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Request for Letters of Interest: Security Deposit Grant Assistance Pilot Program

Bids and Proposals
Responses due Wednesday, August 2, 2023. An optional information session will be held on July 19, 1-2pm. Please register through the link in the details.

Request for Letters of Interest

Issue Date: Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Responses Due: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Overview

The Portland Housing Bureau’s Rental Services Office (RSO) is responsible for fair housing and landlord-tenant services, developing code and administrative rules associated with local landlord-tenant law, processing exemptions to local mandatory relocation assistance, and providing technical assistance and information (in person, via email, and over the phone) to renters and landlords on general landlord-tenant law.

The goal of the Security Deposit Grant Assistance Pilot Program (Pilot Program) is to assess the impact of financial assistance for security deposits and moving expenses for tenants relocating into stable housing. The cost of relocating in the current market is an acknowledged burden on low-income households, working families and those with fixed incomes. Assistance programs and fair lending products to address these costs are limited in the community. The RSO seeks to gather data on impact of this type of assistance and explore models of program structure.

This Pilot Program will make limited financial assistance available to Program participants to mitigate security deposit and qualified moving costs associated with moving into a qualified dwelling unit managed by other participating community partners. The Program provider will act as the fiscal agent for the financial assistance provided by RSO. Referrals for assistance will be directed to the Program provider through a network of participating housing providers and/or PHB and eligibility will be verified by the Program provider. The Program provider will conduct follow up surveys with Program participants in support of measuring program outcomes.

This Pilot Program has a total of $56,250 in direct client assistance allocated for FY 22-23. The Pilot Program aims to serve between 60-140 households, dependent upon rate of assistance spend down, over the course of the fiscal year.

This request for letters of interest is being issued to identify a list of potential organizations to provide these services to tenants. Responses should describe experience and/or ability to provide financial assistance to tenants, ability to effectively manage incoming referrals, experience and/or ability to verify participants with program guidelines and ability to effectively provide services to systemically disadvantaged communities within the City.

Contract for services will be made with a single provider. Partnerships with culturally specific organizations are a preferred approach. Participation of certified Disadvantaged, Minority, Women, and Emerging Small Businesses is encouraged.

Information Session

A non-mandatory information session for this solicitation will be held:

Wednesday, July 19
1:00pm-2:00pm
via Zoom (For help, see PHB's online meeting guide)

Register here

Solicitation Coordinators

All questions and responses should be directed a solicitation coordinator, with contact information below:

Niki Luneclair
Policy and Program Coordinator
Portland Housing Bureau, Rental Services Office
1900 SW 4th Ave #7007, Portland, OR 97201
(503) 865-6288
Niki.Luneclair@portlandoregon.gov

Dyvisha Gordon
Housing Program Coordinator
Portland Housing Bureau, Preference Policy
1900 SW 4th Ave #7007, Portland, OR 97201
(503) 865-6264
Dyvisha.Gordon@portlandoregon.gov

Key Deadlines

  1. Request for Letters of Interest Issued: Wednesday, July 12, 2023
  2. Non-Mandatory Information Session: Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 1:00pm-2:00pm via Zoom
  3. Responses Due: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
  4. Date by which all funds must be expended: $56,250 by June 30, 2024

All submissions must be received by the deadline to be considered. The Portland Housing Bureau reserves the right to change any dates to serve the goals of the Request for Letters of Interest.

Submission Requirements

Interested parties must submit a response, no longer than 3-pages, that includes:

  1. Name of the organization and contact information.
  2. Summary of experience and/or ability to process and verify program eligibility (such as income) of incoming referrals.
  3. Summary of experience of acting as fiscal agent for financial assistance.
  4. Overview of proposed service delivery model including required FTE and/or volunteers and any corresponding recruitment, orientation, and training.
  5. Demonstrate your organization’s experience, expertise and effectiveness in providing culturally responsive and/or culturally specific services.
  6. Summary of experience in adapting programs in response to changing requirements, shift in community need or program outcomes.
  7. Estimated administrative cost structure and a description of potential costs (budget template available for use).

All applicants should be prepared to provide any additional requested documentation and budget information within one week of being notified that you have been determined to be qualified and are in consideration for being the selected Program provider.

Downloads

Evaluations

Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of individuals which may include PHB staff, City staff, staff from partner community organizations, members of the North/Northeast Oversight Committee or members of the Fair Housing Advocacy Committee. Individuals representing organizations or partnerships that are responding to this solicitation will not be allowed to participate in the evaluation panel or selection process. RSO may invite top ranked proposer(s) to interview in person or by conference call. The evaluation panel will rank submissions and recommend a Program provider. Final award selections are at the discretion of the Bureau Director.

Evaluation Criteria

Service Delivery Plan                                                                25 points
Culturally Responsive and Specific Services                         25 points
Organizational Experience                                                      15 points
Organizational Adaptability                                                    15 points
Project Budget                                                                           20 points
Maximum Score                                                                        100 points 


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Security Deposit Grant Assistance Program?

The Security Deposit Grant Assistance Program is a pilot program aimed at assisting low-income Portland families that are moving into new housing. This program will provide grant assistance to identified households to pay for security deposits and qualified moving expenses.

What specific services is the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) needing for this program?

The Portland Housing Bureau is looking for a partner organization that can act as the fiscal agent to administer this assistance to households. Households will be identified and referred to the partner organization, who will confirm eligibility and handle payments for qualified expenses.

The partner organization will also conduct follow-up evaluation with participants. Program evaluation will be done in partnership with PHB.

Who can respond to the solicitation?

All interested organizations are encouraged to respond and submit letters of interest, even if they have not directly contracted with the City or PHB previously. Organizations must be based in, and service communities in, the City of Portland and/or Multnomah County.

What does the response to the solicitation need to include?

Refer to “Submission Requirements” (above on this page) for a detailed list of what your letter of interest should include.

(Exhibit A is also included in the "Downloads" section.)

If selected, what other type of documents will my organization need to submit?

There are various documents that PHB will request and require for contracting these services. Please see Exhibit B, Contractor Required Documents for our standard checklist. For organizations new to working with the City, our staff will provide support and additional details at the contracting stage.

Who can I contact with additional questions?

This Request for Letters of Interest has an optional information session scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at 1:00pm via Zoom.

If you cannot attend or have any further need for more information, please reach out to the Solicitation Coordinators:

Niki Luneclair
Policy and Program Coordinator
(503) 865-6288
Niki.Luneclair@portlandoregon.gov

Dyvisha Gordon
Housing Program Coordinator
(503) 865-6264
Dyvisha.Gordon@portlandoregon.gov


Solicitation Location

Portland.gov/phb/nne/preference-policy-security-deposit-pilot-program

Contact

Niki Luneclair

Rental Policy & Program Coordinator

Dyvisha Gordon

Program Coordinator
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