BC Regional Advisory Board (RAB)

BC Regional Advisory Board (RAB)

HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness

Request for Proposals 2018– 2019 Guide

The Prince George Nechako Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) on behalf of the BC Regional Advisory Boardare requesting Proposals for funding.

Submission deadline: October 20, 2017 at 4:00 pm

Please return your completed application by October 20, 2017at 4:00 pm to: (Note please remit by the deadline via email and mail original signatures to the address below).

Attention: Nicole Doucette

PGNAETA

198 Kingston Street

Prince George, BC, V2L 1C3

Telephone: 250-561-1199 (1-800-510-0515) Fax: 250-561-1149

- view RFP on website

Enquiries regarding this Request for Proposals can be made to:

Nicole Doucette Community Entity Program Manager – PGNAETA (see above contact info)

Table of Contents

Request for Proposals...... 3

Program Description...... 3

HPS Priorities...... 4

Eligible Activities Priority 1...... 4

Eligible Activities Priority 2...... 6

Eligible Activities Priority 3...... 6

Eligible Activities Priority 4...... 7

Eligible Activities Priority 5...... 7

Ineligible Activities Priority 1...... 7

Ineligible Activities Priority 1-5...... 7

Program Requirements...... 8

Eligible Costs...... 8

HPS Funding and Other Sources of Funding...... 9

Eligible Applicants...... 9

Eligible Geographic Area...... 9

Assessment of Proposals...... 10

Proposal Analysis and Evaluation Criteria...... 10

Contact Information...... 11

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy(HPS)Rural and Remote fundingaims to prevent and reduce homelessness across Rural and Remote communities of British Columbia. It does so by developing partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and comprehensive continuum of supports to help homeless individuals move towards self-sufficiency.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP) The Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) on behalf of the BC Regional Advisory Board (RAB)on HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness solicits applications to meet the needs of homeless, chronic and episodic and at-risk of homelessness individuals and families living in the province of British Columbia.

The funding under the HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness is available to fund projects between April 1, 2018 and March 31st, 2019. Applications for funding must not exceed $100,000. Preference will be given to housing first services that directly impact chronic and episodic individuals, demonstrate strong community support, leveraging of support through partnerships, projects addressing youth and to applications that use new and creative approaches to projects to help prevent and reduce homelessness in British Columbia. The total number of projects funded and the amount of funding per project will be determined based on the number of quality proposals received. Funding is subject to the availability of funds.Note, all non-designated communities in BC are eligible to apply.

The BC Regional Advisory Board on HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness is under no obligation to approve any application through this process and reserves the right to solicitadditional proposals separate from thisRFP.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy aims to prevent and reduce homelessness across Canada. It does so by developing partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and comprehensive continuum of supports to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness move towards self-sufficiency. It mobilizes partners at the federal-provincial/territorial and community levels to address barriers being faced by homeless individuals and those at risk.

The HPS recognizes that the first steps towards self-sufficiency are to reduce individual’s risk of homelessness and to ensure that they attain a stable living arrangement. Community based projects provide support to help ensure that people who are homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless can stabilize their circumstances and move beyond emergency needs. Once in stable housing, other supports can be introduced as required to improve health, parenting, and education and employment outcomes. As a result, communities are encouraged to foster the creation of longer-term solutions, especially supports and tools to help develop stable living arrangements and facilitate economic integration for homeless individuals.

HPS PRIORITIES:

The BC Regional Advisory Board has identified a need for proposals that help address one or more HPS priorities for the Province of British Columbia which specifically provides Housing First (HF) services to the chronic and episodic homeless clients with the followingguiding principles:

Rapid Housing with Supports; this involves directly helping clients locate and secure permanent housing as rapidly as possible and assisting them with moving in or re-housing if needed. Housing readiness s not a requirement.
Offering clients a choice in Housing; clients must be given the choice in terms of housing options as well as the services they wish to access.
Separating Housing provisions from other services; acceptance of any services, including treatment or sobriety is not a requirement for accessing or maintaining housing but, clients must be willing to accept regular visits, often weekly. There is also a commitment to re-housing clients as needed.
Providing tenancy rights and responsibilities; clients are required to contribute a portion of their income towards rent. The preference would be for the client to contribute 30 percent of their income, while the rest would be provided via rent subsidies. A landlord-tenant relationship must be established. Clients housed have rights consistent with applicable landlord and tenant acts and regulations. Developing strong relationships with landlords in both the private and public sector are key to the Housing First approach.
Integrating housing into the community; in order to respond to client choice, minimize stigma and encourage client social integration, more attention should be given to scattered site housing in the public or private rental markets. Other housing options such as social housing and supportive housing in congregate settings could be offered where such housing stock exists and may be chosen by some clients.
Strength based and promoting self-sufficiency; the goal is to ensure clients are ready and able to access regular supports within a reasonable timeframe, allowing for a successful exit from the Housing First Program. The focus is on strengthening and building on the skills and abilities of the client, based on self-determined goals, which could include employment, education, social integration, improvements to health or other goals that will help stabilize the clients situation and lead to self-sufficiency.

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES UNDER HOUSING FIRST (HF) PRIORITY 1:

a) Housing First readiness

For example:

Defining the Housing First model (e.g. consultation, coordination, planning, and assessment)
Identifying, integrating and improving services (including training on Housing First activities and functions)
Partnership development in support of a Housing First approach
Working with the housing sector to identify opportunities for and barriers to permanent housing (e.g. establishing landlord relationships, mapping of current available assets)

b) Client intake and assessment

For example:

Coordinated intake management (where feasible)
Client identification, intake and assessment, focussing on the chronically and episodically homeless populations

c) Connecting clients to permanent housing

For example:

Facilitate access to housing, which could include providing emergency housing funding (e.g. rent subsidies, housing allowances) to bridge clients to provincial/territorial/municipal systems
Set-up apartments (insurance, damage deposit, first and last months’ rent, basic groceries and supplies at move-in, etc.)
Furnish apartments for HF clients (furniture, dishes, etc.)
Repair damages caused by HF clients
Provide landlord-tenant services
Re-housing (if required)

d) Accessing services through case management

For example:

Coordination of a case management team
Peer Support
Working with clients to set goals
Identifying a strategy for reaching the goals
Connecting clients to services needed to reach the client’s goal
Monitoring progress
Support services to improve the self-sufficiency of chronically and episodically homeless individuals and families in the Housing First program through individualized services, including:
Connecting clients to income supports
Pre-employment support, and bridging to the labour market
Life skills development (e.g. budgeting, cooking)
Supports to improve clients’ social integration;
Culturally relevant responses to help Aboriginal clients
Connecting clients to education and supporting success

e) Data tracking & monitoring

For example:

Identifying the size and make-up of the chronically and episodically homeless population
Tracking HF clients

ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES UNDER NON-HOUSING FIRST (NHF) PRIORITY(S):

PRIORITY 2- Improving the self-sufficiency of homeless individuals and families and those at imminent risk of homelessness through individualized services.

Activities include:

Housing placement (outside of Housing First)
Connecting clients to income supports
Pre-employment support, and bridging to the labour market
Life skills development (e.g. budgeting, cooking)
Supports to improve clients’ social integration
Culturally relevant responses to help Aboriginal clients
Connecting clients to education and supporting success
Liaise and refer to appropriate resources
Housing loss prevention (only for individuals and families at imminent risk of homelessness)
Basic or urgent needs services

PRIORITY 3 - Capital investments (capital investments cannot be part of Housing First (Priority 1) dedicated funding except for the purchase of furniture for Housing First clients).

Activities include:

Construction, renovation and purchase of transitional housing facilities, permanent supportive housing facilities, and non-residential facilities (e.g. drop-in centres and multi-service centres)
Purchase of furniture, equipment, and/or vehicles
Renovation of emergency shelters
Construction and purchase of new emergency shelter facilities (only under the HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness funding stream and non-designated communities receiving funding under the Aboriginal Homelessness funding stream)

Renovation includes:

Renovating an existing facility for upgrades and/or to meet building codes
Repurposing an existing property to create transitional housing and/or permanent supportive housing
Expanding an existing facility
Renovating a property following a transfer under the Surplus Federal Real Property for the Homelessness Initiative (SFRPHI) to create transitional housing and/or permanent supportive housing

New construction includes:

Purchase of a property for future new construction
Building a facility in an empty lot (e.g. foundations)
Tearing down an existing facility and build a new one
Building service space where the Investments in Affordable Housing Initiative (IAH) is building or renovating to create permanent housing (e.g. resource centre where clients can access supports)

PRIORITY 4 - Coordination of resources and leveraging.

Activities include:

Determining a model in support of a broader systematic approach to addressing homelessness
Identifying, integrating and improving services (including staff training on activities and functions in support of a broader systematic approach to addressing homelessness)
Partnership development in support of a broader systematic approach to addressing homelessness
Working with the housing sector to identify opportunities for and barriers to permanent housing (e.g. establishing landlord relationships, mapping of current available assets) in support of a broader systematic approach to addressing homelessness
These activities apply only to non-Housing First dedicated funding:
Consultation, coordination, planning, and assessment (e.g. community planning)

PRIORITY 5 - Improve data collection and use

Activities include:

Identifying the size and make-up of the entire homeless population
Tracking non-Housing First clients
Point-in-time counts
Community indicators (beyond the requirements for HPS)
Local research, information collection and sharing (including implementing and using HIFIS)

Ineligible Activities under Priority 1

Building or purchasing new facilities
Repurposing existing facilities
Core functions of an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team (e.g. provision of direct medical/clinical services to clients)

Ineligible Activities under Priority 1-5

Building, renovating or repurposing facilities for Affordable housing
New construction or purchase of facilities for emergency shelters
Emergency housing funding (e.g. rent subsidies, housing allowances) when the client is supported by existing provincial/territorial and municipal rent subsidy programs
Direct income support to individuals who are homeless, at risk or at imminent risk of homelessness Medical/clinical staff
Clinical health and treatment services
Daycare
Advocacy and lobbying activities towards elected representatives on questions related to homelessness and public awareness activities
Public Education (e.g. education tuition, teaching salary)
Activities and supports taking place on-reserve;
Software development and/or the purchase of hardware for the collection and/or management of homelessness data that results in an inability to participate in the National Homelessness Information System initiative (NHIS); and that constitutes a redundant use of funds and duplicates activities already offered through the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) software. For example: purchasing alternative software that performs similar functions to the HIFIS software

Projects must be completed on or before March 31st, 2019.

Projects must have a sustainability plan or an exit strategy

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:

ELIGIBLE COSTS:

Financial assistance may be provided to cover the following costs;

“Staff Wages” include Mandatory related costs (MERCS) which refer to payments an employer is required by law to make in respect of its employees such as EI and CPP premiums, workers compensation premiums, vacation pay and Employer Health Tax; and Benefits which refer to payments an employer is require to make in respect of its employees by virtue of company policy or a collective agreement. Examples of Benefits include contributions to a group pension or premiums towards a group insurance plan.

“Professional Fees” means contracting for goods and services such as bookkeeping, janitorial services, information technology, equipment maintenance services, security, if contracted specifically to support the project, audit costs and legal fees.

HPS projects may also include under professional fees the hiring of a consultant for services such as facilitating the community planning process, consultations and focus group meetings; drafting the plan under the communities’ direction; assessing the needs of clients; local research on homelessness; data management

“Travel” includes travel costs set out in the National Joint Council of Canada’s Travel Directive that are incurred in respect of project staff and volunteers and contracted professionals, if the latter costs are not included in the professional fees expenditure category.

“Other Related Project Costs” include direct costs explicitly related to the project activities that are not included in any other expenditures category such as;
Rented space to hold meetings, consultations or to provide emergency shelter including applicant owned premises
Food, clothing, personal and household items that remain with the participant
Furniture costing $1000 or less, before taxes
Materials and supplies for the facility; food, laundry and cleaning supplies;
Emergency rent and utilities payments made to the property owner or utility companies (these payments are not to be disbursed directly to individuals)
Vouchers for living expenses for individuals (Ex: vouchers for food, clothing, groceries, baby diapers, eye glasses)
Dependent care (while the client is participating in project activities)
Travel tickets (bus tickets)

“Administrative Costs” include the costs of administrative staff for activities such as accounting, reporting and human resource management, and general administrative costs normally incurred by an organization to ensure the effective delivery of the project. These include costs such as rental of office space, office equipment rental, insurance, office supplies, internet/website, bank charges, office moving expenses, office cleaning, security system, computer software and license renewals, garbage removal/recycling, disability needs, staff professional development (health and safety, CPR, sensitivity training, conflict resolution, etc) staff travel to meetings, membership fees

“Organizational Infrastructure Costs” are expenses incurred for services rendered to the Applicant or Recipient by a “main office”, “head office” or “administration office” of the Applicant or Recipient. These are costs related to functions which, although they guide and enable effective project delivery, are not Project specific and are usually charged on a “pro-rated” basis.

HPS FUNDING AND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING:

The HPS Rural and Remote funding stream does not require cost-matching however, partnerships are strongly encouraged and will be given preference. If an applicant has contributing partners to a project (cash or in-kind), letters confirming the nature and amount of each partner commitment are required.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:

Not-for-profit organizations; individuals; municipal governments; for-profit enterprises; research organizations and institutes; public health and educational institutions; band/tribal councils; and other Aboriginal organizations are eligible to receiving funding and act as coordinators for activities.

Note: Where feasible, preference will be given to Aboriginal organizations to deliver projects specifically targeting off-reserve Aboriginal people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.

For profit enterprises are eligible for funding provided that the nature and intent of the activity is non-commercial, does not general profit, and fits within the community plan or identified local need where plans are not required. Individuals, for-profit enterprises and research organizations and institutes may also receive funding to carry out research that aims to help communities understand and address homelessness issues.

ELIGIBLE GEOGRAPHIC AREA:

In order to be eligible for funding through BC Rural Remote HPS, the project activities can take place in all non-designated communities of BC. Designated communities not eligible under this RFP are: Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria and Nelson, BC.

ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSALS:

To be considered for funding under HPS, proposals must meet all of the following basic eligibility requirements;

The proposal must support the HPS priorities described on pages4, 5, 6 & 7.
All proposed activities must be eligible for funding under HPS.
Funding activities will start on or after April 1, 2018andbe completed on or before March 31st, 2019.
The type of project or activities being proposed, must address one of the priorities for HPS Rural and Remote funding for the Province of British Columbia identified by the BC Regional Advisory Board on HPS Rural and Remote Homelessness.
The proposal must have community support and address the community needs of the homeless population.
Applicants can include up to a maximum of 5 additional pages to elaborate on proposed activities and to address evaluation criteria.

PROPOSAL ANALYSIS – EVALUATION CRITERIA: