Since 2010, the estimated number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in America has declined by 55.3%. This is a direct result of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) commitment to providing a full spectrum of evidence-based, Veteran-centric programs and services to address housing instability and homelessness. For three such programs – VA’s Grant and Per Diem (GPD), Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), and Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant (SSG Fox SPGP) programs – Trilogy provides audit and oversight support that is vital to assuring that these programs are meeting the requirements and needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness.
Each year, Trilogy performs over 150 grantee reviews. Our team members travel to GPD, SSVF, and SSG Fox SPGP program sites nationwide to work one-on-one with these grantees who operate Veteran housing programs. Our audit and oversight support services teams provide in-person assurance that these programs are operating transparently, within the regulatory guidelines, and that unhoused and housing-insecure Veterans are receiving the needed support. This includes:
- Assessing that each organization has met the terms and conditions of the grant agreement and is complying with program office guidance and current legislation.
- Confirming that grant funds are used as intended, and that each program is providing the necessary tools and supportive services for Veterans experiencing homelessness.
- Verifying that all costs and expenses incurred are legitimate and allowable, as well as assessing that the grantees’ recordkeeping processes are meeting VA’s regulatory standards.
- Ensuring that grantees’ financial management systems are maintaining transparency and proper recording of grant-related business.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the grantees’ internal processes to prevent fraud and abuse of grant funds to ensure that VA dollars are going where they are intended.
Fifty-nine percent of Veterans experiencing homelessness experience sheltered homelessness, meaning that they are spending nights in emergency shelters or in transitional housing (2023). This data regarding sheltered homelessness shows that, since the establishment of these grant programs, a majority of Veterans are seeking out resources to combat homelessness. Our work reviewing VA’s homeless programs nationwide contributes to the success that these programs have had addressing the crisis of Veteran homelessness, and we are very proud of this work.
Many thanks to our OBO team for their hard work on this project. This team has continually and successfully collaborated with grantees to improve their grant administration processes, AND they consistently receive outstanding reviews from our customers.
**Trilogy, along with our joint venture partner Ibility LLC and our subcontractors, BDO Public Sector and RMA Associates, was recently awarded a five-year contract with VA’s Office of Business Oversight (OBO) and the Oversight Support Center (OSC) to provide this audit and oversight support to the GPD, SSVF, and SSG Fox SPGP programs. We are very excited to continue this important work!
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “VA Homeless Programs Point-in-Time (PIT) Count.” VA.Gov, 13 Feb. 2023, www.va.gov/homeless/pit_count.asp#:~:text=The%20total%20number%20of%20Veterans,declined%20by%2055.3%25%20since%202010.