South King County $1M Asylum-Seeker Support RFP

The goal of this funding is to rapidly serve unsheltered asylum-seeking families or individuals currently residing in or near Tukwila, by, among other things, providing temporary housing, food, support, and legal services.

To that end, the County seeks to provide one-time funding to one or more non-profits registered in Washington State or with 501c3 status, located in south King County to site, construct, operate, and/or provide other related services that benefit asylum-seekers living unsheltered and mitigate the negative impacts of living unsheltered, such as, day centers, hygiene services, sanctioned encampments, and Shelter within the city for serving unsheltered asylum-seeking individuals or families. Up to $1 million in funding is available to pay for or reimburse eligible costs incurred from the contract start date through December 31, 2025.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is a response to the continuing need for additional, safe, emergency Shelter for unsheltered asylum-seeking families or individuals as they work to find long-term, stable housing. The County is seeking to fund one or more programs that offer a year-round, temporary services to those experiencing unsheltered homelessness, while offering services that will help address immediate needs of participants.

This RFP is soliciting information regarding the program description, timeline, cost, and feasibility to determine which organization has the most effective plan to serve unsheltered asylum-seekers within their community.

The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is partnering with the Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget (PSB) Grants team to manage this RFP and the associated grant agreements for awarded agencies.

Eligible Applicants:

In order to be eligible for consideration for these funds, the Proposer must meet all of the following qualifications:

• Applicants must be a registered non-profit with the State of Washington, or have 501c3 status

A Proposer will not be disqualified if it chooses to contract with a third-party organization to carry out all or part of the activities and services described in the Proposal. However, the Proposer must meet the above listed qualifications and identify any known third-parties who will carry out all or part of the Proposal or indicate which parts of the Proposal are expected to be performed by a third-party(-ies) if not known at the time of submission.

Allowable Use of Funds:

The following activities are considered to be eligible for reimbursement or compensation for this funding:

• Provide refugee/asylee stabilization for newly arriving individuals, which shall include:
  • Program service activities
  • Conduct outreach by connecting with trusted community leaders (social/religious/business).
  • Provide case management services to enrolled households, including connecting them with the available resources such as food, medical, and housing to ensure basic needs are met.
  • Provide assistance with locating and paying for housing for individuals and families with access to a kitchen. The goal will be to provide this housing for at least one year, but shorter time periods will be considered. This may include rental payments, and other essential items or services to enrolled families to help gain permanent housing. This assistance will be paid directly to the landlord or vendors.
    • The Contractor shall maintain intake documents that include justification of client or family qualification for these services which could include a self-attestation.

• Flexible Financial Assistance
  • Eligible items include:
  • Housing assistance (hotel/motel emergency stays, short-term rentals, rental applications, rental assistance, rental deposit, utilities set-up fees or costs); 
  • Transportation (taxi, ride share, bus pass, fuel, minor car repairs)
  • Medical fees (healthcare needs, clinical and/or therapeutic services)
  • Employment (education, professional certification and training programs
  • Legal Aid (asylum applications, work permit applications, access to medical care and schools)
  • Additional categories may be approved with written approval from King County.

Grant size:

The total budget for this program is $1,000,000. Contractors may request reimbursement for costs incurred after signing the contract.

The application window opens February 27, 2024. It will remain open until 12pm (NOON) on March 12th, 2024. King County will notify you no later than 90 days following submission about the status of your application.

Application Instructions:

1. The application window opens February 27, 2024.
2. Complete the application via this link.
• Required Budget Template can be found here. (.XLS)
• A preview of the application questions is available here. (PDF)
  
  
3. Additional program information is available in the RFP here.

• Review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Email questions to: wsuarezgomez@kingcounty.gov.