REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR SEASONS OF HOPE A SAFE HOUSE WITH OUTREACH PROGRAM Re-released: August 8, 2011 RFI Response Date: 4:00 p.m., August 19, 2011
Overview The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to licensed and certified providers for the implementation of a safe house with an outreach component known as the Seasons Of Hope. Season of Hope is an ADAMHS Board initiative to develop a safe house with an outreach component that identifies women (18 yrs or older) with behavioral health issues with a particular emphasis on women with substance use with or without a mental health diagnoses as well as other co-occurring disorders such as: developmental disabilities, criminal justice involvement, and/or trauma issues. According to the SAMHSA s Blueprint for Change, Use Evidence-Based and Promising Practices ; outreach is recognized as the critical step to connect or reconnect homeless individuals to needed services such as health, mental health, substance abuse, social services and housing. The ultimate goal of outreach is to develop rapport and trust to help individuals accept long-term services. The outreach worker will assess the needs of the women on the street and make a referral to the safe house or other appropriate resources to meet her needs. A study of the effectiveness of outreach with homeless people who abuse substances found that nearly half of persons contacted through outreach became enrolled in services (Tommasello et al., 1999). More important, those contacted through outreach had significantly higher levels of substance use than walk-in clients, and were more likely to be engaged in HIV risk behaviors. Consistent, caring, personal relationships, and the introduction of services at client s pace are critical elements in outreach efforts designed to engage people who are homeless into treatment. (SAMSHA Blueprint for Change) Historically, agencies have utilized their non-medicaid dollars to provide treatment to women that are seeking services but not for women that may not be seeking treatment and are living dangerous lifestyles. The Safe House will provide shelter and a respite from the streets to assist women to gain some stability in their lives. The overall goal of the safe house is to improve access, retention and outcomes by creating a seamless entry to treatment services for women who are in great distress with behavioral health needs. Goals & Objectives The ADAMHS Board goal is to provide support to eligible providers for the development and implementation of collaborative strategies that address the treatment needs of women that are living on the streets and in need of behavioral health treatment, particularly women with substance use with or without co-occurring disorders. The objective of the program is to provide women a low demand service and an environment where there no questions asked. The flexibility of the low-demand service can accommodate individuals who are reluctant to access traditional social services due to negative experiences or not motivated to begin treatment or commit to extended treatment. Individuals are not required to participate in treatment, but when they are ready, they are expected to engage in services. 2
Funding Parameters The funding for this program will be available from October 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. The ADAMHS Board has allocated up to $160,000 for the staffing of the Safe House and outreach program. The ADAMHS Board will be responsible for the associated costs of the house as well as security. A potential house has been identified to be designated as the first Season of Hope Safe House. The designated agency in collaboration with the ADAMHS Board will continue fundraising activities as well as approach prospective donors for household items and local funders to obtain additional funds to support this initiative. Program Design Applicants should address the following program design elements: 1. Description of Safe House operations including the philosophy of the Safe House and the implementation of the philosophy. 2. Description of implementation of low demand service at Safe House and Outreach program. 3. Description of Outreach Program including outreach strategies and therapeutic approaches to identified population. 4. Description of hours of operation, staffing patterns, and budget with narrative. 5. Description of oversight by parent agency and security of site. 6. Description of fundraising activities 7. Description of the development of collaborative relationship in the community and utilization of resources when appropriate. 8. Description of involvement from recovering community such as planning the program and participating in the programs. Definitions Target population: Women 18 years or older identified as a substance user. Low Demand Service: Unlimited access to resources and number of visits to safe house without an expectation of seeking behavioral health services or asking invasive questions. Client Centered: The woman is considered the expert and knows what she needs; there will be no emphasis on telling the woman she needs treatment, she will be allowed to move towards treatment at her own pace. Outreach: The outreach worker will engage and assess the needs of the woman in the community. Collaboration: Substance-related issues cannot be treated apart from addressing the needs of the whole person in the context of his or her environment. Recovery Community: Any woman that identifies herself as someone who is recovering from an addiction or substance use. 3
Scope of Services Project Deliverables: We are seeking a behavioral healthcare agency that is certified by ODADAS to provide the following services: Outreach services to women in the community with a demonstrated expertise with working with women that are resistant and reluctant to engage in treatment activities. Management of a residential setting that requires expertise in overseeing the day to day activities of the house and its occupants. Collaborative relationships with ADAMHS Board treatment providers to ensure linkage to treatment when a woman indicates her readiness to accept treatment. Collaborative relationships with community service providers that specifically meet the needs of the women. Providers must be willing to participate by providing timely access to their services. Development of a pool of recovery women that is willing to volunteer at the Safe House and to act as positive role models and mentor participants involved at the Safe House. Co-chairing the Seasons of Hope Advisory Committee, which include Board staff and other stakeholders. Development of fund raising and community awareness activities to promote and maintain the Seasons of Hope initiative. Monitoring and reporting outcomes and activities of the program monthly to ADAMHS Board. Agency Selection Criteria: This section allows the agency to better understand exactly what criteria will be of most importance during the RFI process and how to best address your needs and concerns. Prospective agencies will be selected based upon the following criteria: Current licensure from the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and certification to provide the identified services Hours and range of flexibility to serve the population Ability to provide outreach services and manage drop-in programs as well as managing a residential setting Expertise in providing AOD services to women with or without co-occurring disorders Ability to demonstrate cultural diversity within the program staff/team members Ability to demonstrate gender specific services Evidence of activities to promote recovery Realistic and structured start up plan for implementation Credentials of staff involved with the program as well as scope of services Agency is in full compliance with applicable rules, regulations and laws including, but not limited to, provisions controlling a consumer s confidentiality and privacy. The Agency has demonstrated a willingness to work in co-operation with ADAMHS Board and ADAMHS Board funded agencies. Agency has history in hiring women in recovery. 4
Operator shall implement a plan that outlines steps that may be taken to address a crisis or dangerous situation. EMS or Police should be contacted when behaviors of residents or unwanted guests put clients or others in clear risk. Client and Program Related Questions What has been your experience working with women with multiple issues? What is your experience with using a trauma based curriculum and how will your experience be demonstrated in the program? What is your experience with conducting outreach in the community? How does your outreach team track their contacts with women on the street? What has been your success in working with persons resistant to treatment? How will you navigate the challenges in accessing services at an identified agency? What are your hours of operation and how will you address referrals made during the evening and weekend? How will you address consumers from varied cultures, primary languages and other interpretive needs? Describe your current infrastructure for your Information and Technology (IT) department to support this initiative. Do you hire recovering women? Evaluation/Outcomes How will your program monitor, track, and report contacts made in the community and number of women visiting the Safe House? What is the agency s plan to ensure successful outcomes regarding outreach services? How will the agency determine timely follow up to referrals and requests for services? Describe how your agency will partner with the ADAMHS Board to share program/service related data? RFI PROCESS: Contact Person: William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer Alcohol Drug Addiction Mental Health Services Board 2012 West 25 th Street, 6 th Floor Cleveland, Ohio 44113 Identity and Contact Information of Potential Agency: Agency shall provide the name of a contact person, their telephone number, complete mailing address and email upon receipt of the RFI. Submission of Qualifications: The agencies qualifications and all required documents shall be submitted to William M. Denihan by August 19, 2011, at 4:00 P.M. Daylight Savings Time. Time will be determined by the clock in the reception area of the ADAMHS Board. Proposals received after that date and time shall be rejected and returned unopened to the Agency. 5
Final Review: A. All valid proposals will be reviewed, evaluated, and rated by the RFI Committee. The Review Committee will be composed of ADAMHS BOARD staff, consumer(s) and/or family members and non-competing members of Advisory Board. a. The RFI Committee will evaluate each proposal against the criteria in the RFI. b. The RFI Committee members may request information from sources other than the written proposal to evaluate Agency's programs. Other sources of information may include oral presentations by Agency, written responses to clarifying questions posed by the RFI Committee, and the Agency s history/experience in providing similar services. c. The Review Committee will complete evaluation rating sheets for discussion. In awarding the contract, the ADAMHS BOARD s evaluation will include, but will not be limited, to: i. Ability and experience of the Agency to provide the requested services; ii. Ability of the agency to manage the risk & safety of the program participants and staff iii. Stability of business operations of Agency; iv. Quality of proposal; v. Overall responsiveness and completeness of the proposal as well as the likelihood that, in ADAMHS BOARD s opinion and at ADAMHS BOARD s discretion, the proposal best meets or exceeds ADAMHS BOARD s specifications; vi. Cost of proposed service; vii. Any other factors considered relevant by ADAMHS BOARD and demonstrated by the proposal. B. If the successful Agency fails to execute the contract, ADAMHS BOARD may award the contract to another Agency whose proposal met the requirements of the RFI. C. ADAMHS BOARD reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in which the Agency takes exception to the terms and conditions of the request for qualification; fails to meet the terms and conditions of the Request for Information, including but not limited to, the standards, specifications, and requirements specified in the Request for Information; or submits prices that the contracting authority considers to be excessive, compared to existing market conditions, or determines exceed the available funds of the contracting authority; 6
D. ADAMHS Board reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any proposal that the ADAMHS Board has determined, using the factors and criteria the ADAMHS Board develops pursuant to ORC section 307.862(A)(1), would not be in the best interest of the ADAMHS Board. E. The ADAMHS Board shall have no liability whatsoever to any Agency whose qualifications are not accepted. F. Acceptance of the proposal of any Agency by the ADAMHS BOARD shall not constitute an agreement between the ADAMHS BOARD and such Agency, and shall not be binding upon the ADAMHS BOARD unless and until an agreement covering all conditions and provisions of the work to be performed by the successful Agency has, at the time of or after the acceptance of such proposal, been reduced to writing and executed by both the ADAMHS BOARD and the successful Agency. Agency(s) may not withdraw a proposal within sixty (60) days after the actual date of the opening thereof. PREPARATION OF PROPOSAL A. The proposal must be responsive to each criteria included in this RFI and must not exceed 8 pages, including the budget. B. Text must be legible. Pages must be typed in black ink, single-spaced, using a font of Times New Roman 12, with all margins (left, right, top, bottom) at least one inch each C. Paper must be white paper and 8.5 inches by 11.0 inches in size. Black ink should be used throughout your application, including charts and graphs. Pages should be typed single-spaced with one column per page. Pages should not have printing on both sides. D. Pages should be numbered consecutively from beginning to end so that information can be located easily during review of the application E. The Agency shall submit six (6) copies of the proposal to the ADAMHS Board. F. Each proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope bearing on the outside the name of the Agency, his/her address, and the name of the project. ASSIGNMENT OF CONTRACT The successful Agency shall, upon award of contract, agree to make no assignment and/or transfer of any duties or rights under this contract in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the ADAMHS BOARD. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Agencies are prohibited from discrimination and intimidation due to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. 7