Veterans Affairs Supported Housing Program (VASH)
Type
Operating
Source
Federal
Procurement Agency
Local Housing Authority
Total Annual Award
$75 million in 2010.
Eligible Populations
All veterans (singles and families) who meet the federal definition of homelessness, were honorably discharged and are determined by the local VA Medical Center (VAMC) to need case management services in order to obtain and sustain their housing. This includes veterans that meet the federal definition of chronically homeless, homeless veterans with children, Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF-OIF) homeless veterans, women homeless veterans and homeless veterans with a disability. Veterans currently participating in VA residential programs such as Domiciliary or Grant & Per Diem may also be considered for admission.
Eligible Projects
Not applicable.
Funding Award Details
10,000 VASH vouchers were appropriated nationwide each year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. New York State received 1,295 in 2008, 735 in 2009 and 475 in 2010. For a more detailed breakdown, see this spreadhseet.
Rate Details
The VASH subsidy operates in accordance with Section 8 regulations (24 CFR 982.201). Tenants pay 30% of their income in rent and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides housing assistance payments directly to the landlord for the difference between the tenant's share of the rent and the fair market rent (FMR) for that locality.
Term of Service/Length of Grant
All tenants with Housing Choice Vouchers, including HUD VASH, must be annually recertified to ensure that they meet income eligibility. Voucher holders maintain their voucher as long as they remain income eligible, receive ongoing case management from the local VAMC (or contracted provider) and do not violate Section 8 restrictions.
Limitations
Currently, VASH recipients must receive ongoing case management services from the VAMC.
Network Notes
VASH vouchers may be project-based on a case-by-case basis. Public housing authorities (PHAs) are technically allowed to project-base up to 50% of their VASH allocation (but remain within the 20% maximum project-base allowable for their entire Housing Choice Voucher allocation). This has been difficult to implement because PHAs have had to use their annual allocation in the year the vouchers are allocated and therefore cannot reserve vouchers for projects in construction for longer than one year. For more information on project-basing, visit here.
VASH does not include funding for housing location services. Rather, the VAMC case managers, with a mandated 25:1 case management ratio, are charged with finding housing for the veterans. This has contributed to an extremely low utilization rate across the country but particularly in low-vacancy areas such as New York City. HUD has indicated that it would like to issue an additional 30,000 vouchers over the next three years.
For More Information
To learn more, visit HUD's website.
Contact
Find the appropriate contacts by region:
Local Public Housing Authority Contacts
Last updated: 09/07/2011
Did you know…
alcoholics in Seattle cost taxpayers TWICE AS MUCH homeless as housed.