YHDP Crisis Bridge Housing: Request for Proposal

The deadline for this Request for Proposal (RFP) was September 18, 2020 at 4:00 pm.

The Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS), on behalf of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, announces a grant award to provide crisis bridge housing for Youth and Young Adults (YYA) at-risk of and experiencing homelessness.

Full Application & Guiding Documents

• Full Application & Guiding Documents
• Budget Template
• YHDP Coordinated Community Plan

Technical Assistance Webinar

MOHS hosted a virtual technical assistance webinar on August 10, 2020.

• Technical Assistance Webinar Recording
• Technical Assistance Presentation Slides
• FAQs: Crisis Bridge Housing

Target Population

The proposed projects should serve Youth and Young Adults (YYA) at-risk of and experiencing homelessness. Youth are unaccompanied minors under the age of 18, and young adults are aged 18-24 (up to 25). This also includes YYA who are pregnant and/or caring for one or more children, including the care of minor siblings.

Special efforts should also be made to serve YYA who are especially vulnerable, including YYA who are of color, under 18, pregnant or parenting, identify as LGBTQ, victims of sexual trafficking and exploitation, or have been involved with juvenile justice, jail, or foster care systems.

Unaccompanied Minors in Need of Shelter and Supportive Services

Effective July 1, 2020, Maryland enacted HB 206 ; Unaccompanied Minors in Need of Shelter and Supportive Services. This law gives unaccompanied minors experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness the legal capacity to consent to shelter, housing, and supportive services without parental consent.

Any public or private nonprofit organization that provides shelter or supportive services to minors in need of shelter must register with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development effective July 1, 2020. There is no cost associated with registering with the state; however, there are several assurances that must be met in order to meet statutory requirements. DHCD will annually certify that providers meet certain conditions, including running background checks on employees, providing mandatory reporting training for employees, and requiring service providers to develop and implement procedures to screen staff members who work with minors. The law also requires certain protocols for attempting parental contact, which are largely consistent with the Federal Basic Center Program regulations. 

Additional information can be found on the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development website here.

Applicants for this project are encouraged to serve unaccompanied homeless minors as part of their program design.

Eligible Projects

In March, the Youth Homelessness Action Committee and Youth Action Board completed the YHDP system model and selected Crisis Bridge Housing a transitional housing project to fund through the YHDP RFP.  While selected applicants will receive two-year grants, the totals below reflect the one-year funding amount.

Funding & Project Scope	Type	Description
Total for two years $488,084	Crisis Bridge Housing – TH	The YHDP Crisis Bridge Housing Project will offer crisis housing for unaccompanied minors and youth who are experiencing homelessness. The goal is to offer short-term (1-3 months) of crisis housing to offer safe and stable housing while they are connected to their permanent housing solution.
Unit Count: 7-8
$244,042	Total Amount of Funding Available (1-year total, proposed budgets and grant agreements will reflect 2-year project period)