THE PLACE (HULEN) INTERIM HOUSING PROGRAM

PURPOSE The County of Riverside Purchasing Department, on behalf of Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health (herein after referred to as “COUNTY” or “RUHS-BH”), is seeking proposals from qualified bidders interested in providing Interim Housing (IH) known as The Place (Hulen) Interim Housing located at 2800 Hulen Place, Riverside, California. The Awarded Contractor will operate a stable, safe, alcohol- and drug-free transitional living environment for eligible participants. The selected Contractor will be responsible for providing “room and board” and “care and supervision” as regulated by the State of California and RUHS-BH. Interested parties must submit a proposal to provide the services and/or programs stipulated within this RFP. A description of services can be described in Section 2.0, Scope of Services. INTERIM HOUSING PROGRAM OVERVIEW Interim Housing (IH) is designed to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with interim stability and support so that they may successfully transition to and maintain permanent housing. This RUHS Interim housing project serves adults aged 18 and older who have severe behavioral health conditions and are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Eligible participants may also include homeless veterans, individuals with substance use disorders, victims of domestic violence, and transitional-aged youth, provided they meet the qualifying criteria of severe behavioral health conditions and homelessness. The program will serve both individuals coming directly from place not meant for human habitation as well as serving individuals who do not have a residence and who have high medical and/or behavioral health needs and need the opportunity to continue their medical/psychiatric/substance use disorder recovery after exiting an inpatient hospital (either acute or psychiatric or Chemical Dependency and Recovery hospital), residential substance use disorder treatment or recovery facility, residential mental health treatment facility, correctional facility, nursing facility, or recuperative care. According to the Medi-Cal Community Supports Policy Guide, (STPH) Short term post hospitalization housing is short-term residential care for individuals who no longer require hospitalization but still need to heal from an injury or illness (including behavioral health conditions) and whose condition would be exacerbated by an unstable living environment. An extended stay in a recovery care setting allows individuals to continue their recovery and receive post-discharge treatment while obtaining access to primary care, behavioral health services, case management, and other supportive social services, such as transportation, food, and housing. Members must meet the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition of homeless or at risk of homelessness as defined in Section 91.5 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). PROGRAM GOALS While in housing, residents will also receive an array of supportive services from Riverside County agencies and programs that would enable them to develop the skills and resources needed to reintegrate into the community and establish self-sufficient housing. Residential component: The residential component’s basic structure will consist of the following: 24-hour residence for a standard 90 day length of stay (any extensions past 90 days must be approved by RUHS-BH management), private sleeping accommodations, common use of kitchen facilities, dining rooms, and bathrooms, social services and referrals within a non-intrusive, low demand environment, and an overnight occupancy limited to 31 persons. Non-residential component: The non-residential component’s basic structure will consist of the following: Day time drop-in center where food, clothing, bathroom, and laundry facilities will only be provided to the intended service population on a drop-in basis, and social services and referrals within a non-intrusive, low demand environment. Anticipated hours for drop in center are 5:00 am to 7:00 pm but will be further negotiated during contract negotiations. Facility design will include the following: gender-separated, private sleeping accommodations and gender-separated bathrooms, common laundry area, kitchen facility, dining room, and recreational area for television, movies, games, and other recreational activities, front desk/monitoring, and staff offices dispersed throughout the building. TARGET POPULATION CRITERIA Programs will serve “hard-to-reach” homeless persons (transition age youth and adults) with severe mental illness, who primarily reside in a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, and have been unable or unwilling to participate in supportive services. Such persons often are the “hardest-to-reach” because of their severe mental illness, often compounded by substance abuse and health care problems, including non-compliance with prescribed medications. Complex or serious disorders contribute to their inability and/or unwillingness to access or participate in traditional housing or supportive services. As a result, such persons often become “chronically homeless” as defined by Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD defines a person who is “chronically homeless” as an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition, who has been continuously homeless for one (1) year or more, OR an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. In order to be considered chronically homeless, a person must have been sleeping in places not meant for human habitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in an emergency homeless shelter. A disabling condition is defined as a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions. A disabling condition limits an individual’s ability to work or perform one or more activities of daily living. Such characteristics make it very difficult for outreach and housing programs that serve the general homeless population, such as emergency shelters, to address their needs. Thus, opportunities to move beyond homelessness are greatly reduced for chronically homeless individuals with a severe mental illness. Moving beyond homelessness is also greatly reduced by the very nature of their disability that disrupts their judgment, motivation, and social skills. Therefore, because of their complex needs and resistance to homeless services, a comprehensive and flexible array of specialized services and related supportive efforts must be readily available to assist them. Programs will serve as a portal of entry for severely mentally ill and chronically homeless individuals to move beyond homelessness and into the area’s continuum of care. Residential and non-residential services will be provided using a non-intrusive, low-demand approach. The goal of both staff and volunteers will be to re-engage the proposed program’s service population with needed treatment and services. (PLEASE REFER TO RFP FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS)