1 City of Richmond
Community Development Department
Housing Division
Request for Qualifications
Encampment Resolution
Project Manager
Date: June 3, 2022 Closing Date and Time: June 30, 2022, by 4:00 PM PST Electronic Submittal: BidsOnLine
Contact Person: Lina Velasco, Director of Comm. Dev.
2 The Housing Division of the Community Development Department of the City of Richmond announces a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified applicants for a fee-based contract to serve as the Project Manager for the Castro Encampment Resolution Project and accomplish the tasks outlined in this solicitation.
OVERVIEW
The City of Richmond is located in western Contra Costa County along the shore of the San Francisco Bay. It is the county’s second largest city (population 116,448), but has the highest number of known unsheltered people of any city in the county—more than 1,000 in 2021. The Castro Encampment Resolution Project (CERP) will be overseen by the Housing Division of the Community Development Department, which strives to develop quality neighborhoods citywide by partnering with neighborhood residents and community groups to develop new affordable housing, assist homeless and disabled individuals in obtaining housing, and expand economic and employment opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.
CERP encompasses a two-year plan to deliver an array of supportive services to 100+ individuals currently living in a sprawling 2.66-acre vehicle encampment near Castro Street. The project aims to move all encampment residents into stable housing by June 2023. CERP’s goals and objectives will be met in stages that include: improving living conditions at the site, assessing the behavioral and health needs of residents, providing job-related training and support, and reducing barriers to stable housing. Grounded in Housing First principles and one of just 10 projects statewide that received Encampment Resolution Funding in 2022 from the California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council, CERP is an innovative model whose successes— and challenges—will be continuously evaluated, so that the approach can be refined and replicated throughout the State.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This RFQ is seeking (1) one CERP Project Manager (PM) who will lead a Castro Site Care Team (SCT) comprised of a Site Manager, CORE Social Worker, CORE Outreach Specialist, Housing Navigator, and the other providers working directly with encampment residents to triage and ensure services are timely, responsive, coordinated, trauma-informed, and achieving the project’s goals and objectives to resolve the encampment through a Housing First model. The PM will also be the key liaison between CERP and city officials, reporting on progress, supervising subcontractors, and ensuring CERP is meeting evaluation metrics. Reporting to Richmond’s Housing Manager, the CERP PM will provide overall project management, help with policy development, and supervise subcontractors. The CERP PM will assist in the preparation of RFQ/Ps to solicit bids from service providers to assist individuals currently living at the Castro encampment in charting durable paths toward long-term housing and stability; address community concerns; manage and sunset the encampment by rehousing residents; and restore the site to its original trail use.
3 SCOPE OF SERVICES
The successful CERP PM will be highly skilled and empathetic, experienced with managing not only projects and people but also in working with diverse communities and the unhoused. The CERP PM is a new role and the person who fills the position will use Richmond’s Encampment Resolution Funding project description as a roadmap, while solving unforeseen problems and proposing programs shifts in response to on-the-ground realities—always prioritizing low- barrier, person-centered Housing First approaches. The CERP PM will lead a Site Care Team, supervise and manage subcontractors, convene a Residents’ Advisory Group, engage neighborhood stakeholders, and prepare reports and updates.
A clear and careful communicator, the successful PM will be responsible for both informing city officials, Castro site residents, community members, and government officials—and for soliciting feedback from them—while also building community onsite by fostering a team approach among Castro encampment residents and service providers. Detail oriented and experienced in collecting and reporting data, the CERP PM will play a significant role in the success of CERP and demonstrate excellent judgment, appropriate flexibility, and proven accountability.
The selected candidate will be responsible for principal activities that include, but are not limited to:
● Implementing the Encampment Resolution Program, including developing systems, policies, and procedures
● Coordinating the Castro Site Care Team, including managing roles, responsibilities, and reporting
● Convening a Castro Residents’ Advisory Group, to meet weekly and provide site residents with an opportunity to learn about the project, contribute to its development, and voice concerns
● Engaging neighboring residents and business owners through active outreach ● Establishing a community advisory group that seeks public input on the grant progress, solicits feedback, and encourages information sharing
● Developing RFPs for service providers and contractors ● Creating program metrics to evaluate ongoing service delivery ● Implementing reporting systems to meet requirements for oversight, evaluation, and sharing data
● Working with outside evaluators by providing data needed to measure project success and identify replicable systems
● Providing updates and reports to Richmond City Council ● Identifying meaningful milestones and implementing appropriate timeline for project completion
● Attending meetings as needed to provide project updates to the community ● Sharing information about CERP with the public, including content for Richmond’s web site
4 Minimum Qualifications:
AA / AS degree in Human Services, Psychology, Counseling, or related field; OR High School degree or equivalent AND four years of full-time direct experience working in a professional capacity with people experiencing homelessness and facing behavioral health challenges or other medical complexities.
Preferred Qualifications:
● Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in health services, counseling, psychology, social welfare, or a closely related field. ● Previous experience or training in street outreach and/or case management. ● Prior experience with documentation and billing procedures. ● Experience working in Contra Costa County and knowledge of social service providers in the area.
● Background in adolescent and/or adult mental health services and/or homeless services. ● Applicants who are bilingual in Spanish are encouraged to apply.
Essential Skills and Duties:
● Ability to gather and analyze data, prepare reports, and propose solutions to resolve systems issues.
● Prepare accurate and concise reports.
● Exercise good judgment and discretion in handling confidential matters. ● Deal tactfully, diplomatically and objectively with residents, service providers, government and elected officials, and members of the general public. ● Strong verbal and written communication skills.
● Ability to work thoughtfully and effectively with staff and clientele who are diverse in culture, language, sexual identity, gender, and other aspects. ● Ability to be supportive and provide guidance in a non-judgmental manner; possess effective crisis de-escalation skills.
● Ability to answer after-hour crisis calls.
● Dedication to creating new housing for people who experience homelessness. ● Experience managing complex projects that required attention to detail, time management skills, and an ability to stay focused and organized.
● Capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
● Experience supporting unhoused individuals.
● Commitment to Cultural Competency and Equity.
● Ability to work independently.
● Excellent problem-solving skills, including flexibility when finding solutions resolving conflict.
● Commitment to involving people with lived experience in all aspects of the project. ● Experience working effectively with low-income, diverse, multi-ethnic populations. ● Excellent interpersonal and business skills, both written and verbal. ● Strong computer skills, including facility with major software tools for word processing, spreadsheets, and project scheduling.
5 LICENSE, INSURANCE, AND CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS
1. Candidates must possess a valid Class C California Driver’s License.
2. The Selected Respondent will be required to sign the City’s standard service provider agreement, attached for your consideration (see Exhibit A). If the candidate has any questions/concerns related to the standard form contract, they must be submitted in writing with the applicant’s response to this RFQ. Requested changes must be provided in redline. The City does not guarantee that requested changes will be granted.
3. The City requires consultants doing business with it to obtain insurance, as shown in RFQ (see Exhibit B). The required insurance certificates must comply with all requirements of the standards as shown and must be provided within fifteen (15) days of issuance of the Notice of Intent to Award and prior to the commencement of any work on the project.
4. Business Licenses: The successful Contractor and all subcontractors used in the work will be required to hold or obtain a City of Richmond business license for which the fee will not be waived.
5. Sanctuary City Contracting Ordinance (SCCO): The Richmond Sanctuary City Contracting Ordinance No. 12-18 N.S. (Exhibit C) prohibits the City from granting and or retaining contracts with any person or entity that provides Data Broker or Extreme Vetting services to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of the United States Department of Homeland Security (“ICE”). Bidders/Proposers must submit the attached Sanctuary City Compliance Statement with their Bid or Proposal/Qualifications (Exhibit D).
6. Limited Liability Companies Disclosure Statement (LLCS): Resolution No. 86-21, approved by City Council on July 6, 2021, requires disclosure of the identities of beneficial & responsible owners of Limited Liability Corporations (LLC) (Exhibit E). Bidders/Proposers must submit the attached Disclosure Statement of Limited Liability Companies Form with their Bid or Proposal (Exhibit F).
FUNDING
The Housing Division of the Community Development Department will award one contract not to exceed $235,000 (inclusive of all expenses) to the successful respondent for the anticipated period of August 1, 2022 - June 2024. The funding source is CA Encampment Resolution Funding.
This is a fee-for-service contract paid per hour and is inclusive of all expenses, including mileage. The contracted hourly rate is negotiable. The contract estimates approximately 37.5 hours per work week for the term of the contract.
6 RESPONSE TO THE RFQ
1) COVER LETTER
A cover letter describing interest in the position and relevant experience and abilities, including availability to start work.
2) RESUME
Current resume that includes work experience and qualifications (including licenses) relevant to the tasks, skills, and qualifications described in this RFQ. Resume must include respondent’s email, mailing address, and phone number.
3) PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Include three professional references., including Name, Address, phone number, emails, and how they know the respondent.
4) SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Describe your familiarity with cultural competence and your experience working within a race equity framework?
2. What is your experience working with unhoused populations and communities impacted by trauma?
3. What opportunities do you see for strengthening Richmond’s local response to its unhoused residents and network of service providers? Can you name any existing or potential partner organizations you might engage with for CERP?
4. What is your working knowledge of Contra Costa County’s Coordinated Entry System and Continuum of Care? How do you see the roles of Richmond and the county within that network?
5. How would you characterize the benefits and drawbacks of short-term motel vouchering, interim housing placement, and permanent supportive housing? Recognizing that resources are constrained, how would you approach the development of participant selection criteria for each option?
6. How would you approach the task of monitoring the pulse of unhoused resident needs?
7. An important goal of CERP is to identify best practices that could be replicated elsewhere in Richmond and the State. How would you approach achieving this goal?
7 8. Please share with us the most creative and innovative program you have encountered related to homelessness services. What were the results and how might you draw on those lessons to ensure the success of CERP?
ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL
The Qualifications submission process is entirely online and must be completed and submitted through BidsOnLine to be considered. Interested parties must submit a letter of interest, resume, references, and supplemental questionnaire responses, as attachments via BidsOnLine.
Attachments must be in MS Word or PDF formats.
Responses must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT QUESTIONS VIA BIDSONLINE
Submission of questions regarding this RFQ must be submitted via the electronic BidsOnLine system on the Q&A tab by Monday, June 13, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. If the City finds it necessary to issue an addendum, prospective bidders will receive email notification of addendum.
Otherwise, answers to questions received will be provided on the Q&A tab by Wednesday, June 15, 2022, by 5:00 pm.
REVIEW AND SELECTION CRITERIA
The submissions will be evaluated by a Review Panel consisting of City and Contra Costa County H3 staff to identify the most qualified respondent. If more than one Respondent is deemed to be highly qualified, the Department may require oral interviews and/or supplemental information from those Respondents before making a final selection. Contract negotiations will begin upon identification of the most qualified Respondent.
City will not discriminate against any interested firm or individual on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, age, disability or national origin in the contract award. City reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals at its discretion.
CITY DISCLAIMER
The City reserves the right to reject any or all the Qualifications, to waive any informality in any RFQ Response, and to select the Response that best meet the City needs. The City also reserves the right to reduce or revise elements of the scope of services, or to amend or modify the contractual requirements, or to negotiate with any qualified respondent.
No representation is made that any contract will be awarded pursuant to this RFQ. In no way shall a contract be viewed as exclusive. The City reserves the right to retain additional consultants as necessary. All costs incurred in the preparation of the qualification, in the 8 submissions of additional information and/or in any other aspect of qualification prior to the award of a written contract will be borne by the respondent. All qualifications submitted to the City in response to this RFQ will become the property of the City of Richmond and will not be returned. The “technical” portion of the RFQ will be considered public information.
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit A: Standard Contract
Exhibit B: Insurance Requirements
Exhibit C: Richmond Sanctuary City Contracting Ordinance No. 12-18 N.S.
Exhibit D: Sanctuary City Compliance Statement
Exhibit E: Limited Liability Corporations (LLC), Resolution No. 86-21 Exhibit F: Disclosure Statement of Limited Liability Companies Form