IMPORTANT – Please note the deadline for completed applications is February 15, 2024

2024 REACHING HOME CALL FOR PROPOSALS

United Way Peterborough & District (UWP) is pleased to announce that a Reaching Home (RH) Request for Proposals (RFP) is now open for application. As the Community Entity, UWP manages the Reaching Home program on behalf of the Government of Canada. Government of Canada provides funding to UWP that is invested locally to support individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or at a risk of becoming homeless.

REACHING HOME PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides support and funding to communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.
Reaching Home supports the goals of the National Housing Strategy, in particular, to support the most vulnerable Canadians in maintaining safe, stable and affordable housing and to reduce chronic homelessness nationally by 50% by fiscal year 2027 to 2028.
Homelessness has an impact on every community in Canada. It affects individuals, families, women fleeing violence, youth, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.

COORDINATED ACCESS SYSTEM

Reaching Home operates through a model known as Coordinated Access (CA). Coordinated Access supports communities in prioritizing individuals who are in most need of assistance and then matching them to appropriate housing and services. This system aims to ensure fairness while streamlining access to housing and services.
All housing and homelessness agencies are encouraged to participate in Coordinated Access. Reaching Home-funded agencies are required to operate within the Coordinated Access model. The ways that each specific agency functions within Coordinated Access will differ depending on the nature of their project and will be described within the funding agreement. An overview of the roles and responsibilities within Coordinated Access have been included below.

Reaching Home-Funded Agencies are required to:

  • Utilize and record data in a centralized database – Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) – that collects and displays real-time data on clients and available housing supports. This includes actively adding individuals to the By Name Priority List (BNPL) through the use of HIFIS
  • Conduct assessments using a standardized tool
  • Utilize standardized protocols to match individuals with available housing and/or program vacancies based on project-specific eligibility, needs, and preferences
  • Identify housing and/or program vacancies and providing this information to the Systems Manager
  • Fill any housing and/or program vacancies through the Coordinated Access system
  • Collaborate on training, reviewing processes, and identifying opportunities for improvement

The Coordinated Access system is supported by UWP as the Community Entity and the City of Peterborough as the Systems Manager. Their responsibilities include:

United Way Peterborough & District – Community Entity

  • Oversight of the Coordinated Access system to ensure its compliance with the minimum standards established by the Government of Canada
  • Reporting progress and compliance to the Government of Canada, including the publicly available Community Homelessness Report
  • Establishing and monitoring standards for participating in Coordinated Access that are specific to each funded project
  • Establishing and leading governance efforts including the Community Advisory Board (CAB) that functions as the local organizing committee responsible for setting direction and priorities for addressing homelessness
  • Supporting the City of Peterborough as the Systems Manager

City of Peterborough – Systems Manager

  • Supporting United Way Peterborough & District as the Community Entity for Reaching Home
  • Operating as the Coordinated Access Lead and HIFIS Lead as identified to the federal government through Reaching Home documentation
  • Developing and maintaining the Coordinated Access Guide including a systems map
  • Oversight and administration of the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) database. This includes developing and administering legal, privacy, and consent processes, identifying training needs, onboarding and supporting agencies using the database, ensuring data quality and problem solving issues
  • Maintaining a database of housing units and supports within the system and leading the prioritization and matching of individuals when vacancies become available
  • Working with RH-funded agencies to fill vacancies through the Coordinated Access system, including internal transfers
  • Supporting agencies providing emergency shelter and housing programs in systems navigation and collaborative case planning

COMMUNITY FUNDING PRIORITIES

Funding applications will be reviewed for their alignment to community priorities. Two community priorities have been established:

Collaborative Partnerships

Projects that involve collaborative partnerships have proven to result in positive outcomes for the individuals served, lasting benefits to the agencies, and a strengthened response to homelessness in our community. Through a review of previous Reaching Home reporting, past consultations with the CAB and community, and presentations from previously RH-funded agencies, projects that involve collaborative partnerships will receive priority over those that are being carried out by a sole agency.

Priority Populations

One goal of Coordinated Access is the use of data-driven decisions. The Community Advisory Board will review current HIFIS data during the funding allocation process to understand how proposed projects support priority populations in our community. The below list of populations have been identified as making up significant portions of the homeless population in Peterborough:

  1. Single adult men make up the majority of people experiencing homelessness in Peterborough.
  2. A significant portion of people experiencing homelessness are experiencing chronic homelessness.
  3. Indigenous People are overrepresented among the population experiencing homelessness.

AVAILABLE FUNDING

Year 1: Funds available for use between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025: $964,923
Year 2: Funds available for use between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026: $999,922

Funding Period April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2026

  • Proposals can be for one-time funding in either Year 1 or Year 2, or for projects that continue across both years.
  • Funds must be utilized in the year they are assigned.  Proposals can be for one-time funding in either Year 1 or Year 2, or for projects that continue across both years.

There is no restriction or maximum limit on the amount of funding an applicant may request.

The quantity and quality of proposals received will determine the number of projects funded and the amount of funding each project receives.

ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Eligible Organizations

• Not-for-profit and For-profit organizations
• Funding is open to all eligible organizations regardless of whether they currently receive or
have previously received Reaching Home or United Way funding

Eligible and Ineligible Activities

Eligible and Ineligible activities are described in detail below with eligible activities and expenses grouped into the following four (4) priority areas:

  • Housing Services
  • Prevention and shelter diversion
  • Client Support services
  • Capital Investments

RH-FUNDED AGENCY EXPECTATIONS

Reaching Home-Funded agencies are expected to participate in the following:

PROCESS AND TIMELINES

All proposals, that are complete and submitted on time, will be evaluated by the RH Community Advisory Board (CAB). Proposals will be scored using a standard set of scoring tools assessing the proposals alignment to the objective, outcomes and deliverables identified in this Request for Proposal document.

January 26, 2024 -Request for Proposals opens
February 15, 2024-Request for Proposals closes
March 6, 2024-Funding decisions made
Week of March 11, 2024-Applicants notified
March 18 to 29, 2024-Contracts signed

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be scored using a standard rubric to assess the project’s alignment to the objective, outcomes and deliverables identified in this Request for Proposal.
Proposals received will be scored based on the following criteria:

A. Organizational Experience & Capacity
B. Project Design
C. Project Need and Rationale
D. Project Evaluation Methodology & Outcomes
E. Community Collaboration
F. Coordinated Access
G. Financial Stability & Oversight
H. Project Sustainability or Exit Strategy

       Scoring Grid

5 = Exceeds Standard         3 = Meets Standard         1 = Below Standard        0 = Does not meet criteria

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

For your application to be considered complete and to proceed through the review process, please ensure that the following documents are included in the emailed submission:

If electronic signatures are not available a scanned PDF of page 12 Declaration and Signatures will be accepted.

ATTENTION! Please download the Funding Application and save to your desktop before filling out and submitting.  Consult Application and Budget Guide for more information.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Email your completed application form and budget to: reachinghome@uwpeterborough.ca

IMPORTANT:

  • The deadline for completed applications is February 15, 2024
  • Incomplete applications or applications received after this deadline will only be reviewed after all other applications have been processed.
  • UWP will send an email to confirm receipt of your application. If you do not receive a confirmation within two business days of sending, please follow up with an email to the address indicated above.
  • Applications must be submitted via email in the original fillable PDF (application) and Excel (Budget and Staff Summary) format.
  • Sustainability plans and letters of support can be sent in either word or PDF format.
  • Please do not submit any documents other than those requested.

UWP reserves the right to ask for additional information as the review process moves forward.
If you have other questions about the funding application or budget form, please refer to the REACHING HOME APPLICATION AND BUDGET GUIDE first.

All additional questions regarding this RFP should be directed to: reachinghome@uwpeterborough.ca

Coaching appointments are available upon request and encouraged. Questions will be responded to as soon as possible and applicants are encouraged to ask questions early in the application period. It is not guaranteed that UWP will be available to answer your questions on the day that the applications are due.

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