REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 19, 2020
FROM
MARLENE HAGEN, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with ASPIRAnet for Transitional Housing Program-Plus Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contract with ASPIRAnet to provide Transitional Housing Program-Plus services for former foster young adults, in an amount not to exceed $2,775,000, for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
(Presenter: Marlene Hagen, Director, 388-0242)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of these services will not exceed $2,775,000 and is 100% realignment funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue will be included in the Human Services (HS) Administrative Claim 2020-21 recommended budget, and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the recommended contract, ASPIRAnet will provide Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus) services to a minimum of 36 clients per year. California State Legislature created THP-Plus to address the housing and support services needs of individuals aged 18 to 24, who have either exited or are ready to exit the foster care system. The program provides planning and supportive services, as well as safe and adequate residences, to enable these individuals to become self-sufficient.
THP-Plus services include 24-hour crisis intervention and support; educational advocacy and support; assistance to pursue college or other post high school training; allowance to purchase food and other necessities; apartment furnishings; system of payment for utilities, telephone, and rent; and mentoring. Safe and adequate residences are defined as Scattered-site and Host Family Model housing. Scattered-site housing refers to apartments in various locations throughout the community supervised by ASPIRAnet, which allow young adult tenants to be integrated into their communities. The Host Family Model allows young adults to live in a family setting with a relative, current foster family, or other consistent caring adult. Children and Family Services (CFS) has provided THP-Plus services since April 2007 through contracted vendors. The average cost per client is approximately $27,279 per year.
PROCUREMENT
On December 18, 2019, the Chief Executive Officer approved and authorized for release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide THP-Plus Services. Approximately 200 prospective proposers with experience providing transitional and permanent housing and supportive services were notified via the County’s Electronic Procurement System (ePro) and through direct mail.
On or before February 12, 2020, the proposal submission deadline, HS received six proposals in response to RFP HS 19-19, as follows:
|
Agency |
Proposed Region(s) |
Proposed Total Cost |
|
Aspiranet |
All Regions |
$2,581.44 Scattered $2,221.66 Host |
|
Walden Environment Inc. |
All Regions |
$2,569.44 Scattered $2,081.00 Host |
|
The Heart Matters FFA |
All Regions |
$2,614.00 Scattered $2,273.00 Host |
|
Greater Hope Foundation for Children |
All Regions |
$2,540.00 Scattered $2,340.00 Host |
|
Mental Health Systems |
All Regions |
$5,139.00 Scattered |
|
Citadel Community Development Corporation |
All Regions |
$3,445.00 Scattered |
A team that included representatives from CFS, HS Auditing, and the HS Program Development Division completed an evaluation of the proposals. Proposals were evaluated on the following criteria: cost, youth to be served, ability to provide services, experience providing services, available staffing and resources, and geographical region/service area served. ASPIRAnet ranked the highest overall by the evaluators due to their ability to provide services, serve all referred youth, experience providing services, available staffing and resources, and geographical regions/service areas. Based on the criteria, ASPIRAnet is recommended for contract award.
The agencies not recommended for contract award were unsuccessful in the procurement process due to the inability to demonstrate one or more of the following criteria: ability to provide services, experience providing services, available staffing and resources, or geographical region/service area served. The unsuccessful agencies were notified during the RFP process by letter that they may protest the recommendation by submitting a formal protest letter to the HS Contracts Unit by March 23, 2020. No protests were received.
Contracted services will be paid on a fee-for-service basis. The contract may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days advance written notice. Contractor performance will be monitored by review of monthly reports and an annual site visit to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on March 30, 2020; County Counsel (Michael Markel, Principal Assistant County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 13, 2020; Purchasing (Leo Gomez, Purchasing Manager, 387-2063) on April 13, 2020, Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on April 29, 2020, and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on May 5, 2020.