Attachment C - Application~2.docx

RFA #S-91400-00016026 (OHCS #9304), Statewide Shelter Program Att C

ATTACHMENT C

APPLICATION

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Do you have suggested edits or exceptions to the terms of the Sample Grant Agreement?

If so, please provide a redlined version.

|_| Yes |_| No

ELIGIBILITY

1) Are you physically located in Oregon?

|_| Yes |_| No

2) Are you willing to serve at least one Region no smaller than a single county?

|_| Yes |_| No

3) What type of entity are you?

|_| Local government, including Oregon housing authorities |_| Nonprofit public benefit corporation

REGION(S)

For purposes of this RFA, a Region is an Oregon county. You may apply to serve one or more Regions. Please indicate which Region(s) you are applying to serve:

|_| Clackamas |_| Linn

SCORED CRITERIA

Each response is limited to 4,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Any characters beyond this limit will be removed and will not be evaluated.

1) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

(24 points possible)

a) Describe your experience and plans to involve and include Households with lived experience of homelessness, frontline service providers, groups at a high risk of experiencing homelessness, culturally responsive organizations, and tribal governments in developing a Regional Assessment and Plan addressing homelessness. Additionally, describe your experience in each proposed Region and explain how you have worked to build relationships in that Region(s) to authentically include and involve these community stakeholders.

(12 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having experience developing a regional plan to address homelessness or housing instability;

· Requiring the perspectives of Households experiencing homelessness, frontline service providers, and groups at a high risk of experiencing homelessness to inform regional priorities; and

· Having strong relationships and frequent communication with key community stakeholders involved in addressing homelessness or housing instability.

b) Describe your experience and plan to ensure consistent, relevant communication, engagement, and coordination with community stakeholders, including but not limited to local government, tribal government, nonprofit service providers, culturally responsive organizations, and Households with lived experience. Include how you work to resolve conflicts with stakeholders and create mutual trust.

(12 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having experience coordinating with stakeholders to develop shared goals, metrics, and deliverables;

· Having a communication plan that prioritizes community engagement and incorporates feedback in a meaningful way; and

· Having outlined steps to meaningfully mediate and resolve conflicts with stakeholders.

2) SHELTER EXPERIENCE AND STRATEGIES

(24 points possible)

a) Agency is supporting a Statewide network of emergency Shelter projects, ensuring that State-funded Shelter capacity across Oregon maintains at least the current number of Shelter beds supported during the State’s 2023-2025 biennium. Applicants must be familiar with the Shelter inventory in their proposed Region(s). Describe your strategies to meet Agency’s expectation to have no net loss in Shelter beds in your proposed Region(s). Include how many Shelters you will support, the type of Shelters (Low Barrier or Recovery Based, Housing Focused Shelter or basic overnight Shelter, Congregate Shelter or Noncongregate Shelter, Year-Round Shelter or Inclement Weather Shelter, Domestic Violence Shelter), and the populations you will serve.

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Understanding the Shelter inventory in the proposed Region(s), and knowing how many Shelter beds you will support in the Region(s); and

· Having a clear plan to ensure there is no net loss in Shelter beds for the Region.

b) Describe your experience and strategies to support Shelter outcome goals to increase permanent housing placements from Shelter and reduce returns to Unsheltered homelessness. If applicable, include current Shelter outcomes achieved. Describe strategies around Housing Focused Activities and/or coordination with community partners for wraparound supports to increase Shelter to permanent housing placements. Explain how you will be ready to begin providing services by July 1, 2026.

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Demonstrating success related to meeting Shelter outcomes that increase permanent housing placements and reduce returns to homelessness;

· Having strategies around Housing Focused Activities and/or coordination with community partners for wraparound supports to increase exits from Shelter to permanent housing placements;

· Having a referral process that coordinates with existing systems to reduce Unsheltered homelessness; and

· Being ready to implement the Program by July 1, 2026.

c) Describe your strategies to align with Low-Barrier, harm reduction, and evidence-based practices for emergency Shelter. Include how you will ensure at least 70% of Program funding is provided for Shelters providing Low-Barrier practices and at least 70% of the Program-funded Shelter beds and at least 70% of the Program-funded STEPS will meet Low-Barrier requirements.

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having a clear strategy for providing access to Low-Barrier, culturally appropriate Shelter for all Households experiencing Unsheltered homelessness; and

· Demonstrating use of evidence-based practices in service provision.

3) FISCAL ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNANCE

(16 points possible)

a) Describe your financial management system and protocols to provide funding to subgrantees in a consistent, timely manner. What is the average time from invoice to payment? Describe the process you use to resolve payment issues, including pathways for subgrantees to escalate issues.

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having a robust financial management system and protocols in place to provide funding to subgrantees consistently;

· Maintaining an average time from invoice to payment that is within 45 days;

· Having a documented process in place to quickly resolve payment issues; and

· Providing a single point of contact for subgrantees to escalate issues.

b) Describe the expertise and capacity of your fiscal staff and leadership. Highlight key roles and relevant experience that demonstrates your team’s ability to effectively oversee and administer Program Grant funds. Describe relevant financial oversight policies and procedures, and explain how you will ensure fiscal responsibility and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. What internal controls exist to guarantee Program Grant funds are used appropriately by your organization as well as any subgrantees?

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having robust internal controls and accountability measures to ensure appropriate use of Grant funds; and

· Having a documented, well-known process to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse that includes capability for anonymous reporting.

c) What other funding resources are available in your proposed Region(s) to support the Program? How will you leverage other funding sources to maximize impact? Please provide Region-specific details on the sources and amounts of these funds.

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having sustainable commitments and support from external sources;

· Not being solely reliant on Program Grant funds and;

· Having prior success braiding funding sources and opportunities to meet goals.

4) SUBGRANTS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND MONITORING

(12 points possible)

a) Describe your experience administering grant funds to subgrantees. This includes both program and fiscal monitoring, as well as your ability to help subgrantees establish and maintain clear, consistent, and trackable systems for both program activities and spending. Also describe any experience you have providing technical assistance to help subgrantees improve their systems and outcomes.

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having prior experience administering state or federal subgrants;

· Having prior experience monitoring subgrantees;

· Facilitating consistent, predictable, and trackable systems and services that allow subgrantees to plan for needs and reduce administrative burdens; and

· Tailoring training and technical assistance to help subgrantees improve performance, add capacity, and adhere to funding requirements.

b) Describe your methodology or approach to subgrantee selection, and describe how it aligns with Agency’s expectations for transparency, use of objective criteria, and clear communication to potential subgrantees. How will you ensure that all eligible entities are aware of and have access to participate in Program funding opportunities?

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having a clear, consistent process for selecting subgrantees and determining funding amounts;

· Using objective selection criteria; and

· Using a methodology or approach that is transparent and clearly communicated to all eligible, potential subgrantees, including those that may not have historically received funding.

5) EXPERIENCE WITH HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (HMIS) OR ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM AND USING DATA

a) Describe your experience with Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) or another robust data system to collect and monitor data on the number of Households experiencing homelessness, the type of services they use, and the effectiveness of homeless service programs. Are you an HMIS administrator? If not, explain how you will work with the HMIS administrator(s) in your proposed Region(s).

(8 points)

Some best practices include:

· Being an HMIS administrator or having an agreement with an HMIS administrator to utilize HMIS to collect and monitor data; or

· Having a plan, with a timeline, to enter into agreement with an HMIS administrator if needed.

b) Describe how you would establish and meet specific data quality benchmarks for timeliness, completeness, accuracy, and consistency.

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having a data quality plan that establishes specific data quality benchmarks for timeliness, completeness, accuracy, and consistency.

6) EQUITY

a) Provide evidence of how you demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion through policy and practices. How will this commitment be operationalized for the Program?

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Providing documentation of commitment to equity. Examples include written mission, vision, values, policy, or action plan.

b) Provide an example of how you have used quantitative and qualitative data to identify disparities in service access and outcomes. How will you disaggregate Shelter outcome data to identify disparities?

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having experience and expertise to assess racial disparities in the provision or outcome of services and take the necessary steps to address such disparities;

· Having the ability to pivot in real time if results are not as expected; and

· Having a sound methodology to disaggregate data regarding Shelter access and outcomes, including Shelter exits, by race and ethnicity to identify disparities.

c) Describe your experience designing interventions through an equity lens to improve Shelter outcomes. How did you engage people with lived experience and culturally responsive organizations to design interventions?

(4 points)

Some best practices include:

· Having experience identifying disparities and designing interventions to improve Shelter outcomes; and

· Having a plan to engage people with lived experience and culturally responsive organizations in designing interventions to address identified disparities.

APPLICANT CERTIFICATION

1) Applicant understands and accepts the requirements of this RFA. By submitting an Application, Applicant agrees to be bound by the Grant terms and conditions in Attachment A, as modified by any Addenda, except for those terms and conditions that Agency has reserved for negotiation, as identified in the RFA.

2) Applicant acknowledges receipt of all Addenda to this RFA.

3) If awarded a Grant, Applicant agrees to perform the activities and meet the performance standards set forth in the final negotiated Grant.

4) I have knowledge regarding Applicant’s payment of taxes and by signing below I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, Applicant is not in violation of any tax laws of the State or a political subdivision of the State, including, without limitation, ORS 305.620 and ORS chapters 316, 317 and 318.

5) Applicant certifies that, to the best of its knowledge, there exists no actual or potential conflict between the business or economic interests of Applicant, its employees, or its agents, on the one hand, and the business or economic interests of the State, on the other hand, arising out of, or relating in any way to, the subject matter of the RFA. If any changes occur with respect to Applicant’s status regarding conflict of interest, Applicant must promptly notify Agency in writing.

6) Applicant certifies that all contents of the Application (including any other forms or documentation, if required under this RFA) and this Certification are truthful and accurate and have been prepared independently from all other Applicants, and without collusion, fraud, or other dishonesty.

7) Applicant understands that any statement or representation it makes, in response to this RFA, if determined to be false or fraudulent, a misrepresentation, or inaccurate because of the omission of material information could result in a "claim" {as defined by the Oregon False Claims Act, ORS 180.750(1)}, made under a Grant being a "false claim" {ORS 180.750(2)} subject to the Oregon False Claims Act, ORS 180.750 to 180.785, and to any liabilities or penalties associated with the making of a false claim under that Act.

8) Applicant acknowledges these certifications are in addition to any certifications required in the Grant at the time of Grant execution.

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