Procurement
Aging (DFTA)
Contract Procurement and Support Services
2 Lafayette Street, Room 400, New York, NY 10007
Erkan Solak
phone: (212) 602-4280
fax: (212) 442-0994
email: esolak@aging.nyc.gov
phone: (212) 602-4280
fax: (212) 442-0994
email: esolak@aging.nyc.gov
Archived
Human Services/Client Services
Negotiated Acquisition
4/13/2017 - 4/19/2017
Intent to Award
PIN#12517N0002 Due:
Description
The New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) intends to contract with one vendor, the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYF), to continue operation of the Home Sharing Program. The Home Sharing Program is a unique service that matches home providers (hosts) and one or more homeseekers (guests) who together will share the home of the provider. One or more of the individuals matched must be at least 60 years of age; the program also offers assistance to individuals aged 55 or older interested in hosting a developmentally disabled adult. The term of the contract will be three years, expected to commence on July 1, 2017, with the possibility of a three-year renewal. The amount of the contract is $318,998 annually. This is a citywide service offered free of charge to program participants.
The Home Sharing Program, a nationally recognized alternative housing model, includes two major benefits for participants: it provides financial relief to the homeowner and the guest through shared housing costs, and it facilitates companionship. Guests also find that the cost of rent (or an arrangement in which household chores are completed in lieu of rent), falls below market rate, making living in the City more affordable. Home sharing also reduces the possibility of social isolation and loneliness that seniors living alone tend to encounter. The arrangement often includes some type of agreement that calls for the guest to participate in household chores (e.g., cleaning, vacuuming, pet care), which allows the older adult to maintain his/her independence as these become more difficult to accomplish without assistance.
Matching home owners and home seekers is a complex, multi-faceted process that requires knowledge, expertise and attention to detail in order to minimize risk and maximize satisfaction. Over the past 20 years, NYF has developed a carefully structured process for screening the host, the guest, and the living environment. Program staff screen candidates for compatibility using some 30 lifestyle measures, and they conduct reference checks and in-person/in-home interviews. Once screened, the staff use the data garnered from the assessment to pair potential matches and conduct match meetings prior to moving forward. Once the match is deemed tenable for both, New York Foundation assists the pair in drafting and signing written agreements on the financial and living arrangements. As no two matches are alike, agreements are highly customized to meet the needs of all the parties involved. Staff are able to use knowledge gained from past agreements (e.g., considerations as to sleep/wake habits) to assist with the agreements of the newly matched pair. Agreements often cover such areas as house rules, payment arrangements, expectations, and maintenance of the living quarters.
The degree of expertise held by the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens is unprecedented in the City. While home sharing is nationally and internationally recognized as a viable affordable housing option that also has social benefits for its participants, NYF is the only organization offering this service citywide and at no cost to the participants. Over the years, NYF has demonstrated the capability to find, screen, match and provide ongoing support to individuals interested in the Home Sharing Program; it has come to be a trusted source for this unique service.
New York Foundation’s Home Sharing program, carried out by professional social workers, provides a high degree of confidence that the match will work out financially and socially over the long term. Because seniors can be vulnerable in various ways, the in-person professional nature of the program is essential to the safety and security of the seniors and their homes. It also offers older adults who are not technologically savvy a way to find housemates in a world primarily driven by the internet.
DFTA does not have the in-house resources to implement the Home Sharing Program, which requires a highly specialized organization, one with professionals who understand both the complexity surrounding matching home providers with home seekers, and the nuances involved in such a pairing. Thus, DFTA is seeking to engage an experienced organization with expertise in this area to carry out the program.
Given the experience and history of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens in developing and operating the citywide Home Sharing Program, DFTA’s current plan is to contract with them to continue to operate this program. Before proceeding with this plan, DFTA is interested in learning whether any other organization with the necessary capacity, expertise and experience would like to be considered. Major elements that DFTA will take into account in making a final selection include the following:
• A minimum of five years of experience operating a Home Sharing Program that, as described in detail above, matches vulnerable populations with homeseekers;
• A track record in serving vulnerable populations in a social service capacity citywide;
• A demonstrable method for minimizing risk and maximizing satisfaction throughout the matching and post-match process, for homeowners and homeseekers;
• A track record of successfully matching homeowners and seekers, as evidenced by data/statistics on the matched participants, satisfaction surveys, follow-up interviews, and/or anecdotal success stories from participants who have been living together for over a year;
• Established networks for outreach to inform the public about the program;
• Serve as a resource to program staff when they are helping program participants obtain any additional resources they may need; and
• Ability to tap into other resources within its own organization in order to enhance the program and provide quality driven service.
Any organization interested in this project that can demonstrate that it meets the criteria above may express their interest by emailing Erkan Solak, DFTA Agency Chief Contracting Officer, at ESolak@aging.nyc.gov by no later than 5:00 PM on April 20, 2017. All qualified organizations will be required to complete a written application that will be due no later than 5:00 PM on May 4, 2017. Expressions of interest will be evaluated, but please be aware that submission of an application does not guarantee consideration.
The Home Sharing Program, a nationally recognized alternative housing model, includes two major benefits for participants: it provides financial relief to the homeowner and the guest through shared housing costs, and it facilitates companionship. Guests also find that the cost of rent (or an arrangement in which household chores are completed in lieu of rent), falls below market rate, making living in the City more affordable. Home sharing also reduces the possibility of social isolation and loneliness that seniors living alone tend to encounter. The arrangement often includes some type of agreement that calls for the guest to participate in household chores (e.g., cleaning, vacuuming, pet care), which allows the older adult to maintain his/her independence as these become more difficult to accomplish without assistance.
Matching home owners and home seekers is a complex, multi-faceted process that requires knowledge, expertise and attention to detail in order to minimize risk and maximize satisfaction. Over the past 20 years, NYF has developed a carefully structured process for screening the host, the guest, and the living environment. Program staff screen candidates for compatibility using some 30 lifestyle measures, and they conduct reference checks and in-person/in-home interviews. Once screened, the staff use the data garnered from the assessment to pair potential matches and conduct match meetings prior to moving forward. Once the match is deemed tenable for both, New York Foundation assists the pair in drafting and signing written agreements on the financial and living arrangements. As no two matches are alike, agreements are highly customized to meet the needs of all the parties involved. Staff are able to use knowledge gained from past agreements (e.g., considerations as to sleep/wake habits) to assist with the agreements of the newly matched pair. Agreements often cover such areas as house rules, payment arrangements, expectations, and maintenance of the living quarters.
The degree of expertise held by the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens is unprecedented in the City. While home sharing is nationally and internationally recognized as a viable affordable housing option that also has social benefits for its participants, NYF is the only organization offering this service citywide and at no cost to the participants. Over the years, NYF has demonstrated the capability to find, screen, match and provide ongoing support to individuals interested in the Home Sharing Program; it has come to be a trusted source for this unique service.
New York Foundation’s Home Sharing program, carried out by professional social workers, provides a high degree of confidence that the match will work out financially and socially over the long term. Because seniors can be vulnerable in various ways, the in-person professional nature of the program is essential to the safety and security of the seniors and their homes. It also offers older adults who are not technologically savvy a way to find housemates in a world primarily driven by the internet.
DFTA does not have the in-house resources to implement the Home Sharing Program, which requires a highly specialized organization, one with professionals who understand both the complexity surrounding matching home providers with home seekers, and the nuances involved in such a pairing. Thus, DFTA is seeking to engage an experienced organization with expertise in this area to carry out the program.
Given the experience and history of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens in developing and operating the citywide Home Sharing Program, DFTA’s current plan is to contract with them to continue to operate this program. Before proceeding with this plan, DFTA is interested in learning whether any other organization with the necessary capacity, expertise and experience would like to be considered. Major elements that DFTA will take into account in making a final selection include the following:
• A minimum of five years of experience operating a Home Sharing Program that, as described in detail above, matches vulnerable populations with homeseekers;
• A track record in serving vulnerable populations in a social service capacity citywide;
• A demonstrable method for minimizing risk and maximizing satisfaction throughout the matching and post-match process, for homeowners and homeseekers;
• A track record of successfully matching homeowners and seekers, as evidenced by data/statistics on the matched participants, satisfaction surveys, follow-up interviews, and/or anecdotal success stories from participants who have been living together for over a year;
• Established networks for outreach to inform the public about the program;
• Serve as a resource to program staff when they are helping program participants obtain any additional resources they may need; and
• Ability to tap into other resources within its own organization in order to enhance the program and provide quality driven service.
Any organization interested in this project that can demonstrate that it meets the criteria above may express their interest by emailing Erkan Solak, DFTA Agency Chief Contracting Officer, at ESolak@aging.nyc.gov by no later than 5:00 PM on April 20, 2017. All qualified organizations will be required to complete a written application that will be due no later than 5:00 PM on May 4, 2017. Expressions of interest will be evaluated, but please be aware that submission of an application does not guarantee consideration.