will place you at a distinct
  disadvantage
• Make time for required reports and HMIS
• HMIS time consuming critical to your ability to
  communicate performance with the VA
• Will work closely with the local HMIS
  administrator to collect data that is not
  typically collected in HMIS
• Must watch TFA expenditures carefully to stay
  on-budget within prescribed categories of TFA
  expenditures
• Early Intensive Outreach
• Get to know your local VA homeless team,
  shelters, COC network
• Have to go where those who need rapid re-housing
  assistance are
• Work will entail blending solutions (HUD VASH,
  Shelter Plus, etc.)

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5 Must Do Things (Cont.)

• Housing, Housing, Housing
• Collaborate with those who really know housing
  law and those who can offer free legal services
• You need access to folks who can help with issues
  like public assistance denials, child support
  modifications, and eviction proceedings
• Also need access to folks who know and understand
  what landlords can and cannot legally do
• Resolving these underpinning issues quickly is
  key
• Above all else, go the extra mile
• Offer client workshops for budgeting and tenant
  rights and responsibilities
• Present your success to the VA early
• Talk to the DAV for possible transportation
  assistance
• Create and embed program values that your clients
  can see and feel
• Complete forms on their behalf, make phone calls
  for them, greet them with respect

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5 Should Do Things

• Train the rest of your organization on what SSVF
  is and is not
• Make sure it cuts across the entire organization
• Dont fall victim to treating this as another
  program all services are supportive services
• Use the VAs RONA process to communicate your
  SSVF program to veterans in your community
• http//www.rms.oit.va.gov/RONA_Process.asp
• Develop the situational awareness so that you
  know early-on that your SSVF program is working
  (or not)
• This is a new program so dont be afraid to make
  changes to your program as needed
• The worst thing is to continue doing stupid
  things
• Pick up the phone and talk with fellow grantees
• Helps you know what right looks like
• Develop the ability to regularly communicate with
  your Regional Representative

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Questions?