Specifications include, but are not limited to: A. Program Overview Each sleeping cabin will have heating and air conditioning and a convenience outlet and will be furnished with a bed and storage containers for personal belongings. Each site will also include on-site sanitation, common space(s), storage for larger items, office(s) and parking for on-site staff and provisions for security (fencing, cameras, lighting, etc.). The Safe Stay Communities are intended to operate as a temporary living environment, with a goal average length of stay for any individual guest being between three and six months (with potential extension based on their needs). The program will include a formal intake process to identify strengths and needs and connect guests to services. Safe Stay guests will access services on and offsite and will be offered activities designed to build independent living skills, increase income, build financial empowerment skills, and promote health and well-being. The selected provider will work with guests to create a housing plan and eliminate barriers around housing and economic stability. B. Individual Engagement and Supportive Services These projects require collaboration between the County, Stay Safe operator, multiple service agencies and the community at large. Operators engage guests to ensure a successful stay and develop a housing plan, which consist of the following: identification of strengths and barriers to permanent housing; referrals to critical services including: shelter, transitional/permanent housing, medical/dental/mental health services, Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services, and employment. This work includes building partnerships with local homeless and housing providers to ensure that services are available on-site that meet the comprehensive needs of the guests and furthers their work in overcoming obstacles to personal empowerment and housing stability. While the average length of stay is anticipated to be six months, an individual client’s length of stay will depend on their needs. The operator will continually work to engage clients to ensure they are making progress on an appropriate exit plan. Below is a list of activities operators are responsible for administering: 1. Management of the Safe Stay Community, including 24/7 oversight that would include (but is not limited to): on-site supervision at all times, compliance with data entry into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), safety protocol and/or program compliance, ongoing collaboration with County and ongoing communication with providers of supplies, materials, food, water, toilets, sanitation and safety; 2. Site maintenance to include the regular cleaning and sanitizing of common spaces including toilets, showers and meeting/eating spaces (maintenance of these spaces will be the responsibility of the operator); 3. Safety protocol including but not limited to monitoring private spaces where personal belongings are kept, ensuring rules and regulations of the site are followed, and ensure safety of all guests by developing a centralized entry and exit process for the site; 4. Provide meals and snacks, to include food storage for the planned number of residents; 5. Provide access to sanitation, including toilets, sinks, and garbage collection, to include maintenance of site amenities; 6. Manage the intake process for all incoming guests, deliver housing-focused case management services and facilitate access for partner agencies to deliver supportive services on site; 7. Participate in local Continuum of Care (CoC) activities, including participation in the community’s Coordinated Entry System (CES); 8. Establish and implement a system of data collection and reporting. Operator will be responsible to input client-level data, program services/activities, unduplicated numbers of individuals assisted and program outcomes in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and County’s designated database when available; 9. Enforce all current public health directives to control the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in the community, among other health practices; and, 10. Avoid exits to other homeless situations, even when program rules are violated; program termination will be reserved for persons who pose an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others and should be exited with assistance. C. Community Engagement and Connections The operators reach out to community members, partners and stakeholders to establish relationships, build trust, and engage in an ongoing dialogue and collective problem solving. Safe Stay guests are encouraged to seek opportunities to participate and contribute to the community. Operators must conduct daily activities of the shelter in accordance with being a good neighbor to the community in which the shelter is located, including: Collaboration with neighbors and relevant county and city agencies to ensure that neighborhood concerns about the facility are heard and addressed; Actively discourage and address excessive noise or loitering from program guests and others who may be near the site; Operator or a representative attends all appropriate neighborhood meetings; and Mitigate the impacts on the neighborhood of shelter population waiting or loitering in the area surrounding the building.
