Washington County, in cooperation with Clackamas and Multnomah Counties, is requesting proposals from organizations to provide Supportive Housing Services to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in the tri-county metro region of Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties. (All references to Clackamas County in this solicitation include both Clackamas County and the Housing Authority of Clackamas County.)

The three metro area counties are working to build a regional system of care to address and prevent homelessness through services and supports that lead to housing stability and equitable outcomes. This work will be funded through resources from the regional ballot measure that was passed by voters in May 2020 to create a tri-county Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Program.

The Supportive Housing Services Program serves people experiencing prolonged homelessness with complex disabilities, as well as people experiencing short-term homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The program is guided by a commitment to lead with racial equity by meeting the needs of Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/e, Asians, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees. All SHS services must be delivered in a manner that is culturally responsive, low barrier, and ensures equitable access and outcomes. Culturally specific programs and services are prioritized.

This joint cooperative procurement seeks to qualify organizations (“Suppliers”) to contract with Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas Counties (and the Housing Authority of Clackamas County) to provide services to support implementation of key components of the Supportive Housing Services Program, including:

• Outreach and engagement
• Shelter and transitional housing
• Connections to stable housing
• Supportive housing stabilization services
• Wrap-around supports

This Request for Programmatic Qualifications (RFPQ) is intended to establish a pool of Suppliers to provide these services. The Counties seek to identify a diverse range of Suppliers that they can partner with to build a regional system of care, including, but not limited to:

• Culturally specific organizations
• Community-based service providers
• Affordable housing owners and operators
• Outreach organizations
• Shelter and transitional housing providers
• Behavioral health and community health providers
• Providers of wrap-around services and supports
• Faith-based organizations

No contracts will be issued directly as a result of this RFPQ process. The intent is to establish a pool of Suppliers who will be eligible to be selected through separate allocation processes to enter into contracts with individual Counties for specific services. Suppliers can choose which of the three Counties they would be interested in contracting with for each service type.

The RFPQ process will be used to identify organizations that currently provide these services as well as organizations that do not currently provide these services but are interested in doing so. It is assumed that some organizations will need capacity building and technical assistance supports as part of their expansion to deliver SHS services.

Suppliers that are selected under this RFPQ may be qualified for five (5) years, beginning in March 2022 and lasting through March 2027. During that time period, Suppliers will be eligible to be selected through allocation processes implemented by each County for contracts to provide specific SHS services. Any contracts awarded through the Counties’ initial allocation processes will begin on or after March 1, 2022. Additional contracts may be awarded through subsequent allocation processes during the five-year qualification period. All contracts must end on or before March 2027.

Technical assistance:Technical assistance with the procurement process, including questions related to the meaning or intent of the RFPQ questions or the technical aspects of proposal submission, is available to all applicants and can be requested through the Question & Answer tab in the OpenGov procurement portal or by emailing [email protected]. Technical writing assistance will also be available to all interested applicants upon request. Applicants requesting technical writing assistance will be provided with a consultant to assist them in drafting proposal responses that articulate the provider's services and address the procurement questions. To request technical writing assistance or learn more, contact: Siniva Bennett, Equity Engagement Coordinator, Joint Office of Homeless Services, [email protected].

Like many areas across the country, the greater Portland metro region is experiencing a homelessness and housing crisis. Thousands of households in the tri-county region experience homelessness each night, and tens of thousands more are at risk of losing stable housing. In May 2020, voters in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties passed a ballot measure to fund a new Supportive Housing Services Program to address this growing crisis. The measure was developed by a broad coalition of culturally specific organizations, community service providers, business leaders, housing advocates and elected officials with the goal of building on investments from the 2018 Regional Affordable Housing Bond and other recent initiatives.

The Supportive Housing Services Program will provide services for as many as 5,000 people experiencing prolonged homelessness with complex disabilities, and as many as 10,000 households experiencing short-term homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The program is guided by a commitment to lead with racial equity by especially meeting the needs of Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/e, Asians, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees, and other marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by housing instability and homelessness.

The program directly funds Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties to invest in local strategies to meet the needs in their communities, guided by Local Implementation Plans developed through extensive community engagement processes. Within each county, implementation is led by designated agencies: Washington County’s Department of Housing Services; Clackamas County Health, Housing and Human Services and the Housing Authority of Clackamas County; and Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services.

Recognizing that coordination and shared responsibility are required to effectively meet the needs of people experiencing and at risk of homelessness across the region, the Counties are working together to enhance and expand the region’s system of care. This RFPQ is intended to establish a pool of Suppliers who can partner with each County in delivering programs and services to achieve the Supportive Housing Services Program’s overall goals in alignment with each county’s Local Implementation Plan.