State veterans office outlines military enhancement and homelessness grants, eligibility and deadlines

Jason Fowler, military affairs coordinator with the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Beaufort County Veterans Council that two state grant programs can fund projects that support military installations and help veterans at risk of homelessness.

Fowler said the Military Enhancement Fund began as a one-time $10 million appropriation from the South Carolina General Assembly and is now funded at about $2 million per year. “The maximum grant amount is $2,000,000,” he said, and eligibility is limited to counties and municipalities that host or adjoin federal military installations as defined in state law.

The nut of Fowler’s presentation was the application requirements and review process: applicants must submit a cover letter on official letterhead, a signed letter from the local installation commander, an independent cost estimate, fiscal documents and a narrative showing how the project enhances military value, installation resilience or military family quality of life. Fowler said proposals are screened by SCDVA staff and legal counsel, scored by a military base task force executive committee, and forwarded to the SCDVA secretary for final award decisions.

Fowler also summarized the Veteran Homelessness and Transition Grant, a separate program established in October 2023 to assist veterans and those at imminent risk of homelessness. He said the homelessness grant awards range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $250,000 per grant cycle and focused on housing assistance, rental or utility support, transitional housing tied to treatment programs, and employment services. He cited federal regulations for the veteran definition used by the program: “Veteran eligibility is under Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, defining a veteran as a person who has served in active duty military, naval, or air services and who is discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.”

Fowler described evaluation criteria for both programs: effect on mission readiness, effect on military quality of life, effect on the surrounding community, timeliness and the degree of cost-sharing with other funding sources. He emphasized that proposals that show additional funding from other sources score better in the rubric and that detailed timelines and measurable objectives should accompany applications.

Council members asked practical questions about multi‑phase projects, prior year awards and eligibility for nonprofits. Fowler said phased projects are acceptable and that the secretary can award partial funding for multi‑year or multi‑phase work. He named Sandy Flankpool (the program lead) and Alexis Martin (operations lead for the homelessness grant) as department contacts for the two programs and said application materials and the scoring rubric are posted on the SCDVA website.

Why it matters: The Military Enhancement Fund and the homelessness grant are state appropriations used to sustain installation readiness and to stabilize veterans in housing. Local governments, nonprofit housing providers and community partners should note the differing award sizes, documentation requirements and deadlines in preparing any applications.

The council received Fowler’s slides and was urged to coordinate local installation commanders, county or municipal governments, and third‑party cost estimators before submitting applications. Fowler said SCDVA will accept questions during the review period and may request updated budgets if an award is made in part rather than fully.