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BOSTON - Wednesday,
November 10, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey and the Office of Health and Human
Services today announced a Request for Information for providers who can help scale
transitional housing and stabilization models for individuals experiencing
unsheltered homelessness and substance use and mental health disorders.
These models will include:
·
Sobering
center - Sobering centers provide up to 24 hours of medical monitoring for
individuals with acute mental health or substance use needs and help
individuals connect to the next level of care.
·
Overnight
respite/low-threshold shelter - Shelters that are low-threshold for
individuals with a substance use disorder – otherwise referred to as
overnight respite - allow individuals to bring in harm reduction supplies,
allow individuals to leave and return during the night, and have clinical
expertise for supporting the needs of individuals with a substance use
disorder.
·
Transitional
housing - This housing is short-term, typically less than six months.
Supportive services assist individuals with transitioning and stabilizing
from the street. These services help residents access behavioral health
care, maintain their housing, and prepare for a permanent placement.
The Request for
Information is now open, and responses are due by Monday, November 22, 2021
at 5:00 p.m.
“In Boston, we are
working to ensure individuals who are living unsheltered have safe and
supportive alternatives to living on the street,” said Mayor Janey. “Last
month, we declared unsheltered homelessness, substance use disorder, and
mental illness a public health crisis in Boston. We must meet the urgency
of this moment with more resources for individuals facing these
challenges.”
Potential partners
do not need to have experience with all elements of transitional housing
and stabilization models and can specialize in one or several types of
service areas. The short RFI asks providers to share their experience
delivering services to this population, the capacity they have to scale
services in Boston, and the support they would need to do so. Responses to
this RFI will inform a Request for Proposals later this month. Providers
selected through the RFP will be awarded contracts to expand overnight
low-threshold models in Boston.
“Providers in Boston
have been on the front lines delivering critical services to individuals
navigating homelessness and behavioral health challenges during the
COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez.
“We are seeking providers from Boston and beyond - including those who have
not worked with the City of Boston before - to add to our capacity to serve
this population.”
Boston has a long
history of serving our most vulnerable residents. In 2015, Boston created
the first municipal Office of Recovery Services to coordinate the City’s
response to substance use and addiction. Since then, the City has invested
in harm reduction services, Narcan and overdose prevention programming,
treatment referral programs, and low-threshold drop-in space for accessing
substance use services.
The COVID-19
pandemic has had devastating impacts on individuals navigating
homelessness, substance use, and mental health challenges. For example, the
pandemic fueled an increase in overdose deaths nationwide, statewide, and
citywide, due to factors including using substances as a means to cope with
extreme levels of social isolation, socioeconomic hardships, and disconnect
from services. Overall, the pandemic led the volume, complexity, and acuity
of need on Boston’s streets to increase. On October 19, 2021, Mayor Janey
issued an executive order to address public health and encampments in
Boston. Among other priorities, the executive order calls for increasing
the availability of housing and treatment resources for individuals living
unsheltered.
ABOUT THE OFFICE OF
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
The Mayor's Office
of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the largest cabinet in the City with
ten departments and offices that span work across multiple communities all
striving to create a healthier Boston. Committed to promoting and ensuring
the health and well-being of the City's most vulnerable residents, HHS
provides a wide array of critical programs and services all while
advocating for systemic change to tackle root causes of some of our most
pressing challenges in the City. HHS departments work with and for the
populations with the greatest needs in our city, including Veterans, youth,
persons with disabilities and our aging residents.
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