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Agenda Item
ASR
Control 26-000093 |
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MEETING
DATE: |
03/24/26 |
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legal entity taking action: |
Board
of Supervisors |
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board of supervisors district(s): |
4 |
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SUBMITTING Agency/Department: |
County
Executive Office (Approved) |
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Department contact person(s): |
Doug
Becht (714) 834-2323 |
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Karen
Betances (714) 834-2184 |
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Subject: Approve Contract for Bridges at
Kraemer Place Shelter Operations and Services
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ceo CONCUR |
County Counsel Review |
Clerk of the Board |
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Concur |
Approved
Agreement to Form |
Discussion |
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3
Votes Board Majority |
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Budgeted: Yes |
Current Year
Cost: $298,609 |
Annual Cost: FY 2026-27 $5,079,149 |
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Staffing Impact: |
No |
# of Positions: |
Sole Source: No |
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Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A
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Prior Board Action: N/A |
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RECOMMENDED
ACTION(S):
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1. |
Authorize the
County Procurement Officer or Deputized designee to execute Contract with
PATH, for Bridges at Kraemer Place Shelter Operations and Services, effective
May 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, in an amount not to exceed $15,993,179,
renewable for two additional one-year terms. |
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2. |
Pursuant to
Contract Policy Manual Section 3.3-113, authorize the County Procurement
Officer or Deputized designee to exercise a contingency contract cost
increase, not to exceed a total of 10 percent of the Contract amount for the
first year of the Contract, for the entire term of the Contract, including
renewals, and within the scope of work set forth in the Contract. The use of
this contingency cost interest is subject to approval requirements
established by the County Procurement Office. |
SUMMARY:
Approval of the Contract for
Bridges at Kraemer Place Shelter Operations and Services will provide
individuals experiencing homelessness in the North Service Planning Area in
Orange County with access to emergency shelter, comprehensive case management
and linkages to resources and services that promote placement into permanent
housing and housing stability.
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:
The County of Orange (County) first
opened Bridges at Kraemer Place, in May 2017. Since then, Bridges has provided
200 emergency shelter beds, comprehensive case management and supportive
services for adult (ages 18 and over) individuals and adult only households
experiencing homelessness in the North Service Planning Area (SPA) of Orange
County.
On September 8, 2025, the Office of Care
Coordination issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek qualified providers
for the provision of County Emergency Shelter Operations and Services. The RFP
solicited two program components:
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a. |
Program A: Bridges at Kraemer Place |
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b. |
Program B: Yale Navigation Center |
There were three (3) respondents to the
RFP for Program A: Bridges at Kraemer Place. A five-member panel with expertise
in administration and operations of emergency shelters and expertise in working
with the target population evaluated the proposals and recommended award to the
highest ranked proposer, whose proposal most met the needs and requirements set
forth in the RFP. The Office of Care Coordination has completed successful
negotiations and recommends award of the Bridges at Kraemer Place Shelter Operations
and Services Contract to PATH. Department staff have conducted the appropriate
due dilligence, and the non-profit has been verified to be in good standing.
Reference checks were satisfactory and completed with the City of San Jose,
Housing Department, the County of Los Angeles, Health Services, and the County
of Los Angeles Homeless initiative regarding similar projects. The award for
Program B is being submitted on a separate agenda staff report. See Attachment
C for RFP Evaluation Criteria and Summarized Score Sheet.
Program
A: Bridges at Kraemer Place Respondent Scores
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Respondent |
Aggregate
Scores |
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PATH |
2,554 |
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Volunteers of America of Los Angeles |
2,483 |
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Mercy House Living Centers (Mercy House) |
2,149 |
A Notice of Intent to Award was issued on
January 23, 2026. No protests were received from the other RFP respondents.
Scope
of Services:
Under the proposed Contract, the
Bridges at Kraemer Place Shelter Operations and Services (Program) is designed
to provide safe, temporary shelter services for up to 200 adults with the goal
of connecting participants to housing, supportive services and resources that
assist in ending their episode of homelessness. The Program will continue to be
low barrier by having minimal eligibility criteria required at Program entry
and will facilitate a referral process with community partners, including law
enforcement, street outreach providers and Coordinated Entry System (CES)
access points. The Program will continue to be equipped to serve participants
who may have extensive behavioral, physical, or medical issues, and as a
result, may face significant barriers to housing.
The Program incorporates a multi-service
center approach that provides supportive and stabilizing services to meet the
complex needs of participants while enrolled. The Program will provide
comprehensive, evidence-based case management services—including motivational
interviewing, progressive engagement, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and
risk management—to support participants in identifying and overcoming barriers
to housing stability and economic self-sufficiency. Services will be
individualized, client-centered, and strengths-based, prioritizing participant
choice, safety, and dignity while promoting sustained engagement, improved
well-being, and long-term stability.
The proposed Contractor will provide the
following services, at minimum, as part of the Program:
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a. |
Process referrals into Bridges at
Kraemer Place through identified referral partners and the Bed Reservation
System to ensure equity and accessibility of beds. |
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b. |
Support the County's regional strategies
and ensure all referring partners in the North SPA can seamlessly access the
Program. |
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c. |
Intake and assessment to understand the
participants' history of participation in other homeless service assistance
programs, collection of needed demographic information, and determination of
what supportive services would be most beneficial for the participants. |
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d. |
Establishing of an Individualized
Housing and Service Plan (IHSP) to assess and re-evaluate the participants'
housing, supportive service, resource needs, and help inform case management
activities for appropriate referrals and linkages. |
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e. |
Housing-focused case management to
support program participants with evaluating housing options that meet the
participant's individual needs and completing the necessary process and tasks
to access housing. |
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f. |
Housing navigation services to support
the participant in identifying available housing units and community
resources, completing needed forms and applications for housing, as well as
providing support through in-person or teleconference meetings related to
housing search and placements. |
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g. |
Referrals and linkages to the most
appropriate services and resources across the Homeless System of Care,
including behavioral health, healthcare, local benefits and mainstream
services, housing navigation, and providing advocacy and support as necessary.
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h. |
Function as a CES Access Point to
support participants in accessing the CES through the completion of an
assessment and the collection of required documentation to verify length of
homelessness, homelessness status and/or disabling condition(s). |
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i. |
Follow a Good Neighbor Policy to ensure
the Program is operated in a safe, orderly, and respectful manner that
minimizes impacts on the surrounding community and its resources. |
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j. |
On an annual basis, at minimum, solicit
participant feedback to assess program operation changes to better support
and meet the needs of participants and evaluate how to best meet the
performance outcomes. |
The Program will operate in
accordance with the County of Orange’s Standards of Care for Emergency Shelter
Providers (Standards of Care); a comprehensive set of administrative,
operational, and facility-based standards designed to support the quality and
consistency of program operations, evidence-based participant services, core
organizational and administrative functions, and facility design and
operations.
The Program will operate in
adherence to the Good Neighbor Policy that is included in the Contract (see
Exhibit III). The proposed Contractor will provide services at the Program in a
way that limits its impact on the surrounding neighborhood including but not
limited to environment, safety, and congregation, while still providing high
quality services.
The agreed upon Scope of Service outlined
in the Contract is in alignment with the Shelter Pillars’ best practices,
guiding principles and commitment as detailed in the Homeless Service System
Pillar Report as approved by the Commission to Address Homelessness.
Performance
Metrics:
The following outcome measures will be a
requirement of this Contract and help ensure that the proposed Contractor
prioritizes Participant's housing goals and exits to permanent housing.
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a. |
Maintain an average bed occupancy of 90
percent of higher. |
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b. |
85 percent of participants will be
connected to the CES within 60 days of Program enrollment. |
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c. |
At minimum, 20 percent of all
participants will exit to a permanent housing destination. |
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d. |
At minimum, 75 percent of all
participants will engage in the development of an IHSP during their program
enrollment. |
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e. |
At minimum, 15 percent of participants
will have increased their income while enrolled in the Program. |
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f. |
At minimum, 70 percent of participants
will be connected to health insurance while enrolled in the Program. * |
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g. |
At minimum, 50 percent of participants
will be referred to and linked to health care services such as medical care
and behavioral health services. * |
*Note: This performance measure was
introduced during the RFP solicitation process.
Orange County Preference Policy is
not applicable to this Contract Award.
The Office of Care Coordination has verified that there are no concerns
that must be addressed with respect to PATH’s ownership/name, litigation status
or conflicts with County interest. The Contract with PATH does not include
subcontractors or pass through to other providers. See Attachment B for the
Contract Summary Form. An analysis was completed to verify the Contract
provides County with persons specially trained, experienced, expert and
competent to perform the special services in accordance with the law.
The Recommended Contract includes a
two-month ramp up period during which PATH will begin the recruiting of new
staffing and transition of administrative and programmatic operations in
collaboration with the current operator, Mercy House. The proposed ramp-up
period will minimize any disruptions to the Program and allow for continuity of
care for all participants. The County’s Office of Care Coordination will
facilitate this process and work collaborative with PATH and Mercy House during
this timeframe.
The Office of Care Coordination requests
that the Board approve the Contract with PATH for Bridges at Kraemer Place
Shelter Operations and Services as referenced in the Recommended Actions above.
Approval of the Contract will continue to support the County’s effort to build
a responsive System of Care that meets the needs of different segments of the
homeless population in accessing shelter, securing housing and increasing
income.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
The appropriations for the Contract
are included in Budget Control 018 FY 2025-26 Budget and will be included in
the budgeting process for future years.
The proposed Contract includes
provisions allowing the County Executive Office (CEO) to terminate the
Contract, reduce the level of services, and/or renegotiate the levels of
services provided, as necessary. This includes a notice that allows CEO adequate
time to transition or terminate services to clients, if necessary.
Funding
Source:
State: 23% (Behavioral Health
Services Act (BHSA) and Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP)
funding allocated to the County)
County General Fund: 77%
STAFFING
IMPACT:
N/A
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment
A - Contract MA-017-26010918 with PATH
Attachment B - Contract Summary Form
Attachment C - RFP Evaluation Criteria and Summarized Score Sheet