Overview
The HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program combines Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) rental assistance for homeless Veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA provides these services for participating Veterans at VA medical centers (VAMCs) and community-based outreach clinics.
Every year since 2008, HUD and VA have awarded HUD-VASH vouchers based on geographic need and public housing agency (PHA) administrative performance. The allocation process for HUD-VASH vouchers is a collaborative approach that relies on three sets of data: HUD’s point-in-time data submitted by Continuums of Care (CoCs), VAMC data on the number of contacts with homeless Veterans, and performance data from PHAs and VAMCs. After determining which areas of the country have the highest number of homeless Veterans, the VA Central Office identifies VA facilities in the corresponding communities. HUD then selects PHAs near to the identified VA facilities, taking into consideration the PHAs’ administrative performance, and sends the PHAs invitations to apply for the vouchers.
HUD has awarded funding for approximately 10,000 HUD-VASH vouchers each year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. There is at least one site in each of the 50 states, in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. In 2011, $50 million was appropriated to serve approximately 7,000 voucher families. In addition, HUD set-aside $5.4 million from its 2010 allocation to competitively award over 600 project-based vouchers to existing HUD-VASH sites. Since 2008, a total of 37,975 vouchers have been awarded.
Generally, the HUD-VASH program is administered in accordance with regular HCV program requirements (24 CFR Section 982). However, the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 110-161) allows HUD to waive or specify alternative requirements for any provision of any statute or regulation affecting the HCV program in order to effectively deliver and administer HUD-VASH voucher assistance. The alternative requirements are established in the HUD-VASH Operating Requirements (including the waivers and alternative requirements from HCV program rules), which were published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2008. The operating requirements, notices related to HUD-VASH, and other helpful tools and resources are provided in the sections below.
Related Notices and Guidance
- HUD-VASH Operating Requirements: This notice establishes the policies and procedures for the administration for the administration of tenant-based HCV rental assistance under the HUD-VASH program. In this second version of the HUD-VASH Operating Requirements published on March 23, 2012, HUD provides new and clarifying guidance on verification documentation, the addition of family members after the veteran is a participant in the HCV program, PHA termination of assistance, portability moves, reallocation of HUD-VASH vouchers, and Housing Quality Standards (HQS) initial inspections.
- Notice PIH 2011-53: Reporting and Portability Requirements for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Program. The purpose of this notice is to revise and extend PIH Notice 2010-12. The revisions occur in section 2 (Operating Requirements) regarding Moving to Work (MTW) agencies, section 2.b. (Leasing and Ongoing Reporting) regarding portability, and section 3.d. (PHA Tracking) regarding Voucher Management System (VMS) reporting.
- Notice PIH 2011-50: Project-Basing HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers. The purpose of this notice is to reinstate Notice PIH 2010-23 on the same subject with a significant revision in this section and the addition of section 2e.
- Notice PIH 2010-40: Set-Aside Funding Availability for Project-Basing HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers
- Portability Attachment: This document may be attached to form HUD-52665, Family Portability Information, in cases where the HUD-VASH family is moving to another PHA's jurisdiction, but the family's case management services will be provided by the initial PHA's partnering VAMC
- PIH 2008-37: Reporting Requirements for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program
- HUD-VASH Questions and Answers: These Qs & As serve as a supplement to the HUD-VASH Operating Requirements published in the Federal Register on May 6 and 19, 2008.
- Federal Register Notice - May 6, 2008
- Federal Register Notice - May 19, 2008
Webcasts
- HUD-VASH Webinar, Building Community Partnerships to Effectively Serve Chronically Homeless Veterans: Below are the slides and video recording for the HUD-VASH webinar on September 20, 2012.
- HUD-VASH 101 Webinar: Below are the slides and video recording for the HUD-VASH webinar on January 24, 2012.
- HUD-VASH Satellite Broadcast 9-23-2010: Below are the materials related to the HUD-VASH satellite broadcast of September 23, 2010.
- HUD-VASH Satellite Broadcast 10-27-2009: Below are the materials discussed during the HUD-VASH satellite broadcast of October 27, 2009
- HUD-VASH Satellite Broadcast 02-10-2009: Below are the materials that were discussed during the HUD-VASH satellite broadcast of February 10, 2009.
Tools and Resources
- HUD-VASH Reference Guide - This two-page document provides an easy-to-read overview of the unique requirements that govern the voucher side of the HUD-VASH program.
- HUD-VASH Best Practices - Version 1.0: The purpose of this working document is to spread the word about effective strategies for administering HUD-VASH, as well as highlight the innovation and dedication of HUD-VASH sites and our partners in the field. It summarizes the most unique and innovative practices submitted by PHAs and VAMCs in response to a request for the submission of best practices sent out via the HUD-VASH listserv in the fall of 2011. Other reports and conversations exchanged among federal agencies, PHAs, and community partners also have informed and will continue to inform this best practices list. Because HUD-VASH continues to be a work in progress, we have compiled these best practices into a working document that will be edited when effective new approaches are identified and not-so-helpful ones are discarded.
- HUD-VASH Leasing Schedule Templates: The first document below provides leasing schedule templates that partnering PHAs and VAMCs have the option of using for their 12-month leasing schedules. The second document provides template instructions and a glossary of terms used in the templates.
- HUD-VASH listserv: Click here to sign up for the HUD-VASH listserv in order to receive periodic news and information related to the program
- HUD-VASH Resource Guide: The VA has developed this in-depth guide mainly for VA Case Managers. However, the information provided may also be helpful for PHAs and other entities that support the HUD-VASH program. The guide can be found on the VA’s HUD-VASH page here: http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/HUD-VASH.asp.
HUD-VASH Contact Information
Helpful Links
The following links to other Federal and community websites may provide additional information on assisting Veterans that are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless:
