Giovanni Siruelo contacted Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) in the summer of 2021 for Homelessness Prevention services. He was in school studying to be an airplane mechanic and had been utilizing his GI benefits while he was in school full-time to cover his housing expenses.
However, during the summer months, those benefits decrease and he fell behind on his rent. SSVF assisted with his rental arrears that summer, but once his benefits increased again because of school, he was no longer eligible for SSVF services. He maintained his housing until the summer of 2022 when the situation occurred all over again due to the decreased GI benefit during the summer months. He was re-enrolled in SSVF for Homelessness Prevention services, and SSVF paid off his rental arrears. Perhaps more importantly, SSVF was able to break the cycle thanks to a relatively new program, the Shallow Subsidy.
Shallow Subsidy allows SSVF to pay half of the Veteran’s rent for up to 24 months. Utilizing Shallow Subsidy, SSVF paid half of Mr. Siruelo’s rent during the fall & spring semesters, and he paid half. This enabled him to save money each month so that he would be able to pay his half when school ended. He graduated in January, and starts his brand new job as an airplane mechanic on April 13th!
Since the purpose of Shallow Subsidy is to support Veterans as they work toward greater financial stability by increasing their income, reducing expenses, and/or enrolling in longer-term support services, the program does not penalize Veterans for increasing their income by reducing or stopping the subsidy until the two-year commitment is fulfilled. For Mr. Siruelo, that means he will continue to receive rent assistance even after his employment, allowing him to become financially stable.
Mr. Siruelo’s story is a perfect example of what the Shallow Subsidy service was designed to do. We are so proud of his achievement and so excited for the bright future ahead!