2023 DCF State Unified Contract Competition
Award Notification
The Florida State Office on Homelessness, through the Department of Children and Families (DCF), has made funds available under the Unified Homelessness Grant Program (Florida). Within this contract, applicants were given the opportunity to apply for Challenge Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Opening Doors Northwest Florida and staff, we are pleased to award direct service funds under the State Unified Homelessness Grant (See chart below). The award period is from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Through this RFP, Opening Doors NWFL non-profit partners will provide services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or those at risk of becoming homeless in the Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in the State of Florida.
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
| Organization | Services | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Reentry Alliance Pensacola | Street Outreach Emergency Shelter Rapid Rehousing |
$96,389.54 |
| Catholic Charities | Homeless Prevention | $95,240.11 |
| Favor House | Emergency Shelter | $27,547.56 |
| Bright Bridge Ministries | Emergency Shelter | $20,925.02 |
| Total | $240,102.23 |
Challenge Grant
| Organization | Services | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Reentry Alliance Pensacola | Transitional Housing | $55,834.80 |
| Catholic Charities | Homeless Prevention Rapid Rehousing |
$55,834.80 |
| Total | $111,669.60 |
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Grant
| Organization | Services | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Charities | Homeless Prevention | $36,860.00 |
| Total | $36,860.00 |
2023 FL-511 Request for Proposals (DCF) Announcement
DCF Funding Opportunity
RELEASE DATE: Friday, April 28, 2023
RFP Closing Date: Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 8:00 p.m. CST
Opening Doors Northwest Florida, FL-511 CoC Lead Agency, is now accepting applications for the 2023 Grant Period.
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) Office on Homelessness has made funds available under the State Unified Homelessness Grant Program (Florida). Within this contract, applicants are given the opportunity to apply for Challenge Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Opening Doors NWFL seeks applications from qualified non-profit organizations to provide services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.
FUNDING
The total award amount available through this RFP is $ 395,820.00 per fiscal year for project applications to support the eligible activities as described in Sections I, II, III (See Request for Proposal (DCF) Detailed Instructions). These grant funds are for activities performed for the fiscal year of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Organizations that are awarded under this RFP may be renewed for a second contract year, dependent upon performance outcomes. If renewed, the second year will end June 30, 2025.
BRIEF INSTRUCTION
Project Applicants should thoroughly read the 2023 FL-511 Request for Proposal (DCF) Detailed Instructions. New this year, project applicants will submit a 5-minute video presentation highlighting their proposed project. Applicants shall submit one application for their organization. The application allows each organization to submit a separate proposal for each grant/program funding source (i.e., Challenge, ESG, TANF).
Interested Project Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the in-person RFP Informational Meeting that will be held at Opening Doors NW FL on May 5, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. There will be a virtual option and the meeting will be recorded and posted to the Opening Doors Website on the 2023 FL-511 Request for Proposal (DCF) Page.
RFP Informational Meeting
We held an RFP informational meeting on Friday, May 5th at 10:00am at:
Opening Doors NWFL
1020 N New Warrington Rd
Pensacola, FL 32506
A virtual option was available via Microsoft Teams.
Meeting Video Recording
Q&A
Applicants shall submit all questions concerning the scope of services, eligibility and/or programmatic requirements of this funding opportunity in writing by email only to grants@openingdoorsnwfl.org no later than 72-hours prior to the RFP Submission Date. To ensure a fair and open process, all questions submitted and answers replied will be posted below.
Question 1
Fri, Apr 28, 2023 at 5:51 PM by Email
I was wondering if you have an electronic printable version of the application, so we can draft our responses before we put them into the system?
Answer
Mon, May 1, 2023, 10:51 AM by Email
A PDF version of the application has been added to the competition downloads list and can be found at https://openingdoorsnwfl.org/web/assets/download/2023-FL511-RFP-Application-For-Prep-Only-NOT-FOR-SUBMISSION.pdf
Question 2
Fri, May 22, 2023 at 2:53 PM by Email
I’m struggling with the script for the required 5-minute video presentation. Can you please tell me the purpose behind it? What does the committee believe they will get out of the video that they don’t get out of the written application? Understanding the purpose and the committee’s expectations of it will help make sure we’re not wasting time by focusing on the wrong things.
Answer
Mon, May 23, 2023 at 11:07 AM by Email
It's an added requirement to allow the Review and Ranking Committee the opportunity to learn about the mission/vision the project applicant has for the funding. There may be things that project applicants express in the video that may not have the same impact in writing. Normally, the Review and Ranking Committee would interview each applicant via a video call. It's difficult scheduling the number of interviews that would be necessary for this competition with the schedules of all involved.
Question 3
Wed, May 24, 2023 at 4:23 PM by Phone
Is there a character limit on the long paragraph answer questions in the Google Form application? The form told us in the short answer box that there was a character limit but I didn't know if it had one for the long answers.
Answer
Wed, May 24, 2023 at 4:23 PM by Phone
The long answer boxes do not have a character limit.
Question 4
Thu, May 25, 2023 at 3:30 PM by Email
For this item – “Attach a list of key staff and job descriptions of persons who will be performing work for the grant program(s), if awarded.” – are you looking for a list/job descriptions of staff of members who will be administering the grant (such as myself) or are you looking for staff who will be working in the shelter? What if none of our employee salaries will be paid with these funds?
Answer
Tue, May 30, 2023 at 10:50 AM by Email
Great question! We are looking for job descriptions and a list of staff who will be administering the grant and working with eligible program participants at the shelter. If a staff position is being created and the staff member has not been selected, please speak to the position that will be created and what the job duties will be for this future staff member.