New Beginnings – Program Provides Assistance to Veteran Families in Danger of Losing Housing

In Santa Barbara CA, New Beginnings Counseling Center’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families program is designed to help end homelessness among the Veteran population in Santa Barbara County. This housing first model aims to provide housing stability by providing cash assistance to those in danger of losing their housing and to rapidly transition into stable housing those who are homeless and scheduled to become residents of permanent housing within 90 days. Veterans who qualify for this program must have served in active military, naval, air service, Merchant Marines, or were activated by Presidential order and served in another state or country while in the National Guard or Reserves; received an other than dishonorable discharge, and have a gross household income at or below 30 percent of area median income for household size. For more information please contact the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program at (805) 963-7777 ext. 107, or email sgadon@sbnbcc.org.

New Beginnings Counseling Center is a non-profit 501c3 that provides personal counseling and community outreach programs for those who need help and support. Their dedicated, experienced interns and outreach staff meet with people on a confidential basis. They work with people of all ages who are going through life’s transitions, relationship struggles and personal challenges  helping them find direction and hope for themselves and their families. New Beginnings low-cost, sliding-scale counseling clinic offers individual, couples, family, and group counseling services. Appointments are available by calling the Center directly at (805) 963-7777.

Under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program (SSVF), VA awards grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives who can provide supportive services to very low-income Veteran families living in or transitioning to permanent housing.

Grantees provide eligible Veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include:

• Health care services
• Daily living services
• Personal financial planning services
• Transportation services
• Fiduciary and payee services
• Legal services
• Childcare services
• Housing counseling services

In addition, grantees may also provide time-limited payments to third parties (e.g., landlords, utility companies, moving companies, and licensed childcare providers) if these payments help Veteran families stay in or acquire permanent housing on a sustainable basis.

For a list of organizations participating in the VA’s Supportive Service for Veterans Families program by state, click here.