#Middlebury #Veterans
More than 260 nonprofit community programs across the country received portions of $418 million in grants for the Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. Last year alone the Department of Veterans Affairs served 77,590 veterans and their 19,919 children in the program.
The SSVF program runs in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, District of Columbia and Guam. Its main focus is homelessness and getting veterans and their families into permanent housing. The SSVF partners with community programs with all manner of help: case management, VA benefits, health care, child care, daily living services, legal assistance, transportation, financial planning, counseling and much more. In some cases, there are time-limited payments to landlords, utilities and moving companies if that helps a veteran and family to stay in or get to permanent housing.
To learn more about the SSVF program, go online to www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf. There’s a list of SSVF providers by state for programs all across the country, plus contact information and phone numbers. You also can call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AIDVET (1-877-424-3838).
The best website is www.va.gov/homeless, where you can click on Community Resource and Referral Centers (CRRCs). That page also has a chat link. If you’re in crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. Additionally, you can call your closest VA medical center. If you have no other options (no phone, no internet, are homeless or are at imminent risk for it), just go. Just show up at the medical center. If you are not yet homeless, contact them in advance, due to COVID restrictions.
One thing to keep in mind: These grants given to community programs are not bottomless buckets. Funding can and does run out, and there isn’t more until the next disbursement. If you need help, apply now. Make your calls, get put on lists.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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