City seeking service provider for proposed bridge shelter

City seeking service provider for proposed bridge shelter

August 21, 2024

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the City opened a request for proposals (RFP) to identify a qualified service provider to help establish and operate a 150-bed bridge shelter. The bridge shelter, which the City will open in 2025, is a crucial piece of the ongoing solutions being implemented as part of the City's current homelessness emergency response. The selected provider will operate the shelter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The City is seeking a provider now as they are an important stakeholder in creating the bridge shelter and developing the guidelines related to its establishment and operation. Duties will include providing expertise on optimal site design and layout to maximize safety and accessibility and assisting the City with coordinating the purchase of equipment and supplies necessary for the eventual operation of the bridge shelter.

"Without more shelter beds, Vancouver will likely continue to experience increasingly harmful impacts of unsheltered homelessness including unsafe living conditions, build-up of solid waste outside and significant demand on emergency services," said Vancouver Homelessness Response Manager Jamie Spinelli. "Successful bridge shelters create a trauma-informed and service-rich environment that reduces isolation, fosters meaningful connections and community-building, and promotes overall well-being and stability for our unhoused neighbors."

The operator must have strong knowledge of the complexities of substance use, mental health and trauma to implement evidence-based practices and coordinate with the on-site medication-assisted treatment program to address behavioral health issues, particularly the impacts of the Fentanyl crisis. Qualified respondents will have a clear plan for:

• Establishing and maintaining a safe, accessible, clean, welcoming and supportive space
• Reducing the number of people living without shelter in coordination with HART and the City's approach to encampments and unsheltered homelessness
• Assisting participants with identifying and reducing barriers to stability, health and housing
• Increasing successful exits to housing, housing retention rates, and overall health and wellness among community members experiencing chronic homelessness
• Increasing neighborhood/community support for - and understanding of - the bridge shelter and mitigating any potential neighborhood impacts

Following the closure of the RFP process on Sept. 11, staff will review and recommend an operator to the City Council for approval.

Staff are evaluating a potential bridge shelter property at 5313 N.E. 94th Ave. in the Van Mall neighborhood. The City has begun outreach to the neighbors and businesses within 1,200 feet of the potential shelter location. This fall, community engagement will continue with the immediate neighbors and businesses and the broader community.

More than 500 Vancouver residents remain unsheltered. To help with the critical needs of those seeking help, the City anticipates the shelter would also include on-site substance use services, medication-assisted treatment, peer recovery support and expanded capacity for severe weather and dangerous air quality events. To access bridge shelter services, individuals would be required to adhere to a code of conduct outlining expectations for behavior and accountability, like those in place at the City's Safe Stay and Safe Park communities.

Media contact: Tim Becker, strategic communications manager, [email protected]