Request for Proposal House for Therapeutic Court Programs Mason County Community Services is soliciting applications to aid in the capital purchase, renovation, and management of a house using the Treatment Sales Tax (1/10 of 1% Sales & Use Tax: RCW 82.14.460) to benefit participants enrolled in Mason County Therapeutic Court programs. Specifically, item (3): Moneys collected under this section must be used solely for the purpose of providing for the operation or delivery of chemical dependency or mental health treatment programs and services and for the operation or delivery of therapeutic court programs and services. For the purposes of this section, "programs and services" includes, but is not limited to, treatment services, case management, transportation, and housing that are a component of a coordinated chemical dependency or mental health treatment program or service. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=82.14.460 Throughout this Request for Proposal (RFP), the term Housing Agency will be used as a general title for the agencies that will submit applications to acquire, own, manage and renovate the property. Furthermore, the term House will be used to mean the property to include a multi-unit dwelling preferably a duplex or triplex. The Housing Agency must first consider Tax Title Property owned by Mason County. Otherwise, the final property selected will be based on market availability at the time of the award. Scope: The purpose is to use Treatment Sales Tax funds to aid in the purchase, renovation and property management of a house for Therapeutic Court participants that do not have housing or lose housing while in the program. The house will be defined as a group home to satisfy transitional housing needs. A multi-unit dwelling, such as a duplex, is ideal to have separate male and female or family living arrangements. The Housing Agency will: Negotiate and make all arrangements for the purchase of the property including, but not limited to, selecting a real estate agency, closing costs, title, etc. in cooperation with Mason County and Therapeutic Court staff; Make all arrangements for any renovations; Meet environmental, health, and safety requirements; Have the property ready for tenant occupancy within 90 days of purchase. Date of tenant occupancy can be determined upon the selection and purchase of the property; Establish an MOU between the Housing Agency and Board of County Commissioners on behalf of the Therapeutic Courts that will establish a master lease relationship and responsibilities of each party; Collect rent from tenants and make payment to the Treatment Sales Tax Fund for any amount collected above the property management fee; Use the house for Therapeutic Court participants for up to a 30-year term with expectations that the property will remain as affordable housing stock in Mason County;
Obtain and maintain insurance, maintenance, property taxes, and core utilities (water, sewer, electric, gas and garbage), and; In the final selection of the property, first consider Tax Title property owned by Mason County. Rationale: A requirement to become eligible for and become admitted into one of the Therapeutic Courts (Drug, Veteran, Mental Health, and Family Recovery) is to have secure housing. Safe and secure housing is one of the chief challenges of the Therapeutic Court participants. Many of the program participants are working to escape from a family or friend environment that has contributed to their conviction such as chemical dependency. Program participants are more successful with less relapse and higher graduation rates with safe, stable housing. From January 2017 through December 11, 2017, there were a total of 59 Therapeutic Court participants. 24 of these participants became homeless at some point during their program and 8 participants dropped out of the program due to becoming homeless. A house for Therapeutic Court participants will provide transitional housing for households until permanent housing is identified. Project Goals: Increase program participation Increase program graduation rates Reduce homelessness Increase family reunification Reduce in-program recidivism Reduce the number of people in the jail Provide safe, stable housing on participants path to treatment and recovery Create a team atmosphere for program participants that can create a community support network that can last well beyond completion of the program Secure rent revenue that can be directed back into the Therapeutic Court Program Application Submission and Timeline: The following anticipated timeline is subject to change, at the discretion of the County: May 22, 2018: June 29, 2018: July 5 15, 2018: August 1, 2018: Release of RFP RFP Application Due. Submit only typed, electronic copies of the application and supporting documents to Todd Parker, program coordinator, tparker@co.mason.wa.us Review committee meetings and scoring Announcement of award
Funding: The goal of this RFP is to solicit a funding request that will include the acquisition and renovation of the sample property and the monthly property management (i.e. administrative and maintenance) fee. The actual amount of money allocated to this project is at the discretion of the Mason County Commissioners and will depend on the property, the amount of funding requested to purchase and renovate the property, the percent contribution provided by the Housing Agency and the ongoing property management fee (to include maintenance costs). Notice of Solicitation: Failure of the County to notify any interested party or parties directly regarding the availability of these funds shall not void or otherwise invalidate the RFP process. Ownership of Material Responses, applications, and other materials submitted in response to this request become the property of Mason County, are documents of public record, and will not be returned. By applying, applicants acknowledge and agree that they and/or their organization claim no proprietary rights to the ideas or approaches contained in the applications. Proposal Costs and Payment of Contingent Fees Mason County is not liable for any costs incurred by an applicant prior to the issuance of a contract. All costs incurred in response to this solicitation are the responsibility of the applicant, including travel costs to attend workshops and/or contract negotiation sessions. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions By submitting a response to this RFP, the applicant acknowledges and accepts all terms and conditions of this request and all County, Washington State, and Federal regulations and requirements related to the delivery of the eligible activities. If the applicant is awarded a contract, the application will become part of the contract agreement. The application is bound by the terms of the application unless the County agrees that specific parts of the application are not part of the agreement. The County reserves the right to introduce different or additional terms and/or conditions during final contract negotiations. Applicants will be required to enter into formal written agreement with Mason County. Right to Reject or Negotiate Mason County reserves the right to reject any or all applications, if such a rejection is in the County s best interest. This Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is a solicitation for offers and shall not be construed as an offer, a guarantee, or a promise that the solicited services will be purchased by the County. The County may withdraw this notification at any time and for any reason without liability to applicants for damages, including, but not limited to, bid preparations costs. Additionally, Mason County reserves the right to negotiate with selected applicants and may request additional information or modification from an applicant. When deemed advisable, and
before a contract is issued, Mason County reserves the right to arrange an on-site visit/review to determine the applicants ability to meet the terms and conditions described in this RFP. Cancellation of Applicants Mason County reserves the right, with or without cause, to cancel any contract resulting from this RFP with thirty (30) calendar days written notice sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the applicant s address of record, as indicated on the applicant s proposal to this RFP (or last known address on file). RFP Application Contact Information 1. Agency Name, type, mailing address, physical address, phone, and website 2. Executive Director s name, phone and email 3. Financial Manager s name, phone and email 4. Project Manager s name, phone and email 5. List the names, phone numbers and email of all board of directors Staffing 6. Has there been turnover in key positions, including the board, during the past 12 months? If yes, please explain the impact to the agency and plan to be fully staffed with timelines. 7. List the person that will serve as project manager and include a description of their qualifications and experience. Fiscal Management 8. List the dates of the last financial, internal and/or compliance audit, the type of audit, and if there were any findings within the last three years. Are there any unresolved audit findings? If so, describe the status of these findings. 9. Describe the organizations current financial condition and outlook for sustainability. If the organization is facing financial challenges, describe what steps are being taken to strengthen the organizations financial condition. 10. Describe the organizations fiscal management, including financial reporting, record keeping, accounting systems, payment procedures, and audit requirements. 11. Describe your organizations policies and procedures to assure the proper use and safeguarding of public funds. Project 12. Describe your agency s experience operating property like the one described in this proposal. 13. Describe how you will use a fair process to select a real estate agency and negotiate fees to help keep cost down to provide affordable housing. Provide an example from a previous transaction where you were able to accomplish this.
14. Describe any supportive services your organization can provide to the tenants in partnership with the Therapeutic Courts. Many program participants are Medicaid eligible, so include a description of the types of services that can be covered by Medicaid through your organization in the answer. 15. A sample property is included in the application packet. Base your calculations on this property to project the amount of funds requested. The Housing Agency must first consider Tax Title Property owned by Mason County. Otherwise, the final property selected will be based on market availability at the time of the award. Submit a Pro Forma that includes the following items: 16. A list of each source of funding and the amount 17. Uses of income (e.g. acquisition, construction/rehab/renovation, due diligence, closing costs, loan fees, etc.) 18. Total Debt Service (e.g. amount to be financed, interest rate, and term) 19. Annual Debt Service amount 20. Operating Expenses (provide a detailed list) 21. Maintenance Expenses (provide a detailed list) 22. Administrative Expenses (provide a detailed list) 23. Summary: a. Total amount of funding requested for the acquisition and renovation b. Monthly property management fee Checklist for the RFP Application: o Application Questions o Pro Forma o Project timeline to include estimated date of tenant occupancy o Sample MOU o Annual Report that includes financial performance