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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 RFP 148 AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND FINALPage 1 of 10 Funding for 2022 Projects Affordable Housing Funds Request for Proposals Maximum Proposal Request $175,000 Page 2 of 10 BACKGROUND Introduction The Affordable Housing and Homeless Housing Task Force identified three main purposes of the Homeless Crisis Response and Housing 5 Year Plan for Jefferson County, in addition to fulfilling the legislative mandate (RCW 43.185C.050, 2018): ● Blueprint for Implementation: A clear and concise agreement about the community’s plan to reduce homelessness through the implementation of these objectives. ● Tool for Advocacy: An informational focal point to inspire local advocacy and leadership to embrace homelessness as a priority for action. ● Reference for Funders: An articulation of the community’s priorities for funding, ensuring that these priorities meet the Federal, State, and Local requirements. The plan lays out the objectives and strategies to guide local government, non-profit agencies, and other partners to achieve the desired outcomes necessary to significantly reduce homelessness and create more affordable housing options for those struggling to find shelter. The specific objectives include: ● Quickly identify and engage people experiencing homelessness. ● Prioritization of homeless housing for people with the highest needs. ● Operate an effective and efficient homeless crisis response system that swiftly moves people into stable and permanent housing while providing services. ● Create a projection of the number of households & individuals left unsheltered, assuming existing resources and stated policies. Followed by a projection of the impact of the fully implemented local plan on the number of households or Individuals housed. ● Address Racial, Ethnic and Gender Disparities among People Experiencing Homelessness ● Address Supportive Efforts Aimed at Ending Homelessness Page 3 of 10 The funding priorities of this application include: 1. Funding projects that create affordable housing units. 2. Funding projects that preserve existing affordable housing units. Selection Criteria We will rank responses according to the criteria described below. All responsive proposals received by the time and date specified in this RFP shall be evaluated by the RFP Evaluation Panel based on the following criteria and weights: Evaluation Criteria Max. Points A. Capacity - Experience Providing Similar Program Services or Developing Similar Projects 20 B. Alignment - Meets Five Year Affordable Housing Plan Objectives and Actions 20 C. Approach – Completeness of Proposal and Readiness 20 D. Impact – Leverage of Funding and Number of Persons Assisted 20 E. Budget – Feasible Financial Plan 20 TOTAL 100 Submission Requirements All proposals must include the following elements. We reserve the right to disqualify any incomplete proposals. (a) Capacity - Experience Providing Similar Services (20 Points) – Responders must describe their experience in providing similar program services or development initiatives. Please provide examples of specific strategies, programs, and projects that you believe were successful and include copies as part of your submission. Please identify staff that will be assigned to this program or project and their qualifications to undertake the proposed scope of work. Staff or Board member experience may be substituted for organizational experience. Financial Capacity – Please include prior year tax returns or audited financial statements and the Annual report for the previous year Page 4 of 10 (b) Alignment - Meets Five Year Affordable Housing Plan Objectives and Goals (20 Points) Identify the Specific Objective and Action the Project will address. Describe how the project will address that Objective. Check the priority this Program or Project addresses: Housing ____ Shelter (meaning a place to sleep) ____ Support Services ____ The purpose of his RFP is to fund Projects or Programs; it is not meant to fund Operating Costs. Operating (Operational) costs are the expenses which are related to the operation of a business, or facility. They are the cost of resources used by an organization just to maintain its existence. (c) Approach – Completeness of Proposal and Readiness (20 Points) Please provide a well-developed and thoughtful plan describing how you will approach this assignment and complete the purpose of the proposal. The proposal will be evaluated based on the clarity of proposal, completeness of the submission including required certifications and documentation and readiness to begin the Program or Project if funding is awarded. To assist with a determination of readiness identify whether: ✔ The requested funds will fully fund the Project or Program ✔ The Project or Program could be scaled (include the per unit cost of the Program or Project) ✔ Additional funds have been requested or will be requested. Identify the sources for those requests and the status of the requests. (d) Impact – Leverage of Funding and Number of Persons Assisted (20 Points) Identify other sources of funds that would be leveraged with the requested funds and/or how these funds will be used to leverage other funds Identify the number of persons who will be assisted with the requested funds. Identify the impact of the project in terms of reducing other government costs such as public safety costs. Page 5 of 10 (e) Budget – A Feasible Financial Plan (20 Points) Identify whether you are a 501(c) (3), for-profit, PHA or government agency. Please provide the following if applicable: ● Program or Project Budget which includes a complete breakdown of all funding sources already received or committed for this Program or Project ● Current operating budget for the organization requesting the funding PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION PROCESS General The following procedure will be used to evaluate the proposals and select finalists. All proposals received within the established deadline will be evaluated by the RFP Screening Panel. RFP Screening Panel An RFP Screening Panel consisting of three (3) or more voting members will be established. The RFP Screening Panel shall consist of members of the Affordable Housing Task Force. Proposal Evaluation Applicants whose proposal is being considered for an award may be invited to make an oral presentation of their proposal to the Joint Oversight Board (JOB). The JOB reserves the right to recommend funding for multiple contracts under this RFP or recommend funding for a portion of the requested amount at their discretion. FUNDING PERIOD Jefferson County Homelessness Program Funding Instructions HTF is requesting proposals for Affordable Housing Funds Funding will be available for the period Jan 1, 2022 - Dec 31, 2022. Each proposal requires the annual budget for the project. Grantees will be required to submit project progress and evaluation reports on a quarterly basis (every 3 months). Sealed proposals must be clearly marked on the outside of the envelope, “PROPOSAL – Affordable Housing Funds.” Mailing address for proposal is, Board of Jefferson County Commissioners: PO BOX 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368. Hand-delivered packets can be delivered to the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners Page 6 of 10 at the Jefferson County Courthouse office located at 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend, WA 98368. Proposals MUST be received by 4pm on Aug 6, 2021, if hand delivered. Mailed proposals must be postmarked no later than Aug 9, 2021. Late proposals will not be accepted. Submittals made in an incorrect format will not be considered. All responses to this Request for Proposal should be submitted on the provided application form. One (1) completed hard copy application is required to be submitted and an electronic PDF version of the proposal should be e-mailed to Carolyn Galloway at carolyn@co.Jefferson.wa.us. The following should be in the subject line: “Proposal – Housing.” It is especially important that your application is complete, signed, is for an eligible activity, and conforms to all program requirements. Applications not meeting all the requirements will not receive consideration for funding. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TIMELINE FOR 148 & 149 FUNDS Date Activity June 9 through Aug 6 Publish in the Papers and County Website RFP to be posted on the County website June 30 2pm Call-in for questions Aug 6th Proposals must be submitted by 4:00 pm Aug 10th Proposals opened and reviewed by RFP Screening Committee Aug 18th 2 pm- 4pm Technical questions panel review. Sept 8th Presentation of RFP to Housing Task Force Sept 22nd JOB to Review RPF Report /Recommend applicants to BOCC for funding Oct 4th BOCC regular meeting/ BOCC acts on recommendations Oct 15 Contracts to County Prosecutor and Risk Manager for approval Nov 30th Contracts to Providers and returned to BOCC for signatures Page 7 of 10 Definition of Area Median Income for Jefferson County: Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the income of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD. In Jefferson County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $52,000. AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDS In 2002, the State Legislature enacted SHB 2060 [RCW 36.22.178], an Act relating to funds for operating and maintenance of extremely or very low-income housing projects and for innovative housing demonstration projects. The Jefferson County Commissioners have named this fund the Jefferson County Affordable Housing Fund. The County Commissioners will make all final funding decisions. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) agencies, for-profit entities, a public housing authority or governmental entity. Grantees are required to submit project progress and evaluation reports on a quarterly basis (every 3 months). Monthly invoices will require documentation supporting the request for reimbursement. Affordable Housing Funds are available for the period below: The appropriation for these funds will lapse at midnight on January 31, 2023. Unspent funds remaining after 12/31/2022 will not carry over to the next funding cycle but will be added to the funds available for allocation in the next funding cycle. Permissible Uses of Funding Funding must be distributed for programs and services as written in the local homeless housing plan outlined in SHB 2060 (RCW 36.22.178) which are: Eligible activities: a. Acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to very-low income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income. b. Supporting building operating and maintenance costs of housing projects or units within housing projects eligible to receive Washington State Housing Trust Funds, that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income, and that require a supplement to rental income to cover ongoing operating expenses. If the proposal is to cover operation and maintenance of an existing Page 8 of 10 low-income housing units, explain how these costs have been funded in the past and why these funds are now needed. c. Rental assistance vouchers for housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the median income, to be administered by a local public housing authority or other local organization that has an existing rental assistance voucher program, consistent with or similar to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 rental assistance voucher program standards; d. Operating costs for emergency shelters and licensed overnight youth shelters. e. Per RCW 36.22.178(2), a priority must be given to eligible housing activities that serve extremely low-income households with incomes at or below thirty percent of the area median income. Period of Performance: Funding under this grant program is allocated for a 12 - month period. The period of performance for services solicited under this RFP begins Jan 1, 2022 and ends Dec. 31, 2022. Carryover of unspent funds into the next program year is not permissible. Guiding Principles for all Applicants: ● Proposals must be consistent with the guiding principles of the Five-Year Plan ● Be as specific as possible in stating goals, objectives, expected results, deliverables, etc. It is expected that there will be considerably more requests for funds than there are funds available. Therefore, conciseness and clarity of description are essential. ● Projects will be judged in part on whether goals are realistic within the timeframe of the grant, whether they have concise quantitative (measurable) outcomes, whether there is a good method for evaluating those outcomes and the number of persons expected to be assisted. ● The organization must have the capacity to operate the proposed program. ● The program must provide services only within Jefferson County boundaries. ● Applicants that have received prior Affordable Housing and/or Homeless Housing and Assistance Funds must be current on all required reporting to be eligible to receive these funds. ● Grantees will be required to submit quantitative progress data reports on a quarterly basis (every 3 months) and a closeout report at the end of the funding period will be required Page 9 of 10 no later than Jan. 31, 2023. Failure to submit timely reports/progress data will result in holding or non-payment of funds. These reports should include a comparison of outcomes to date with those initially proposed, and the total number of individuals served in the contract period. A fiscal and programmatic monitoring visit may be conducted by the County during any project year. Provider will make all documents and required files available for review. ● A subcommittee of the Jefferson County Affordable Housing and Homeless Housing Task Force will screen all proposals for the Joint Oversight Board, who will then make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. The Commissioners will make all final funding decisions. Audit Requirement: Applicants must submit their most recent financial audit report, including any “Management Letter” and/or all other correspondence referred to in the audit report, along with the applicant’s response to the audit and corrective action plan, if any. If applicant has not been audited within the last two (2) years, a certified “Current Financial Statement” must be submitted in lieu of an audit report. Insurance Requirement: Awardees will be required to meet all the County’s insurance requirements, which are included as Attachment A to this RFP. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS Complete all parts of the application form and answer all questions on the application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and will not receive funding consideration. Application submittals are limited to the number of pages allowed. Applicants shall use Times New Roman 12-point font. Smaller font applications will not receive consideration for funding. All responses to this Request for Proposal should be submitted on the provided application form. One (1) completed hard copy applications are required to be submitted and an electronic PDF version of the proposal should be e-mailed to Carolyn Galloway, at carolyn@co.Jefferson.wa.us. Sealed proposals must be clearly marked on the outside of the envelope, “PROPOSAL – Affordable Housing Funds.” Mailing address for proposal is: Board of Jefferson County Commissioners PO BOX 1220 Port Townsend, WA 98368 It is especially important that your application is complete, signed, is for an eligible activity, and conforms to all program requirements. Applications not meeting all the requirements will not receive consideration for funding. Page 10 of 10 Proposal Deadline: Friday, August 6th, 2021 by 4pm Hand-delivered packets can be delivered to the Commissioners’ Office at the Jefferson County Courthouse; 1820 Jefferson St. Port Townsend, WA 98368. Proposals MUST be received by 4pm on Friday, August 6th, 2021 if hand-delivered and post marked August 6th, 2021 if mailed. Late proposals will not be accepted. Submittals made in an incorrect format will not be considered.