870 Market Street | Suite 1228 | San Francisco, CA 94102 Ph: 415.788.7961 | fax: 415.788.7965 | www.homebaseccc.org Homebas e Proposal
For Development of a Draft City Plan to End Homelessness Prepared for the City of Santa Clara
November 1, 2021
870 Market Street | Suite 1228 | San Francisco, CA 94102 Ph: 415.788.7961 | fax: 415.788.7965 | www.homebaseccc.org Legal and Technical Assistance | Policy | Advocacy | Planning November 1, 2021 Jonathan Veach Division Manager Community Development Department Housing & Community Services Division 1500 Warburton Ave. Santa Clara, CA 95050 Dear Jonathan Veach, On behalf of Homebase, I am pleased to submit the following proposal in response to the City of Santa Clara’s request for proposals for the administration of a City Plan to End Homelessness. Homebase is a mission-driven nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, CA. For more than 30 years, we have supported communities to develop, implement, and improve programs and systems to prevent and end homelessness. In the attached proposal, we describe our qualifications and proposed approach to successfully carry out this work. Our team facilitated the development of the Santa Clara County Plan to End Homelessness, and we continue to support its implementation. We will build upon that work in Santa Clara to develop a City Plan that aligns with the strategies and goals outlined in the County Plan. At Homebase, we offer a flexible approach that is tailored to meet the goals of the community and that draws from our extensive experience facilitating community-driven strategic planning processes. We have proposed a team of highly skilled individuals with experience providing a range of support to homeless service systems around the country. We appreciate your consideration of our proposal. Additional information about Homebase is available at https://www.homebaseccc.org. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this proposal in further detail, please contact Bridget Kurtt DeJong at [email protected]. Best regards, Nikka Rapkin, Executive Director Homebase
Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
Homebase Proposal November 1, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENT S
Executive Summary 1
About Homebase 1
Proposed Team 3
Scope of Work 4
Proposed Timeline and Budget 9
Contact Information 9
Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
Homebase Proposal November 1, 2021
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Homebase proposes to work with the City of Santa Clara to convene a Housing Taskforce in order to prepare a City Plan to End Homelessness, grounded in evidence- based practices, lessons learned, and input from members of the community including but not limited to unhoused residents, service providers, and community members at- large. The plan will be developed through an inclusive, community-based planning process with an equity lens that aligns with the Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness and addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of the City.
Based on staff and community engagement, our team will identify goals, policies, programs, and quantified objectives to include in the City Plan to End Homelessness to ensure an effective response to the housing and homelessness needs and constraints in Santa Clara.
As technical assistance providers in Santa Clara County, we are deeply familiar with the region. Our proposed team includes staff who facilitated the development of the Community Plan to End Homelessness and who are working with individual cities in the County, including Santa Clara, on alignment with plan goals and implementation. We will develop a tailored roadmap that is based on Santa Clara’s local needs and strategies that work to reduce homelessness within a regional context.
Homebase proposes a process that is equitable, inclusive, and responsive. Our team will utilize an approach tailored to the specific needs and priorities of the City and informed by experience conducting successful planning processes.
ABOUT HOMEBASE
Homebase/The Center for Common Concerns is a nationally recognized expert on homelessness and a skilled technical assistance provider based in San Francisco, CA.
We are a mission-driven nonprofit organization known for our ability to successfully build community capacity to end homelessness and to foster thriving, inclusive communities.
We have more than 30 years of experience providing high-quality services and support to communities in California and throughout the nation. Our technical assistance is concrete and outcome-oriented and focuses on both system and program-level capacity building and performance improvement. Our portfolio of services ranges from targeted guidance regarding compliance with federal Continuum of Care (CoC) requirements and implementation of best practices, to broader change management, including facilitation 1 Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
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of system redesign efforts aimed at improving outcomes and ensuring strategic allocation of resources.
We provide community-based strategic planning facilitation; partnership development to enhance cross-sector and cross-agency collaboration; assistance in the design and operation of a wide range of homeless housing and services; support and training in implementing best practice housing and service design; and advanced data collection, visualization, and analysis to guide planning and policy/program development. In all of our work, we tailor our services to offer customized solutions responsive to each community’s particular needs, foster sustained performance over the long term, and build system and program capacity to end homelessness.
Homebase works on the national and state levels on homelessness policy, program design, and funding allocations, and at the local level, assisting communities to develop effective systems and programs to prevent and end homelessness. We combine national presence and leadership on homelessness and affordable housing issues with deep local connections that enable us to remain grounded in the needs, concerns, and priorities of communities. Together, these assets have made us effective, able to translate policy, priorities, and regulations to communities in a way that fosters understanding and empowerment and builds compliance and improved performance.
A key area of focus for Homebase is assisting communities and agencies with the development of strategic plans. Homebase has facilitated numerous planning processes that have engaged local, county, and state departments and supports the implementation of many of these plans. Our experience includes:
• Dozens of community-wide strategic planning processes to address homelessness at city, county, and regional levels;
• Action and implementation plans to facilitate local stakeholders in collective impact approaches across systems and sectors;
• Plans to end youth homelessness, chronic homelessness, and homelessness among veterans / service members and their families;
• Over 30 plans to integrate health, housing, and homeless systems; and • Numerous agency-specific strategic plans.
Each planning process relies on the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders and involves numerous cross-sector and cross-department stakeholders. Our staff are skilled at facilitating conversations on priorities and needs and building consensus and enthusiasm for implementation with diverse stakeholders. 2 Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
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We are flexible in our approach in order to be responsive to evolving conditions and guidance from public health authorities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We will work with the City to determine whether in-person or virtual activities are preferred, and to create a safe environment if in-person activities will be taking place.
Homebase has developed strategies to ensure that virtual community engagement (including interviews, focus groups, workshops, and meetings) is inclusive of people with varying degrees of access, comfort, and facility with technology. In addition to addressing health concerns, our aim for well-structured virtual engagement is to increase participation by avoiding participant travel. Our team will work with City staff and Housing Taskforce members to ensure that logistics and outreach are conducted in a way that will support robust community engagement in the process.
PROPOSED TEAM
We propose a highly qualified team of housing and homelessness experts with diverse skillsets and experience facilitating strategic planning processes. Our proposed staff for this project make up a talented Project Team, skilled in conducting needs assessments, strategy and recommendation development, and planning; with local experience, cross- sector expertise, and knowledge of best practices and innovative strategies to sustainably and equitably address homelessness.
Project Lead:
Jessie Hewins, Directing Attorney
Our Project Team Lead for this project will be the contract manager and primary point-of contact for the City, ensuring that the work plan is carried out and all deadlines achieved. She will provide day-to-day management and oversight for the project team and will ensure quality control for all activities and deliverables. Jessie leads and provides technical assistance, oversight, and support for one of Homebase’s local teams, working in numerous communities in California and across the country, including in Santa Clara County where she championed the creation and growth of the Lived Experience Advisory Board and facilitated the development and ongoing implementation of the Community Plan to End Homelessness.
Project Staff:
Monica Porter, Senior Staff Attorney
Nikole Joseph Thomas, Policy Analyst II
Joy Balinbin, Policy Analyst
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Our Project Staff will conduct all activities and develop all deliverables necessary for successful completion of this project, including conducting the environmental scan and review of current programs, services, and resources; facilitation and documentation of community engagement activities and meetings (i.e., focus groups, community workshops, interviews, and surveys); development of recommendations and reports; and presentation of findings, recommendations, and strategies. The members of this team are experienced technical assistance providers and facilitators who have worked with Santa Clara County and cities within the county. Proposed staff supported the development of the County Plan to End Homelessness and have worked with cities in the county to align strategies with the County Plan.
Project Support:
Tania Morales, Project Coordinator
Our Project Support team member will support meeting logistics and facilitation as well as drafting of documents and materials. As Project Coordinator at Homebase, Tania assists with scheduling and coordination of community and stakeholder meetings, assists with meeting logistics, manages community listservs and contact information, coordinates outreach and communications for events and meetings, supports development of written materials and provides support for projects as needed.
SCOPE OF WORK
Based on our experience and our understanding of the City of Santa Clara’s goals and priorities for this project, we propose the following scope of work. We are happy to adjust as needed to meet your goals, budget, and desired timeline.
Phase I: Housing T ask Force Facilitation
Facilitate Monthly Housing Task Force Meetings Month 1, Ongoing In our experience with strategic planning, Homebase has found that the engagement of a steering committee has been key to the overall success of the planning process, resulting in shared strategies across departments and stakeholder groups city-wide. In this case, Homebase will support the development of the Housing Taskforce, including a Kick-Off meeting and subsequent monthly meetings. The Housing Taskforce will oversee and advance the strategic planning process with facilitative support from the Homebase team. It is essential for the Taskforce to consist of stakeholders with a range of perspectives and experience, which may include City officials and staff, unhoused individuals or members of the community with lived experience of homelessness, and other stakeholders identified by the City.
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Homebase will attend and facilitate monthly meetings via a virtual platform. A Kick-Off meeting will be held to introduce members and develop a shared vision and goals for the project. At that time, the Homebase team will present existing materials such as the County strategic plan and the implementation outline to bring all members up to speed on plan development. During the initial phases of this project, the Taskforce will be a forum for discussion of persistent challenges and emerging opportunities for critical investment. The Taskforce will also review and approve Homebase’s Planning Process and Stakeholder Engagement Plan to establish a guiding vision and goals for the planning process and subsequent Plan development.
Plan and Prepare Meeting Agendas and Relevant Materials Month 1, Ongoing In preparation for Housing Taskforce meetings, the Homebase team will develop all agendas, announcements, and meeting materials. This may require research on topics of interest to the Taskforce as they develop strategies and policy solutions, information on established and emerging best practices, and successful strategies in place in other communities. Homebase will serve as a neutral facilitator, providing information and support as needed while enabling robust discussion among stakeholders on the Taskforce.
Phase II: Community Education and Engagement
Conduct Environmental Scan Months 1-2
Homebase will gather information and data to develop a baseline understanding of the City of Santa Clara’s strengths, needs, and gaps in relation to homelessness.
Homebase will carry out an environmental scan that identifies existing housing and homelessness needs and constraints in the City as well as existing policies and programs that reduce and prevent homelessness and meet the housing needs of the future unhoused or near-unhoused. This assessment will consider both the need for new programs as well as improvements to the operation of existing housing and services. Our team will review and analyze initiatives underway in the city, county, and region (including the implementation of the Santa Clara County Community Plan to End Homelessness) to ensure that the plan is informed by and aligned with the work that has already begun.
Create a Community Outreach Plan Months 2-4
We have found that engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the planning process and providing meaningful opportunities for input and feedback is paramount for a successful strategic plan and future implementation. Stakeholder engagement not only supports 5 Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
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the development of a community-informed strategic plan; it also serves to build momentum and enthusiasm, building consensus and buy-in on strategies and next steps. As such, Homebase will facilitate a comprehensive community engagement process that ensures that planning and recommendation development is based on concrete information about local needs and resources. Building upon the environmental scan, we will conduct a deeper assessment of strengths and needs grounded in community engagement via a community kick-off event, virtual or in-person stakeholder interviews, and focus groups.
Homebase will work with City staff and the Housing Taskforce to design and facilitate virtual and/or in-person convenings according to current public health conditions. Our team has the capability and experience necessary to successfully conduct engaging online meetings with diverse stakeholders that leverage technology, use adult learning principles, and are inclusive of people with varying degrees of access, comfort, and facility with technology. We will work with the City to develop agendas, discussion questions, infographics, and other materials necessary for the following community engagement activities.
Community Kick-Off Event and Planning Workshop
We propose to initiate community engagement with a community kick-off event / workshop. This event would be an open (most likely virtual) meeting aimed at achieving early engagement and buy-in from key stakeholders, and the session would be scheduled to ensure broad participation and attendance. The event will be organized with the goal of inviting everyone with any interest in contributing to the planning process, including City officials and staff, housing and service providers, representatives from schools, law enforcement, healthcare and other adjacent systems, business and community leaders, unhoused residents and individuals with lived experience of homelessness, and community members at-large. This event will be structured to both build community-wide support for the planning process and gather initial information to guide planning. As such, meeting participants will receive information about homelessness in the City and general information on best practices and will have the opportunity to provide initial feedback to the process about needs, gaps, and existing service system performance.
Key Stakeholder Interviews
Identifying key stakeholders to provide in-depth information via individual interviews is an important element of the strategic planning process. We will work with the City and/or Housing Taskforce to identify 3-4 key stakeholders for interviews. We have also found that stakeholders who may best inform the process via interviews are often identified during the process of community meetings and outreach. 6 Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
Homebase Proposal November 1, 2021
Focus Group Meetings
To further contextualize our analysis of gaps, needs and resources, and to solicit additional input from the community, we also propose a series of 3-4 meetings with key stakeholders, with the participation and structure developed in partnership with City staff and Taskforce members. We expect to host most of these meetings virtually but may hold in-person meetings if desired and appropriate. These meetings will include focus groups with stakeholders and may also include an internal inter-departmental City staff meeting, and/or topical subcommittee sessions. We will engage the knowledge and experiences of a cross-section of those closest to the issue of homelessness in the City, which may include City staff, housing and homeless service providers, public and behavioral health providers, business groups, civil rights organizations, court officials, public safety providers, education providers, economic and workforce development providers, neighborhood associations, and which will include focus groups with unhoused people and people with lived experience of homelessness. Focus groups with people with direct experiences of homelessness may be organized by geography, sub- population, or program component. The structure of these focus groups, participants, and outreach and engagement methods will be determined in consultation with the Housing Taskforce and/or City staff and will take into consideration logistical constraints due to COVID-19 as necessary. We propose to provide gift cards to honor the time of individuals with lived experience of homelessness who participate in focus groups.
Stakeholder / Provider Survey
In addition to the community-wide kickoff event, individual interviews, and work sessions/focus groups, we propose conducting an e-survey for stakeholders including housing and service providers. We have found that e-surveys allow for an additional avenue to gain input from stakeholders while being respectful of time constraints and other obligations.
Phase III: Goals, Policies, Programs, and Quantified Objectives Identification of Goals, Policies, Programs, and Objectives to Include in the City Plan to End Homelessness M onths 4-5
Homebase will analyze the information gathered during the environmental scan and stakeholder engagement processes to develop a set of findings and recommendations that identify goals, policies, programs, and quantified objectives to include in the City Plan to End Homelessness to ensure an effective response to the housing and homelessness needs and constraints in Santa Clara. Our team will compile a draft of these findings and recommendations in order to work with the Housing Taskforce to 7 Santa Clara City Plan to End Homelessness
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flesh out and refine the mission, goals, objectives, and strategies to guide the City in addressing homelessness.
Compliment to Santa Clara County Plan to End Homelessness Month 5 The Homebase team will work with the Housing Taskforce to identify how each priority area for action and related goals, objectives, and strategy recommendations align with strategies and goals outlined in the Santa Clara County Plan. Identified goals and strategies will support County and regional efforts without duplication in order to support a collective impact on homelessness.
Conclude Taskforce with a Draft city Plan to End Homelessness Months 5-6 Based on the environmental scan, identified goals, policies, programs, and objectives, and on input from community stakeholders, City staff, and the Housing Taskforce, the Homebase team will develop a draft strategic plan. The Plan draft will include:
• Information from the environmental scan and community engagement activities, identifying strengths, unmet needs, and opportunities;
• Priority areas for action, as defined by the Housing Taskforce and other stakeholders;
• Goals, objectives, and recommendations for each priority area of action; • Identification of City actions that support County and regional efforts without duplication; and
• Support for implementation.
The full draft document will be provided to City staff and the Housing Taskforce at a concluding Taskforce meeting, along with a summary document outlining key elements of the Plan. This summary document will be a clear, concise outline of the Plan that can be used to share information about the draft Plan with community stakeholders.
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Homebase Proposal November 1, 2021
PROPOSED TIMELINE AND BUDGET
At Homebase, we pride ourselves on meeting the needs of the communities we work with. We have created a scope of work and budget that is based on our understanding of the City’s goals for this project and the tasks involved. We are happy to adjust as necessary.
Project Timeline: 6 months (January 2022 – June 2022)
Total Budget: $75,000
CONTACT INFORMAT ION
Homebase appreciates the opportunity to submit this proposal and would be pleased to answer any questions you may have. Please contact Bridget Kurtt DeJong, Director of Capacity Building, at [email protected] or 415-788-7961 x324.
The information provided in this proposal does not constitute legal advice or advertise legal services. Homebase does not enter into attorney-client relationships. 9