Recent Growth of a 33-Year Partnership with Veterans in Need

SUS, Services for the UnderServed, was recently awarded $1,787,000 in new federal and New York City FY 2011-2012 funding by the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), the United States Department of Labor (DOL), and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to provide care coordination, employment opportunities, and supportive services in housing to homeless veterans in New York City. Specifically,

• SUS received a $507,000 award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. The SSVF Program, a critical element of VA’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, promoting housing stability among homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.  This significant award enables SUS in partnership with the Family Center, Inc. to provide a range of supportive services to eligible very low-income Veteran families.  SUS’ Veteran Families Care Coordination Program’s services, provided in partnership with The Family Center, Inc., includes outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits, and making financial assistance payments on behalf of Veterans for purposes such as rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

• SUS also received two new awards totaling $360,000, both a competitive renewal of our existing HVRP program serving female veterans and veterans with dependent children as well as a second HVRP award targeted to the greater population of homeless vets by the United States Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service as part of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). HVRP is a critical element of the Department of Labor’s strategy to integrate homeless veterans into the workforce. SUS is proud to be partnering with Easter Seals New York on this important new initiative.

• Finally, SUS was awarded a $920,000 contract by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as part of the New York/New York III agreement to provide supportive services to formerly homeless Veterans residing in HELP USA’s Genesis Neighborhood Plaza II, a new permanent housing program in East New York, Brooklyn scheduled to open in December, 2011.

“SUS is honored to both expand our relationships with the Department of Labor and New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and to partner with the VA on the new SSVF program. This investment in SUS and our community-based partners allows us to significantly expand upon our successes to date in providing care coordination, supportive housing, and employment services targeted to Veterans in greatest need. Alongside our existing Knickerbocker Veterans’ Transitional Residence and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, this new funding will allow SUS to further defragment complex systems serving our Veterans, and engage and support over 400 Veterans per year in New York City,” said SUS Chief Executive Officer Donna Colonna.