Bid Detail

16-135 - RFP: Homeless Youth Initiative

I. Introduction

The Springfield-Chicopee-Holyoke-Westfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care (hereafter "CoC"), through its fiscal agent City of Springfield, (hereafter "City"), acting by and through its Office of Procurement and the Office of Housing, seeks one or more qualified youth homeless service organizations (hereafter "Youth Service Provider") to operate programming to serve at-risk and homeless unaccompanied youth aged 18-24, including both individual and parenting youth, during the period April 1, 2016 through July 30, 2016. Funding awards are contingent upon the CoC receipt of funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts pursuant to RFR#: 16CBEHSHOMELESSRFR, and may be renewed for the period July 1, 2016 --June 30, 2017 and for up to five years after, provided that ongoing funding is provided by the Commonwealth.

II. Background

The Commonwealth's Executive Office of Health and Human Services (hereafter "EOHHS") released a Request for Responses (See Exhibit A) on December 29, 2016, seeking proposals for Lead Entities to create local Consortiums to provide crisis intervention services to those facing acute housing instability and including a grant component for responding to the needs of unaccompanied homeless youth aged 18-24. The CoC, through its fiscal agent City, submitted a response on February 2, 2016. EOHHS indicates in its RFR that it intends to select Consortiums and enter into contracts with them by March 15, 2016.

The CoC's response indicates that it will subcontract with one to three entities to operate programming to serve unaccompanied homeless youth aged 18-24, and this RFR will be used to select the subcontractor(s).

The CoC requested a total of $600,000 in its RFR response, of which $570,000 will be available to support homeless youth programming. The remaining amount will pay the City of Springfield's administrative costs. The CoC will award 95% of the total youth component funds awarded to the CoC, which may be less than the full $600,000 requested.
The CoC will use awarded funds to enhance its existing youth homelessness programs, and selected Youth Service Provider will be expected to coordinate with existing programs, which include 8 units of transitional housing for individual youth, and 9 units of permanent supportive housing for parenting youth; additional programs to start in 2016 include rapid rehousing for 8 individual youth and permanent supportive housing for 10 individual youth. Agencies operating these existing programs are Gandara Center, HAPHousing, and Domus, Inc.

In federal fiscal year 2015, the CoC served 193 individual youth and 577 parenting youth in emergency shelters that serve homeless adults and families.

III. Scope of Work

The Youth Service Provider will provide a portion or all of a continuum of services for at-risk and homeless youth, which include:
• A Youth Stabilization Specialist-a staff person available to counsel at-risk youth and families regarding available services and supports to avoid homelessness, coordinate access to services and supports, and coordinate access to a pool of flexible funds which may be used to prevent youth homelessness, and who will coordinate training for other providers on working with unaccompanied homeless youth;
• Administration of a pool of flexible funds to be used for rent arears, utility costs, or other funding needs which will prevent youth homelessness;
• A Kinship Care Program, which will provide in-home placements of homeless youth age 18-24 in family homes for a period of up to 30 days per youth, with intensive support services which will assist youth to use this time to identify alternatives to homelessness, including return to home, identification of an alternative family placement, or identification of an independent living or supported living environment;
• A Youth Rehousing Specialist-a staff person who will specialize in working with homeless youth 18-24 in individual adult and family shelters to create housing plans, including employment and/or education planning, and who will coordinate training for other providers on working with unaccompanied homeless youth; and
• A Rapid Rehousing Program, which will provide up to 12 months' rental assistance and supportive services to youth age 18-24 who have been homeless.

The Youth Service Provider will be responsible for entry of data regarding assisted program participants in the Springfield-Hampden CoC Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), which will be made available at no cost to the Youth Service Provider. The Youth Service Provider must serve youth throughout Hampden County.

The Youth Service Provider will be expected to use and assist the CoC in evaluating the Transition-Age-Youth Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (TAY-VISPDAT).

Questions regarding the RFP may be submitted in writing to the Office of Procurement. In order to provide prompt answers to questions, the Chief Procurement Officer requests that all proposers submit written questions by February 24, 2016. Questions may be faxed or emailed. The Procurement Department's fax number is (413) 787-6295, E-mail Lauren Stabilo, CPO at lstabilo@springfieldcityhall.com . The Chief Procurement Officer will compile written answers which will be mailed to all Proposers who requested a copy of the RFP, no later than February 29, 2016.

To maintain a fair and impartial competitive process, the Chief Procurement Officer can only answer written questions. Private communication is not allowed with any Procurement Staff or RFP Review Committee member during the proposal preparation and evaluation period. Proposers who initiate private communication or attempt to violate the process outlined herein may be disqualified. We will only respond to written questions.

IV. Key Dates
a. RFP released: Feb. 8, 2016
b. Questions to be submitted by close of business Feb. 24, 2016
c. City responds to questions in addendum form on Feb. 29, 2016
d. Proposals Due: March 4, 2016, 2:00 PM
e. Anticipated Date of Announcement of Selection: March 10, 2016
f. Grant Period: April 1, 2016 - June 30, 2016
V. Total Funding Available: Up to 570,000, contingent on award from EOHHS
a. The City expects to award 95% of the amount awarded by EOHHS. 90% of funds awarded will be used by the Youth Service Provider for program costs detailed in the Scope of Services described above. The remaining 5% will be available to the Youth Service Provider for reimbursement for administrative costs.
b. Funds will be available on a reimbursable basis. Reimbursement requests will be submitted monthly.
c. The grantee must submit monthly cost expenditure reports and back up.
d. This grant does not require matching funds.

The City of Springfield supports the goal of twenty percent minority and women participation in all contracts. No questions will be answered unless received by the Chief Procurement Officer at least 7 days prior to the expiration of the time set for submitting bids or proposals. The Chief Procurement Officer reserves the right to waive any informality in and to reject any or all bids if it is in the public interest to do so.

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