Approve second amendment to Agreement No. 25-56 with Environmental Alternatives dba EA Family Services to extend the term of the Agreement through June 30, 2026; reduce 2024-25 funding by $192,276; and add funding in the amount of $648,837 for 2025-26 for a new contract maximum of $841,113 for the period of November 1, 2024, through June 30, 2026, for the provisions of transitional housing assistance for transitional aged youth. (No general fund impact) (Morales)

HHSA staff requests approval of this Second Amendment with Environmental Alternatives dba EA Family Services (EA Family Services) to add funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26. The Agreement is funded by the transitional housing program (THP), housing navigator program (HNP), housing navigation and maintenance program (HNMP) funds and Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP). The goals of THP, HNP, HNMP and HHAP are to provide services to prevent homelessness for young adults from 18 to 24 years of age, with a priority given to those formerly in the foster care and/or probation system. The goals include providing a safe living environment, while helping participants develop the life skills needed to live independently, particularly those experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless in finding and securing stable housing by providing comprehensive support throughout the process, including identifying available options, completing applications, overcoming barriers to housing and navigating related social services to maintain tenancy. Overall, these funding sources assist young adults, prioritizing former foster and probation youth, in securing and maintaining stable housing by providing support services and offering ongoing support to prevent homelessness once they are settled in a residence.

The Agreement is for the provision of transitional housing services to young adults from 18 to 24 years of age in the community to secure and maintain housing (with priority given to those in the state’s foster care or probation system). EA Family Services provides support to eligible youth through a housing navigator, social workers, and case managers. The goal is to improve coordination of services and connections to community resources within the child welfare system and the Homeless Continuum of Care. Additionally, EA Family Services engages in outreach and targeted efforts to serve those with the most severe needs. More specifically, EA Family Services works with eligible youth to identify potential housing units and assist them through the rental process to secure and maintain housing. Additionally, the Agreement includes provisions for training County Child Welfare and Probation staff who may serve the eligible target population. EA Family Services will work to build a support system by creating a regional partnership and maintaining homeless services and housing delivery network, particularly focused on homeless youth. Approving this amendment allows EA to continue services without a break in services to the young adults they are currently serving.  

On July 10, 2024, General Services Department (GSD), Procurement Division, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) for transitional housing assistance for transitional aged youth. The solicitation was open for 29 days, (just over 4 weeks). On July 17, 2024, County offered potential bidders an opportunity to ask questions during a bidder’s conference.

The County received five (5) proposal(s) from this solicitation (see list below). GSD completed the initial screening of all proposals for responsiveness of the RFP. All proposals were deemed responsive per the RFP requirements. All five (5) proposals were moved forward to the Review Committee, comprised of three (3) HHSA County employees.

The Review Committee evaluated the proposals and determined that the proposal submitted by Environmental Alternatives dba EA Family Services met all the required qualifications necessary to successfully provide these services.  The review committee chose to move forward with the highest scoring vendor and on September 9, 2024, the County issued an Intent to Award letter.

Additional information regarding the Competitive Bid Process is provided below, including a summary of the solicitation evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Criteria Included in RFP

The RFP estimated a project cost of $609,842 per fiscal year, with a term of up to four years, subject to the availability of funds. It also allows for any unspent funds to roll over into future fiscal years. The reduction in FY 2024–25 is due to unspent funds from that same fiscal year. While EA Family Services submitted a proposal totaling $568,000, the County is budgeting $648,837 for FY 2025–26 based on available funding and the potential to serve more individuals. If the contract is extended through an amendment, any remaining unspent funds will continue to roll forward, provided funds are available and expenditure deadlines permit.

Performance Measures included in this Agreement are as follows:

HHSA confirms EA Family Services is performing satisfactorily under this Agreement. Performance Measures were originally included in this Agreement and are not being revised at this time (See Att. B. Performance Measures). In FY 2024-25, EA Family Services served ten (10) former foster youth young adults who were homeless at the time of program entry: seven (7) participants are employed, four (4) are enrolled in school/education program (data includes duplicate counts).