Hampshire County Friends of the Homeless issued this Request for Letters of Intent. Please read below:
Request for non-binding Letters of Intent
Background
The Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals is starting to plan for its next purchase of a house for homeless individuals. Our first was purchased in 2008; this Florence location houses six previously homeless individuals, some of whom have serious mental illness. The second was purchased in 2011, is in downtown Northampton, and houses six individuals who were homeless and are in recovery from substance abuse. In both cases the houses were bought, necessary repairs made, and fully furnished; and then deeded over to a service agency to own and manage as agreed upon. The new house should be approximately the same size and capacity, and probably consist of two or more units like the others. We expect to purchase the house sometime in 2016-2017. Based on potential funding restrictions the house will need to be located in Northampton.
Information needed
The Friends are assessing the needs of other homeless populations in Hampshire County, including identifying unmet needs and/or gaps in a service continuum for these populations in order to determine who can best be served by our project, at this time; and to identify a partner agency or agencies for this house. We are requesting exploratory, non-binding letters of intent from potential partners. We are interested in:
- What homeless populations a prospective partner is interested in serving with this project (e.g., general; formerly incarcerated; unaccompanied youth; etc.)
- What you see as the unmet need, e.g. quantity of target population, and existing services for them, at this time.
- How the proposed project aligns with HUD priorities and with the regional goal to end homelessness
- The agency’s experience working with this population or populations, especially in a housing situation.
- The agency’s experience owning & managing housing properties.
- The agency’s financial ability to manage & maintain the property.
- The agency’s commitment to provide ongoing supportive services to the residents as needed
Procedures
Letters should be submitted by July 15, 2015 to the address above, or by email to Rick Hart at rshart3@verizon.net . Please include a contact name and information. Questions should be directed to Rick Hart by email, or to him by phone at 413-320-1886. Also, if agencies are not prepared to partner on this project, but would like to share information or feedback, that is welcome.
