President Signs Bill Reauthorizing Major Homeless Veteran Programs
Transitional housing, employment and prevention

Toward the end of September, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed a bill to reauthorize a number of major homeless veteran programs for fiscal year (FY) 2012. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH)’s H.R. 2646, the “Veterans Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act of 2011,” was passed by the House on Sept. 20 by a vote of 412-3, and was unanimously passed by the Senate three days later. On Oct. 5, this bill was signed by the president and officially became Public Law 112-37.

These reauthorizations were extremely urgent, as fiscal year (FY) 2011 ended on Sept. 30. The new law will enable continued funding in FY 2012 for homeless veteran programs such as the following: Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program, Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program, and Special Needs grant program.

Additionally, the following Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services have been reauthorized: treatment and rehabilitation for seriously mentally ill and homeless veterans, housing assistance for homeless veterans, and the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) commends Congress for passing this bill on an overwhelming bipartisan basis. Throughout the 112th Congress, NCHV has stressed the importance of these homeless veteran programs to the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, which have responded with impressive leadership and results.

For more information on homeless veteran legislation, visit www.nchv.org.

VA Announces Development Opportunity in Augusta, Georgia
Proposals due Nov. 9, 2011

VA has issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for a development project in Augusta, Georgia. A marketing brochure is available for download here (PDF). Additional information regarding this opportunity is available on the project website here. Proposals are due Nov. 9, 2011, at 12:01 p.m. EST.

Questions about this RFP may be submitted to VAEULBURRAugusta@va.gov by Nov. 3, 2011. All government communication for this opportunity shall be from the contracting officer, Dr. Maina Gakure.

For more information on the BURR Initiative, including property listings with associated project details, click here.

HUD Issues Notice on Project-Basing VASH Vouchers
Limitation has been removed

On Sept. 15, 2011, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a notice on project-basing HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers. Previously no more than 50 percent of a public housing agency (PHA)'s allocation of VASH vouchers could be project-based. This limitation has been removed in order to provide PHAs with additional flexibility in administering their programs. However, the number of VASH project-based units must still be within the 20 percent maximum budget authority that may be allocated to project-based voucher assistance in accordance with 24 CFR Section 983.5(a).

To download this notice, click here (PDF). 

Study Shows 84 Percent of Post-9/11 Veterans Feel Public Does Not Understand Problems Associated with Military Service
”War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era” published by Pew Research Center

A recent study titled "War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era" focuses on the attitudes of veterans and the general public toward military service. The study found that about 84% of post-9/11 veterans feel the public does not understand problems faced by service members, veterans and their families; 71% of the public agree.

Other findings of the study include: 44% of post-9/11 veterans say their readjustment to civilian life was difficult. However, only 25% of veterans who served in earlier eras say the same. About half (48%) of all post-9/11 veterans say they have experienced strains in family relations since leaving the military, and 47% say they have had frequent outbursts of anger. One-third (32%) say there have been times where they felt they didn’t care about anything.

The complete findings of the study are available on the Pew Research Center website.

Funding Opportunities

The American Electric Power Foundation provides grants to organizations serving communities in American Electric Power’s operating areas, which include: Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. One of the Foundation’s priorities is to support programs that provide basic human services in the areas of hunger, housing, health and safety. Applications are accepted year-round. For more information, click here.

Cummins strongly believes that the opportunity to pursue a better life must be available to everyone. The Company has a long history of reaching out to those marginalized by society. Cummins provides grants to nonprofit organizations located in communities in which Cummins does business worldwide. Grants for Cummins' Plant Communities should be developed and submitted through each plant’s local Community Involvement Teams (CITs). Application processes differ from community to community. For more information, click here.