The FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Commission (Commission) is soliciting proposals from community-based organizations to operate a Beacon of Hope Family Resource Center for the Valley Palms Unidos community in East San Jose.
RFQ Documents:
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q & A Valley Palms – March 15, 2021
What is a Beacon of Hope Family Resource Center?
Health, social, legal and educational services for families come from different government and nonprofit systems. While these systems are often serving the same families, cross-system coordination of service and care can be challenging. Families can spend hours trying to navigate County buildings, make sense of different eligibility criteria, and complete multiple forms, which are often requesting the same information. These systems can feel like a complex, overwhelming maze and discourage the support and healing that parents are seeking for themselves and their children.
A Beacon of Hope Family Resource Center (Beacon of Hope) will provide a single point of access to services for children, youth, their parents and caregivers, and their educators. By providing an integrated support system, where and how families need it, a Beacon of Hope will remove the challenges of accessing services and resources. Each Beacon will be a single, welcoming place where families can find the activities and assistance they want and need in their own community. Family and community voice will be central in both the design and ongoing implementation of a Beacon to ensure systems of racial and social injustice are not perpetuated. The Beacon will be staffed by neighbors—people who understand the language, culture, and lived experience of families. Activities and services will be available to children along all points of their development—prenatal through adulthood.
This collaborative approach is a demonstration of the Santa Clara County Cross Agency Service Team’s (CAST) “Single System of Support.” CAST, a cross-system collaborative of County and community leaders, is dedicated to achieving health equity by transforming the current family and child-serving systems into a coordinated, community-based, culturally responsive network that will engage all families with dignity and respect. The County of Santa Clara Probation Department is providing the funding for these contracts.
What Types of Services and Activities Will be Provided through a Beacon?
The Beacon of Hope reflects the principle of whole-person, whole-family care. This principle recognizes that the best way to support a family is in the context of their community and with consideration to the full spectrum of needs, including mind, body and spirit. The array of services and activities available through each Beacon will be customized to meet the unique needs of the surrounding community (see Exhibit A for recommendations from San Ysidro community leaders). Possible offerings could include but are not limited to:
- After-school homework and enrichment programs for youth
- Assistance in developing community childcare co-ops
- Child and family enrichments activities (e.g., group exercise, youth sports clubs, a community garden, mindfulness and meditation, art classes, etc.)
- Community events and celebrations
- Distribution of essential supplies like diapers, formula and period products
- Evidence-based parenting workshops and parent social groups
- Intake and referral to community services
- Development of family plans with collaborative County and community service partners
- Gang prevention activities
- Legal services and employment support for parents and caregivers
- Mental health and substance use disorder outpatient services for families
- Supervised visitation for parents who have children in foster care
- Re-entry services to support parents who have been incarcerated
For more information, please contact: FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Attn: Kate Welty, Deputy Chief 4000 Moorpark Avenue, Suite 200 San José, CA 95117 RFQBeaconSY@first5kids.org (408) 260-3700
| Request for Qualification Re-Released – March 8, 2021 | Applications are available online at www.first5kids.org. |
| Deadline for Application Submission – March 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM | Completed applications must be submitted electronically to: FIRST 5 Santa Clara County Attn: Kate Welty RFQBeaconsSY@first5kids.org All applications must be received by March 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM. Applications received after the 5:00 PM deadline will not be reviewed or considered. |
| Application Review & Interview Schedule – Week of April 19, 2021 | Complete applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by a team who will recommend one or more applicants to present their qualifications to the review team. Interviews will be scheduled for the week of April 19, 2021. FIRST 5 may request additional information from applicants to clarify issues raised in an application. The review team may also request clarification on outstanding questions or concerns. The review team will make a recommendation to: Jolene Smith, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County CEO Debra Porchia-Usher, Chief Deputy Director, County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency Laura Garnette, Chief Probation Officer, County of Santa Clara Probation Department |
| Appeal Process – April 30, 2021 by 5:00 PM | Applicants wishing to appeal the recommendation have three (3) working days from the date of the initial award recommendation letter to file an appeal in writing. Letters of appeal must be sent electronically to: RFQBeaconSY@first5kids.org and addressed to Jolene Smith, Chief Executive Officer. Grounds for appeal are limited to a violation of a FIRST 5 procedure, law, rule, or regulation regarding this RFQ process. Appeals will not be accepted on any other grounds. Appeals will only be considered if received in the FIRST 5 office by 5:00 PM on the next working day from the date of the initial award recommendation letter. |
| Final Award Decision – May 1, 2021 | FIRST 5 will announce the award decision. |
| Contract Negotiations – May 2, 2021 | Staff will begin contract negotiations with the selected firm to provide services. |
| Anticipated Contract Start Date – July 1, 2021 | The initial contract term is 24 months, through June 30, 2023. |