Date: October 13, 2025 To: City of Foster City, Attn: Nori Jabba From: Melissa Lukin, Executive Director, Rebuilding Together Peninsula Re: Proposal for Foster City Minor Home Repair Program Please accept this cover letter and enclosed proposal in response to the City of Foster City’s Minor Home
Repair
Program
for
Very
Low-Income
Homeowners.
Rebuilding
Together
Peninsula’s
(RTP)
Safe
at
Home
program
is
well-aligned
with
the
City’s
desire
to
preserve
homes
owned
by
very
low-income
people
in
Foster
City.
A. Information about RTP and the team proposed to manage the project, including relevant experience:
About RTP: Rebuilding Together Peninsula's (RTP) mission is to “repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives.”
In
real
terms,
we
ensure
the
peninsula’s
most
vulnerable
homeowners–those
with
little
to
no
income,
have
disabilities,
are
elderly,
veterans,
and
traditionally
marginalized
residents
–
don’t
have
to
choose
between
paying
for
food
and
living
in
a
safe
and
healthy
home.
And,
more
broadly,
we
prevent
displacement,
preserve
affordable
home
ownership
and
help
maintain
the
diverse
fabric
of
the
community.
Since
1989,
with
the
help
of
some
90,000
volunteers,
RTP
has
repaired
over
3,500
homes
and
community
centers
from
Daly
City
to
Mountain
View
valued
at
more
than
$45
million
in
donated
time
and
materials.
Over
the
coming
year,
RTP’s
13 staff
and
700+
volunteers
will
transform
125
homes
and
community
facilities.
The Need for Minor Home Repairs: Given that the San Francisco Bay Area has the second highest construction costs in the world (International
Construction
Market
Survey,
2024)
and
the
Peninsula’s
aging
homes
make
even
minor
repairs
complex
and
expensive,
many
of
the
Peninsula’s
low-income
homeowners
simply
can’t
afford
to
keep
their
homes
in
good
repair.
Combine
this
with
the
fact
that
75%
of
seniors
desire
to
age-in-place
(AARP,
2024)
and
that
falls
are
the
leading
cause
of
injury
for
older
adults
(CDC
2024),
our
community’s
elderly,
disabled
and
low-income
homeowners
need
access
to
free
home
repairs
and
safety
modifications.
A critical safety issue can arise in one’s home for any number of reasons. Perhaps a deferred maintenance
project
has
finally
devolved
into
an
urgent
repair
need;
or
what
had
previously
functioned
well
no
longer
meets
the
safety
needs
of
a
family
member
that
has
fallen
ill
or
grown
older
and
lost
mobility.
One’s
ability
to
respond
to
these
repairs
effectively
and
efficiently
can
be
hindered
by
an
array
of
factors,
from
one’s
financial
resources
to
one’s
physical
ability
to
perform
the
repairs.
Any
one
of
these
reasons
could
lead
a
homeowner
to
seek
RTP’s
help.
Sometimes
it’s
a
culmination
of
everything
above
that
brings
a
homeowner
to
RTP
for
support
in
restoring
their
home
into
a
safe
and
healthy
living
space.
Repairing Homes. Revitalizing Communities. Rebuilding Lives. 841 Kaynyne Street, Redwood City, CA 94063 Office: 650.366.6597 Fax: 650.366.9053 www.RebuildingTogetherPeninsula.org
Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP About the Safe at Home Program: RTP’s Safe at Home programs has three main goals: 1. Low-income homeowners, majority elderly and representing underserved populations, residing on
the
Peninsula
have
access
to
free
home
repair
services
that
enable
them
to
live
in
a
dry,
clean,
pest-free,
ventilated,
safe,
contaminant-free,
maintained,
thermally
controlled,
accessible,
and
affordable
home
(the
National
Center
for
Healthy
Housing’s
ten
principles
of
healthy
homes).
2. Safety and health priorities identified in each home are addressed by our expert repair technicians,
skilled
volunteers
and/or
trusted
sub-contractors.
3. Participants are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify health and safety hazards.
They
will
be
educated
with
maintenance
tips
to
ensure
the
longevity
of
the
repairs
they
receive.
Rebuilding Together Peninsula’s Safe at Home program is an evidence-based program developed first by
Rebuilding
Together,
Inc.
(National)
for
implementation
by
its
regional
affiliates.
Program
strategies
are
clustered
in
three
areas:
fall
prevention,
fire
prevention
and
general
safety.
A
checklist
of
25 repair
priorities
created
in
partnership
with
the
Administration
on
Aging
and
the
American
Occupational
Therapy
Association,
guides
all
home
safety
repairs.
In
2013,
the
National
Center
for
Healthy
Housing
and
Rebuilding
Together,
Inc.
launched
the
Healthy
Housing
Challenge
(HHC).
HHC
increases
the
rigor
of
Safe
at
Home
repairs
by
aligning
program
practices
to
ten
fundamental
principles
of
a
healthy
home.
Each
principle
includes
a
set
of
goals
and
necessary
home
repairs
to
achieve
a
preferred
health
outcome.
Training,
tools
and
problem
solving
are
offered
to
Rebuilding
Together
affiliates
and
their
staff
to
ensure
that
program
integrity
is
maintained.
All
practices
adhere
to
the
highest
quality
standards
in
an
effort
to
ensure
the
absolute
health
and
safety
of
the
homeowner.
Program Staff and Experience: RTP’s Safe at Home Program has four key staff below is an overview of their job responsibilities and qualifications:
Name: Greg Bernard Title: Director of Programs Job Duties: Main responsibilities are to ensure the program follows the Minor Home Repair Guidelines, supervise
the
program
manager
and
conduct
previews
as
needed
Qualifications: General Contractor’s License #986653, OSHA and RRP Certified, 20+ years’ experience
as
a
contractor,
5+
years’
experience
in
CDBG
program
management
with
San
Mateo
County
and
the
Cities
of
Daly
City,
Redwood
City,
South
San
Francisco,
San
Mateo
and
Mountain
View.
Bachelors
in
Electrical
Engineering,
Master’s
degree
in
Computer
Engineering.
Name: Rachel Poythress Title: Safe at Home Manager Job Duties: Performs day to day tasks to keep SAH projects progressing. Responsible for getting supplies
on
the
job
site,
photos,
paperwork,
etc.
Support
the
Sr.
Repair
Technician
as
needed
on
larger
more
complicated
projects.
Qualifications : Joined Rebuilding Together New York City in 2019 and RTP in 2021 providing support to
staff
on
repair
sites.
Prior
to
Rebuilding
Together,
Rachel
interned
with
the
U.S.
Committee
for
Refugees
and
Immigrants.
Holds
bachelor’s
degree
in
Anthropology.
Rachel
also
holds
her
Executive
Certificate
in
Home
Modification
(ECHM)
and
is
a
Certified
Aging-in-Place
Specialist
(CAPS).
Name: Frank Tijerina Title: Senior Repair Technician Job Duties : Responsible for doing the repairs and modifications at homes and working with subcontractors
and
vendors
to
complete
the
necessary
work
at
each
home
2 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP Qualifications: More than 20 years of construction experience, including carpentry, plumbing, and electrical.
Bilingual
English/Spanish.
Name: Karla Jordan Title: Intake Specialist Job Duties: Responsible for assisting homeowners throughout the intake process (e.g. completing intake
documentation
and
determining
eligibility).
Also
serves
as
client
liaison
and
provides
homeowner
orientation
for
the
program.
Qualifications: While studying at UC Santa Cruz, Karla served as a social justice volunteer for Empathy
in
Action
at
Soledad
State
Prison
and
as
a
research
assistant
with
Alzamos
La
Voz
(Raising
Our
Voices)
in
Watsonville.
She
also
helped
run
student
voter
registration
drives
and
recruited
volunteers
for
the
New
Voters
project
for
the
CA
Public
Interest
Research
Group
and
was
an
intern
at
the
U.S.
Equal
Employment
Opportunity
Commission
in
Washington,
D.C.
Karla
is
a
native
Spanish
speaker
and
lives
in
Redwood
City.
B. Description of the Organization (Corporation, Limited Liability COmpany or Joint Venture):
Rebuilding Together Peninsula (RTP) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. C. Fees: Rebuilding Together Peninsula requests $15,000 to support the costs associated repairing the homes of
very
low-income
homeowners
and
$2,500
in
administration
fees
to
manage
the
project.
This
$17,500
will
support
the
repairs
of
at
least
3 homes
in
Foster
City.
D. Conflict of Interest: As of the writing of this proposal, there is no conflict of interest. RTP does not have any actual, apparent,
direct
or
indirect,
or
potential
conflicts
of
interest
that
may
exist
with
respect
to
the
firm,
its
management,
employees,
or
other
persons
relative
to
the
services
to
be
awarded
pursuant
to
this
RFP.
E. Business License: RTP will maintain a business license with the City’s Finance Division during the term of the contract, renewing
annually
as
needed.
Sincerely, Melissa Lukin, MBA Executive Director 3 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP 2. Draft Scope of Work – please submit a list of any exceptions or recommended changes to the Scope
of
Work
(Attachment
1 will
be
included
as
part
of
Exhibit
A
of
executed
Agreement).
● In Section 1.0.a Basic Services, the Scope of Work states “ CONSULTANT manages the grant program,
serves
as
the
lender
and….”
○ Rebuilding Together Peninsula recommends changing the language “serves as the lender"
to
“issues
awards”
because
this
is
a
grant
program.
● In Section 1.0.e Program Participants, the Scope of Work states “ CONSULTANT: administers and
manages
the
program,
lends
grants….”
○ Rebuilding Together Peninsula recommends changing the language “lends grants" to “issues
awards”
because
this
is
a
grant
program.
● In Section 2.3 the Scope of Work states “ Consultant will hold a lottery or other method approved by
the
city,
to
select
Applicants
to
apply
for
the
program
.”
○ Rebuilding Together Peninsula recommends employing a “first-come, first-served basis based
on
eligibility”
to
select
applicants
as
stated
in
the
Program
Guidelines.
3. Draft Program Guidelines – please submit a list of exceptions to the Program Guideline, any recommended
changes
(Attachment
2 will
be
included
as
part
of
Exhibit
A
of
executed
Agreement).
Rebuilding Together Peninsula has no exceptions to the Draft Program Guidelines. 4. Professional Services Agreement - please submit a list of any exceptions you have to the City’s
Professional
Services
Agreement,
including
insurance
requirements,
if
any
(Attachment
3).
In the Professional Services Agreement, section “3. Compensation,” it states: “ Compensation and reimbursement
of
costs
and
expenses
hereunder
shall
be
payable
upon
monthly
billing
therefor
by
CONSULTANT
to
CITY,
which
billing
shall
include
an
itemized
statement,
briefly
describing
by
task
and
labor
category
or
cost/expense
items
billed.
Final
payment
will
be
made
when
all
Services
required
under
this
Agreement
have
been
completed
to
the
reasonable
satisfaction
of
CITY
including,
without
limitation,
CONSULTANT's
transmittal
of
all
deliverables
to
CITY
required
by
EXHIBIT
A
.”
Rebuilding Together Peninsula recommends that the compensation be a payment of a one-time lump sum
as
per
section
3.4 Payment
of
the
Program
Guidelines.
“
3.4 Payment:
Payment
of
funding
for
the
Program
to
CONSULTANT
shall
be
made
as
a
one-time
lump
sum
to
the
CONSULTANT
following
execution
of
the
Agreement
and
submitting
an
invoice
to
the
City
of
Foster
City
.”
Likewise the language in the last paragraph of Section 3 on page 17 that begins with the sentance “
CITY
shall
not
incur
any
charges
under
this
agreement,
nor
shall
any
payments
become
due
to
CONSULTANT
for
any
payment
period
on
the
project
until
the
CITY
recipes
all
deliverables
required
under
Exhibit
A…..
”should
be
updated
to
reflect
the
lump
sum
payment
of
the
program
guidelines.
5. Grant Management Process – please submit a description summarizing key tasks, activities, and
fees
(fees
should
be
either
flat
rate
for
each
project/grant
or
percentage
of
project/grant
amount);
assume
grants
of
$5,000
each
and
one
grant
per
year
for
this
purpose.
4 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP Below summarizes the key activities of the Safe at Home program. This project will begin in January 2026
and
end
when
all
funds
are
expended
but
no
later
than
January
2028
(provided
a
one
year
extension
is
granted).
In
general,
RTP
will
operate
the
program
in
alignment
with
the
Program
Guidelines
as
outlined
in
the
RFP.
Safe at Home Activity Summary: 1. Foster City informs very low-income homeowners about the availability of free minor home repairs. 2. RTP participates in a community meeting, facilitated by Foster City, about the program. 3. RTP accepts applications from homeowners in Foster City on a rolling basis. 4. Each application is reviewed by RTP staff and assessed for eligibility per the Program Guidelines, Part
I,
Applicant
Eligibility
(e.g.
households
with
income
of
less
than
50%
of
Area
Median
Income)
and
Part
II
Project
Eligibility
(e.g.
property
located
in
Foster
City).
Note
that
eligible
homeowners
will
be
served
on
a
first-come,
first-served
basis
until
Foster
City
funds
are
expended.
5. For each eligible home, RTP’s staff conduct a comprehensive 28 point “Health Housing Checklist” and
Home
Safety
Assessment
in
order
to
assess
the
repairs
needed.
6. RTP staff develop a Home Safety Plan (aka scope of work) which details repairs to be completed.
Repairs
will
be
within
the
eligible
projects
listed
on
page
12 of
the
RFP:
a. Weatherization of doors & windows b. Door or window repair or replacement c. Accessibility improvements d. Electrical, mechanical, or plumbing repairs e. Solar photovoltaic panel installation f. Water heater replacement g. Smoke detector purchase & installation h. Appliance replacement i. Painting or wall repair j. Flooring cleaning or replacement k. Fencing, landscaping, tree trimming 7. Repairs and home safety modifications are completed by our experienced repair technicians and trusted
subcontractors.
8. Staff review completed repairs and collect feedback through surveys to assess the impact of our work
on
the
homeowner.
9. RTP submits annual and final reports on January 31st of each year to Foster City including a spreadsheet
with
data
for
each
award,
including
homeowner
name,
Foster
City
property
address,
project
description,
date
of
project
completion,
total
costs,
grant
amount,
and
check
number
and
date,
if
applicable.
Fees: Repair costs will not exceed $5,000 per home and administration fees will not exceed $833 per home. For each home, a scope of work will be designed to fit the highest priority health and safety repairs in the
home.
Below
is
an
example:
Expense Description Amount
Safe at Home Manager
10 hours x $53 per hour to perform tasks including eligibility documentation, processing application, site visits, scope of work creation, scheduling subcontractors and repair technicians and ensuring the project was completed. $530
Repair Technician 36 hours x $54 per hour to perform repairs like general carpentry, grab bar installation, flooring repair or replace, appliance repair. $1,944
5 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP Subcontractor Experts perform skilled labor like plumbing or electrical repairs $1,776 Materials & Supplies Lumber, flooring, paint, lighting, grab bars $550 Mileage Miles driven between RTP’s office and the home $200 Administration Fee per home
RTP’s costs associated with managing the grant, liability insurance, bookkeeping, record keeping, program managers’ admin time that isn’t billable to projects, etc. $833
TOTAL $5,833 6. Project Construction Management Fees and Team – please submit a list of key personnel, rates,
and
fees
(fees
should
be
either
a
flat
rate
per
project/grant
or
a
percentage
of
the
project/grant
amount;
assume
project/grant
amount
of
$5,000
each.
Please
also
include
your
team’s
general
contractor
name
and
license
number.
(Will
be
included
in
Exhibit
B
of
executed
Agreement).
Personnel Rates: Personnel Rates
Director of Programs $73.00 per hour
Safe at Home Program Manager $53.00 per hour
Senior Repair Technician $54.00 per hour
Project Estimator $53.00 per hour
Intake Specialist $32.00 per hour Staff will track hours of direct service provided to each home. Staff time will be combined with materials, supplies,
subcontractors
and
mileage
to
generate
the
full
cost
per
home,
not
to
exceed
$5,000.
General Contractor: Greg Bernard, Director of Programs, serve as RTP’s General Contractor (License #986653). Administration Fee: For each home served, a flat fee of $833.00 will be charged to the contract in support of the administrative
costs
of
managing
the
program
(e.g.
bookkeeping,
liability
insurance,
database
costs,
record
retention,
etc.)
7. Typical Project Costs – please submit typical ranges of costs (low to high) for rehabilitation work,
including
hard
and
soft
costs
for
the
following
types
of
projects.
Assume
a
house
size
of
1,000
square
feet
for
this
purpose.
This
is
not
intended
to
be
a
complete
list
of
projects
provided
6 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP by your firm nor is it meant to be actual quotes for work. The City will use this information.
Please
feel
free
to
include
other
types
of
work.
Based on RTP’s 36 years of repairing homes on the Peninsula, we have provided estimates of the ranges
of
costs
for
rehabilitation
work,
including
hard
costs
like
materials,
supplies
and
subcontractors
and
soft
costs
like
RTP’s
staff
time.
With
a
per
site
budget
of
$5,000,
RTP’s
staff
will
look
at
all
of
the
repairs
needed
and
create
a
scope
of
work
that
includes
the
highest
priority
repairs
and
fits
within
the
dollars
allotted.
Repair Low High
Weatherization of doors & windows $45 $300
Door or window repair or replacement $100 $2,000 Accessibility improvements $35 $2,500
Electrical, mechanical, or plumbing repairs $15 $2,500 Solar photovoltaic panel installation $20,000 $30,000 Water heater replacement $800 $3,000
Smoke detector purchase & installation $100 $160
Appliance replacement $300 $4,000
Painting or wall repair $60 $8,000
Flooring cleaning or replacement $800 $5,000
Fencing, landscaping, tree trimming $1,500 $6,500 8. References: Provide an overview of the proposer’s experience and history in performing this type
of
work
in
California.
Provide
at
least
two
references
from
local
government
clients
for
whom
the
consultant
has
rendered
similar
services
in
the
recent
past.
Rebuilding Together Peninsula has been repairing homes from Daly City to Mountain View for over 36 years.
Currently
we
hold
minor
home
repair
contracts
with
8 local
jurisdictions:
County
of
San
Mateo,
Daly
City,
Mountain
View,
Palo
Alto,
Redwood
City,
City
of
San
Mateo,
South
San
Francisco
and
Santa
Clara
County.
Every year RTP’s 13 staff mobilize over 700 general community volunteers, and dozens of skilled volunteers
and
subcontractors
annually
to
provide
a
wide
range
of
repairs,
from
installing
smoke
detectors
to
replacing
roofs.
RTP
also
leverages
approximately
$450,000
of
in-kind
resources
along
with
funding
from
foundations,
individual
donors,
corporate
sponsors,
and
government
agencies
to
meet
the
demand.
Over
the
coming
year,
RTP
will
transform
125
homes
and
community
facilities
across
the
Peninsula.
RTP is led by Melissa Lukin, MBA. Melissa joined RTP in 2018 with over 30 years’ leadership experience
supporting
traditionally
underserved
communities.
Melissa
served
15 years
as
the
Executive
Director
of
the
County's
only
domestic
violence
services
agency
where
she
oversaw
a
7 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP merger, culturally-competent 24-hour services, established an agency endowment, and purchased the agency’s
office
building
and
a
second
shelter.
She
has
also
consulted
on
nonprofit,
governance-related
issues
for
local
nonprofits.
Melissa
holds
a
B.A.
from
Brown
and
an
M.B.A.
from
Boston
University
in
Public/Nonprofit
Management.
She
serves
on
the
board
of
Visions,
Inc.,
a
national
DEI
training
and
consulting
nonprofit,
and
was
a
member
of
San
Mateo
County’s
Commission
on
the
Status
of
Women
from
2020
to
2024.
References: Karen Coppock (she/her), PhD Housing & Community Development Supervisor Department of Housing 264 Harbor Boulevard Bldg. A, Belmont, CA 94002 Tel: 650-453-0697 Email: [email protected] Lenelle D. Suliguin Senior Management Analyst City of Daly City 333 – 90 th
Street Daly City, CA 94015 Phone: 650-991-8256 Fax: 650-991-8070 9. Additional Information - any additional information you would like to submit (optional). In order to assess the health and safety repair needs of any particular home and the impact of our work,
RTP
uses
a
28 point
“Healthy
Housing
Checklist”
before
and
after
repairs.
This
assesses
the
measurable
impact
of
the
repairs
to
the
home
(e.g.
before
the
repairs
the
home
had
leaks,
now
the
home
is
watertight).
Points
assessed
include:
● The homeowner has safe ingress and egress to the home ● The roof is watertight ● Rainwater is effectively shed and directed away from the structure ● Exterior walls have no gaps, cracks, or holes larger than 1/8 inch ● Fencing is secure and stable; gates close and latch ● Windows and exterior doors open, close, lock securely, and seal ● Home is free of pest infestation; sources of attraction are removed ● The house numbers of the address are clearly visible from the street ● Working smoke detector is on each floor and in or near bedrooms ● A working CO detector protects home with gas appliances or garage ● An updated fire extinguisher is available in or near the kitchen ● Water heaters, furnaces, heaters that produce CO exhaust are outside ● No electrical hazards are present, kitchens and baths have GFCIs ● The homeowner has access to a working refrigerator and range ● The kitchen and bathrooms have an exhaust fan vented outside ● The homeowner has a working water heater and access to a working sink, toilet, and bathtub or shower
● Modifications to toilets and tubs assist those who need help ● The homeowner has access to working washer and dryer ● Grab bars are strategically placed for those at risk of falls ● Stairs and steps have secured handrails that meet occupants' needs 8 Rebuilding Together Peninsula Proposal to City of Foster City Minor Home Repair RFP ● Main rooms and stairs are free of tripping hazards (e.g. clutter) ● Free of debris inside and out (e.g. vegetation, furnishings, etc.) ● Floors are clean and durable or covered with clean carpeting ● Clothes dryer, if present, vents outside w/ metal duct and unobstructed airflow ● The homeowner can maintain the interior temperature in a comfortable range ● Main rooms and stairs have adequate/safe lighting for occupants ● Interior paint and wall covering is intact ● The home is free of active water leaks and serious moisture problems Sometimes the best way to understand the impact of our work is through a story: Roger, an avid surfer, was living in his current home in Pescadero with no heat, stove, water heater, or washing
machine.
He
had
to
drive
many
miles
to
the
nearest
laundromat.
To
make
matters
worse,
it’s
not
uncommon
for
his
house
to
be
surrounded
by
flood
waters
in
the
winter.
RTP service technicians, Frank Tijerina and Jesse Leandro, installed a new stove, hot water heater, and
washing
machine,
along
with
new
vinyl
flooring
in
the
bathroom,
kitchen,
dining
area,
and
laundry
room.
They
also
repaired
sheetrock
and
installed
a
new,
working
door
handle
at
his
front
door.
“You
can’t
get
two
better
guys
than
Frank
and
Jesse,”
Roger
said.
“Not
only
are
they
really
nice
guys,
but
they
actually
made
great
suggestions.”
Roger raises chickens, ducks, and geese on his property. Unfortunately, high winds blew down his fence,
and
coyotes
and
mountain
lions
were
attacking
his
livestock.
To
prevent
that
from
happening,
Frank
and
Jesse
removed
and
replaced
the
old
fencing.
“Roger
was
very
excited
about
everything
we
did
for
him,”
said
Frank.
“But
he’s
especially
over
the
moon
about
finally
having
hot
water.”
“I feel like I’m in a new home,” said Roger. “I feel so blessed.” 9