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- Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) was established by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2011 to create public-private partnerships to rapidly re-house homeless Veteran families and prevent homelessness for very low-income Veterans at imminent risk due to a housing crisis. SSVF has been led since its inception by John Kuhn, the previous VA National Director of Homeless Evaluation. In 2010, President Obama and VA announced the federal government's goal to end Veteran homelessness. Published by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), this goal was announced as part of the nation's first plan to prevent and end homelessness, titled Opening Doors. Under this mandate, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program would begin providing targeted housing assistance and services on October 1, 2011. SSVF grants are awarded through a competitive application process to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other mainstream benefits that promote housing stability and community integration. SSVF grantees can also make time-limited temporary payments on behalf of Veterans to cover rent, utilities, security deposits and moving costs. SSVF is the first homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing program administered by VA and the first homeless program designed to serve Veterans with families. The program has received strong support from national Veterans organizations, including the American Legion: "The American Legion applauds and supports President Trump’s continued support of the SSVF program and the veterans it assists." In August 2020, President Trump announced an expansion of SSVF, authorizing $400 million in awards to support 266 grantees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (en)
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