Title
Responses to RFP for Supplemental Shelter and Services (B)
Purchasing staff has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from local agencies to provide additional shelter and services to address the needs of the homeless during the upcoming winter months. The single response to the RFP received on November 19, 2007, will be presented to the City Commission for its consideration.
Explanation
Purchasing staff has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from local agencies to provide additional shelter and services to address the needs of the homeless during the upcoming winter months (December 2007 - March 2008). The RFP was issued on October 29, 2007, with a response deadline of November 19, 2007. The single response to the RFP, with staff recommendations based on the evaluation of the proposal received by the November 19 deadline, will be presented to the City Commission for its consideration on December 10. Copies of the complete RFP and the joint proposal received from the Alachua County Housing Authority and St. Francis House are on file in the Purchasing Division.
Last fiscal year (2006-07), the City Commission approved $25,000 for cold weather shelter, which was divided evenly between the only two organizations that responded to the City's RFP last year - St. Francis House and the Alachua County Housing Authority (ACHA). St. Francis House provided cold night shelter by housing additional guests over its normal capacity of 35, while the ACHA provided vouchers to house individuals in local hotels/motels. In addition to the funding provided by the City, $12,500 from a donation by local businessman Clark Butler was used to augment the ACHA hotel/motel voucher program.
St. Francis House provided shelter for an average of 39 additional persons per night for 46 cold nights (i.e., when the temperature dropped to 45° F or lower) from December 2006 to March 2007 (a cumulative/duplicated total of 1,803 persons). The ACHA hotel/motel voucher program, on the other hand, housed a total of 57 persons on cold nights from December to March.
The joint proposal from the Alachua County Housing Authority and St. Francis House provides for St. Francis House to shelter an estimated 24 persons in addition to its normal capacity of 35 at its facility on an estimated 66 cold nights. In turn, the Alachua County Housing Authority would provide up to 312 double-occupancy hotel/motel vouchers on cold nights for homeless persons or families who have special needs, such as medical needs.
Fiscal Note
The City Commission has budgeted $25,000 in the FY 2008 General Fund budget for the provision of supplemental shelter and services for the homeless.
Recommendation
The City Commission 1) receive a staff report on responses to the City's RFP for supplemental shelter and services and award a contract or contracts for these services as deemed appropriate, and 2) authorize the City Manager to contact the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners and County Manager to inquire about additional funding for supplemental shelter and services.
Alternate Recommendation A: The City Commission receive a staff report on responses to the City's RFP for supplemental shelter and services and award a contract or contracts for these services as deemed appropriate.
Alternate Recommendation B: The City Commission receive a staff report on responses to the City's RFP for supplemental shelter and services and defer action.