This week the Alliance issued a Request for Proposals for local projects aimed at ending youth homelessness in the Marion-Polk region. Organizations can compete for approximately $3.4 million in HUD funding for programs designed to identify homeless youth, provide support services and establish or expand access to transitional housing and rapid re-housing so that the immediate crises these youth face can be resolved.
The initial funding is for two-year grants to community youth-serving programs. Youth are defined as individuals up to age 24 (not yet 25) years of age. The RFP covers three youth-centered project areas identified in the Mid-Willamette Valley Coordinated Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness.
- Coordinated Entry
- Supportive Services
- Joint Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-housing
“Seventy percent of the chronically homeless in the Salem area were homeless as youths,” said Lisa Trauernicht, Alliance consultant. “Programs that receive funding through this RFP process will identify at-risk and unaccompanied youth, provide a coordinated entry process that links those youth to services, and create new options for permanent and transitional housing. Housing and supportive services that stabilize homeless youth help these young people focus on their futures and are key to preventing long-term, chronic homelessness.”
The Alliance’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program was awarded $3.7 million in September 2021. In April, HUD approved the region’s Coordinated Community Plan to end youth homelessness, allowing the Alliance to launch the RFP process.
RFP TIMELINE
RFP Issued: April 19, 2022
Applicant Workshop: April 27 from 10 a.m. to noon, interested applicants are strongly encouraged to send an agency representative via Zoom. A recording of the Applicant Workshop will be posted to the CoC website within a few days of the workshop.
10-10:30 a.m.: Overview & Funding Focus
10-11:30 a.m.: Application Instructions
11:30 a.m. to noon: Q & A
Required Letters of Intent: Due on May 3 by 5 p.m. See the Request for Proposals document for letter of intent requirements. Submit letters of intent to Lisa Trauernicht at LisaMostlyConsulting@gmail.com.
Application Deadline: May 31, 2022, 5 p.m.
Award Announcement: HUD announcement and contracts expected in September.
Period of Programming/Performance: September 2022 – September 2024
For additional information on the RFP process and deadlines, visit the Youth Homeless Demo Program page on our website.