Family Promise Program Outcomes Evaluation Request for Proposal 

1. Introduction 

Family Promise is pleased to release this Request for Proposal for a consultant, evaluation firm and/or academic institution to conduct a multi-site evaluation to assess the impact and effectiveness of Homelessness Prevention (Prevention) programs and programs to divert families from emergency shelter into temporary or long-term housing (Shelter Diversion). 

Results from this study will be used to assess the impact of Prevention and Shelter Diversion strategies on guests, guide policy recommendations from Family Promise National to the organization’s 200 Affiliate organizations (Affiliates), guide prioritization for developing Affiliates, and inform program development and program administration. 

2. Prevention and Shelter Diversion 

Family Promise is a national non-profit that helps families at risk of and experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. Our 200 Affiliates work locally to keep families together, prevent families from experiencing homelessness, shelter them while in crisis, and provide long-term support so they can remain independently housed.   

In the past four years, the number of Family Promise Affiliates offering Prevention and Shelter Diversion services has grown tremendously. In 2021, 160 Affiliates offered Prevention and Shelter Diversion services to families in addition to emergency shelter.  

In 2021, Family Promise Affiliates served more than 21,600 individuals in Prevention programs, compared to 8,000 in 2018. Though the exact services within each Prevention program vary per Affiliate, most Affiliate programs offer emergency assistance to families facing imminent eviction, foreclosure, or loss of home. Assistance includes case management and community support, rental assistance, security deposits, utility support, landlord mediation, housing location, and transportation assistance. 

In 2021, 101 Affiliates served 9,397 individuals through Shelter Diversion. Most Affiliate Shelter Diversion programs offer short-term assistance (for up to 30 days) to families currently experiencing homelessness who are seeking emergency shelter.  Assistance includes case management, short-term hotel stays, rental assistance, security deposits, utility support, landlord mediation, housing location, and transportation assistance.  

3. Level of Analysis 

Family Promise seeks to work with an outside party to better understand the impact of Prevention and Diversion services and to adjust and make program improvements. Family Promise will look to the expertise of the consultant, evaluation firm and/or academic institution to determine exact scale. There are 200 Family Promise Affiliates in the network. At a minimum, this project should include various Affiliates across the country, Affiliates of different sizes and capacities, and Affiliates serving different types of communities. 

Through this project, we seek to answer the following questions: 

1. How are families selected for services through Family Promise? Are Affiliates identifying and serving those that are the highest risk of experiencing homelessness? 

2. What are the short (3 month)- and long-intermediate (12 months)-term impacts of Family Promise Prevention and Shelter Diversion practices on clients who received assistance? 

1. Do the programs have disparate impact for clients of a certain demographic group, including groups identified by race, ethnicity, gender, age. 

3. Which case management interventions are most likely to lead to stable long-term housing statuses for Family Promise clients? 

1. What circumstances lead guests to requesting Prevention services? 

2. What circumstances lead guests to requesting Shelter services? 

3. What circumstance lead guests to requesting Shelter services, and receiving Shelter Diversion services by an Affiliate? 

4. What are the long-term housing outcomes for families who receive financial assistance prior to an episode of homelessness? 

5. What are the long-term housing outcomes for families who receive financial assistance during an episode of homelessness?  

4. How do program features—documentation requirements, technology tools, landlord engagement, payment systems, intake procedures—impact client experiences and outcomes? 

4. Coordination with Family Promise 

The selected evaluator will work with the Family Promise Affiliate Services Team and Affiliate grantees to engage clients and program administrators and collect additional data as needed. The Family Promise Affiliate Services team will provide program information collected through internal grant reports to help support the work of the program outcomes evaluation. Additionally, Family Promise has conducted and will continue to conduct interviews with other HUD program administrators and collect additional program-level data that may be helpful for the program outcomes evaluation.  

5. Project Requirements 

In addition to a comprehensive analysis, the selected research firm or organization must provide Family Promise with access to the raw data collected by the research firm or organization during the project. Family Promise may ask the evaluator to present its results to various audiences, including at Family Promise’s national conference and to its Board of Directors. There is also the potential for media collaboration and press engagement.  

6. Eligible Organizations 

Family Promise seeks to work with a consultant, evaluation firm and/or academic institution that has demonstrated experience working on related issues, like child homelessness, family homelessness, poverty, housing, and social services. Experience working in the nonprofit sector is also preferred. We hope to ensure engagement from a diverse pool of potential researchers, including people with lived expertise. 

7. Selection Criteria 

Proposals will be considered based on criteria such as: a) project viability and clarity, b) commitment to related issues and shared mission, c) commitment to equity and experience working with people with lived experience, and other factors. 

VIII. Proposal Format  

Please submit your proposal of no more than ten pages no later than June 15^th, 2022 to Cam Smith, Program Associate, at csmith@familypromise.org.  Any questions should also be submitted to csmith@familypromise.org. 

Proposals shall include the information outlined in this section. Our ability to interpret and apply your proposal to these questions will factor into our decisions. 

1. Name of consultant, evaluation firm and/or academic institution  

2. Name of principal contact, voice telephone and e-mail address; 

3. A firm estimate of the fees to be charged and an estimate of the expenses to be incurred; 

4. A brief description of the organization including capacity, qualifications and relevant experience delivering the specified services outlined above in the “Project Requirements” section; 

5. Short biographies and/or resumes of each identified team member for this project;  

6. A brief description of content knowledge of homelessness prevention and shelter diversion practices.  

7. Scope of Work including:  

1. Approach  

1. Describe your overall approach to the evaluation  

2. Please address all program requirements listed in Section 7 of this RFP  

2. Timeline for completion of the project including major milestones. 

3. Preliminary Evaluation Plan and Methodology, including how you will address racial equity in your research design and evaluation plan  

1. Plan for proposed # of sites, site selection and engagement  

2. Potential data sources and experience accessing proposed data  

3. Family Promise client engagement plan including potential compensation  

4. Deliverables: (Family Promise expects that the selected evaluator will enter into a data-sharing agreement with Family Promise to ensure that raw data can be shared with Family Promise to support the systems evaluation as described above.)  

8. Three (3) references for similarly contracted services within the last (10) ten years including name, address, phone number, email address, scope of services provided and length of service;  

9. Two (2) sample work products of similarly conducted evaluation reports and a summary of the same; and  

10. Budget: Pricing shall be inclusive of all costs. Maximum overhead rate for this proposal is 20%.  

IX. Conflict of Interest Statement  

Applicants must not have any real or perceived conflicts of interest with Family Promise or any of its employees or Affiliates. This RFP does not commit Family Promise to award a contract, pay any costs associated with the preparation of a proposal in response to the RFP, or to procure a contract for services.  Family Promise reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals received in response to this request, to negotiate with consultants, or to cancel this RFP in part or in its entirety.  Family Promise reserves the right to discuss and negotiate with selected applicants any terms and conditions, including financial, for any proposed project. 

X. Timeline 

Applications should be submitted to Cam Smith, Program Associate, at csmith@familypromise.org by midnight EDT on June 15, 2022. The project should start as soon as feasible.