Sources Sought Notice – G– Emergency housing for homeless veterans

Notice Type: Sources Sought Notice

Posted Date: 23-MAY-14

Office Address: Department of Veterans Affairs;VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21);VA Northern California HealthCare System;5342 Dudley Blvd. Bldg 98 (NCO 21);McClellan CA 95652-1012

Subject: G-- Emergency housing for homeless veterans

Classification Code: G - Social services

Solicitation Number: VA26114R0374

Contact: William (Tony) TanksleyContracting Specialist 916-923-4546 mailto:[email protected]

Description: Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Northern California Health Care System

Department of Veterans Affairs No. California Health Care System System

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. It is neither a solicitation announcement nor a request for proposals or quotes and does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Responses to this announcement must be in writing. The purpose of this Sources Sought Announcement is to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential Contractors that are capable of providing these services. Network Contracting Office (NCO) 21 is in the process of determining the acquisition strategy for providing residential placement and supportive services under the Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program. This program has been developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in an effort to end veteran homelessness and is authorized by Public Law 112-37 (and previously Public Law 100-6) and 38 U.S.C 2031(b). The Department of Veterans Affairs Sierra Pacific Network desires to implement this program by obtaining Emergency Housing Services for homeless or near homeless Veterans, preparing them for independent living so that they eventually find their way to permanent housing located within the community.

The purpose of this announcement is to obtain information from Contractors within the Department of Veterans Affairs Sierra Pacific Network located in Reno, NV area who can provide housing, care, treatment, and rehabilitative services to homeless veterans with medical, mental health or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders in a community-based residential treatment facility. The Contractor will be required to provide a therapeutic and rehabilitative milieu and attendant services targeting the underlying issues impacting veteran stability and housing status as determined by VA staff.

Community housing facility(s) must be real property and conform to the requirements for all applicable local and state licensing standards for residential "board and care" type occupancies or for the type of setting designated by local fire safety officials. The VA will not consider developmental properties. The physical building must conform to the standards in the general chapters of the latest edition of the Life Safety Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard No. 101 http://www.docstoc.com/docs/72503184/NFPA-101-2009-Life-Safety-Code, in effect on the date the agreement was established. All applicable fire laws must be complied with and there must not be any recommendations from the fire officials that have not been resolved. Facilities with automatic sprinkler systems are preferred, but not required. Facilities must be compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA).

Contractor may have segregated facilities based on gender (male/female) and family status (children/spouse); however, contractor is not allowed to maintain or provide dual or segregated patient facilities that are segregated on the basis of race, creed, color, or national origin. Contractor also may not require such segregated use by written or oral policies or tolerate such use by local custom. The term facilities shall include, but not be limited to: rooms, wards, sections, eating areas, drinking fountains, entrances, etc.

Community housing facilities must be an institution licensed by the State in which it is located to provide on a regular basis, limited case management services and social rehabilitation to individuals who require above the level of room and board, but do not require skilled nursing services as provided by a skilled nursing facility. Contractor must possess a current occupancy permit issued by the authority having jurisdiction over the facility. Accreditation by Joint Commission or Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is evidence of contractor's internal quality assurance mechanisms and is desirable, but not required.

Emergency Housing services will be furnished to veterans for whom such care is specifically authorized by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA Sierra Pacific Network. Contractors shall have experience and be able to demonstrate ongoing capacity in successfully working with residents recovering from co-morbid conditions such as serious mental illnesses, substance abuse, disorders, and other serious medical conditions within a community setting.

Contractor is required to provide the following or have arrangements/relationships with subcontractors or community organizations in place to provide the following:

a. ROOM AND BOARD: Room and Board shall be accessible to the Veteran 7 days a week and 24 hours per day. Accommodations will include a bed and linens (towels and bed sheets), as well as other furnishings such as a dresser or other means of secure storage. At least three nutritious meals, 7 days a week will be provided for Veterans. Suitable alternative meal options must be made available to reasonably accommodate those with special, medically required dietary restrictions. In addition, nutritious snacks of nourishing quality (e.g. fruits), should be available between meals and before bedtime for those requiring or desiring additional food, when it is not medically contraindicated. There will not be more than a 14 hour span between evening meal and breakfast of the following day. Food shall be prepared, served and stored under sanitary conditions. The facility may provide storage space in an onsite refrigerator for Veterans to store personal food. The facility shall establish and maintain sanitary procedures for washing dishes, cleaning equipment and work areas, and disposing of waste.

b. LAUNDRY: Laundry facilities or service must be available at no cost for residents to tend to their laundry needs.

c. DIRECT SERVICES: The following are the minimum direct services which the Contractor will be expected to furnish to Veterans admitted to the program. The Contractor shall comply with the principles listed in 38 CFR 17.707(b) to provide housing and supportive services in a manner that is free from religious discrimination.

(1) Care Planning: The program will engage the veteran in a collaborative assessment of needs, including barriers to stable housing. Special attention will be taken to address Veterans flagged for High Risk Safety issues (HRS).

(2) Recovery: The program environment should be conducive to positive social interaction and the fullest development of the Veteran's rehabilitative potential.

(3) Medication Management: Medications and narcotics shall be properly stored, controlled, issued and recorded in compliance with physician orders. Contractor shall submit their plan to ensure safe and effective management of medications within the facility as an element of their proposal in response to this solicitation.

(4) Case Management: Individual case management and/or professional counseling efforts are expected to flow from the initial written care plan. Case management should have a consistent focus on housing stabilization, increased income and financial planning, and engagement in physical and mental health care services as indicated.

(5) Financial Planning: Structured activities should be provided to support Veterans in developing a short and long term plan to understand and effectively deal with their current financial situation and how to improve it.

(6) Group Activities: Structured group activities should be available to Veterans admitted to the program. Examples of appropriate group activities include: group therapy (Cognitive Behavioral, Motivational Interviewing), mental health recovery, relapse prevention, life skills training, social skills training, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, vocational counseling, and permanent housing search groups.

(7) Permanent Housing Search: Specific assistance should be provided in identifying and developing potential housing resources, whether in groups or through individual case management.

(8) Discharge Planning: Securing permanent housing will be the discharge goal for every Veteran.

(9) VA Coordination: The Contractor is expected to collaborate regularly with the identified VA Liaison and other VA providers as necessary to ensure proper coordination of care, services, and resources for the benefit of individual Veterans, and the program in general.

(10) Transportation: The Contractor shall support the Veterans with finding solutions for their local transportation needs (e.g. to scheduled meetings, appointments, etc.) At a minimum, the Contractor will be expected to help the Veteran by providing information and instructions necessary to enable Veterans to utilize public transportation. If VA or contractor staff determines that adequate public transportation is not available or appropriate for a Veteran, the Contractor shall engage Veteran in problem solving effort to identify and utilize alternative methods of transportation.

Contractor shall have sufficient staff in numbers and position qualifications (i.e. administrative, licensed counselors, social workers, case managers, dieticians, etc.) to carry out the policies, responsibilities, and programs of the facility. At a minimum, there must be a full-time administrative staff member or his/her staff designee on duty, on the premises or residing at the house and available for admits and discharges outside normal business hours. In addition, there must be sufficient full or part-time staff members at the facility who are trained to handle veteran emergencies at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These staff members must be certified in CPR and First Aid and know how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Community Housing facility(s) must have a First Aid Kit and AED on-site accessible to staff and/or other residents.

Contractor will maintain veteran records that comply with the Privacy Act, HIPAA, and all other applicable confidentiality requirements. Contractor must ensure the physical security of records and prevent the unauthorized disclosure of the records, reports, or other private information regarding veterans, except with the veteran's informed written consent. Contractor may be required to sign a Business Associate Agreement with the VA/FHCC. Veterans served through VA/FHCC's HCHV Emergency Housing program must be entered into the local community Continuum of Care's (CoC) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) by the contractor. Data entered must include, at a minimum, the Universal Data Elements from the 2010 HMIS Data Standards found at:

https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/FinalHMISDataStandards_March2010.pdf

Please include the following information about your organization in your response: (1) Name of Organization, (2) Address + Zip Code, (3) Telephone Number, (4) Fax Number, (5) Size of Business: Large or Small, (6) Status of Business: Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) Business Development Program Concern, Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone Concern, Small Disadvantaged Business Concern, Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Concern, Minority owned business concern, and/or Women-Owned Small Business Concern, (7) SAM status, (8) Point(s) of contact, (9) Email Address, (10) number of years in business and (11) number of years providing services specified in this announcement. Organizations responding to this RFI should provide the company's capabilities to perform this requirement including any experience providing emergency shelter services, as well as experience serving veterans who are homeless, have mental health and/or substance use disorders. The NAICS code is 624229 - Other Community Housing Services. The information received as a result of this notice will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the VA not to open the requirement to open competition, based on response to this sources sought synopsis, is solely within the discretion of the VA. The Government does not intend to pay for any information provided under this sources sought synopsis. All responses may be sent via e-mail to William Tanksley at [email protected]. Responses to this sources sought synopsis are due in the office by 2:00 pm PST on May 30, 2014.

Link/URL: https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/VANCHCS/VANCHCS/VA26114R0374/listing.html