2026-020 RFP Kitsap County Youth Services

Agency:	Kitsap County
State:	Washington
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	624110 - Child and Youth Services
Posted Date:	Apr 27, 2026
Due Date:	May 25, 2026
Solicitation No:	2026-020
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

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Request for Proposals

2026-020

Kitsap Housing Services and

Homelessness Prevention

for Youth and Young Adults

Proposal Deadline: May 25, 2026

Release Date

4/27/2026

Issuing Agency

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by the Kitsap County Department of Human Services, herein

after referred to as “the County.”

Timeline

4/27/2026 – 5/11/2026

05/11/2026 (3:00 PM PDT)

5/14/2026 (3:00 PM PST)

5/20/2026

5/25/2026 (3:00 PM PDT)

5/25/2026 – 6/01/2026

6/02/2026

6/03/2026 – 6/30/2026

7/01/26

RFP issued & advertised

Letters of intent due

Questions due

Addendum posted (if questions received)

Proposals due

Proposal review & selection process

Announcement of winning proposal

Contracting process

Contract begins

Summary

Kitsap County (hereinafter referred to as “the County”) is offering this Request for Proposals, seeking

applications from qualified agencies for the provision of specific services program types (rapid re-

housing, homelessness prevention, and/or diversion) for youth (under the age of 18) and young adults

(ages 18-24) that support the goals identified in the Homeless Crisis Response and Housing Plan,

including:

• Engage in creative problem solving with clients experiencing housing instability

• Provide supportive services to households facing eviction

• Prevent discharge to homelessness from systems of care

• Use data-driven risk-based prioritization

• Prioritize individualized, needs-based housing placement

• Use evidence-based practices

• Reduce barriers to program access/entry

Priority shall be given to low-barrier programs as defined in the CHG Guidelines:

• Has flexible intake schedules and requires minimal documentation.

• Has realistic and clear expectations. Rules and policies are narrowly focused on maintaining a

safe environment and avoiding exits to homelessness.

• Does not have work or volunteer requirements.

• At the minimum, homeless households are not screened out based on the following criteria:

o Having too little or no income

o Having poor credit or financial history

o Having poor or lack of rental history

o Having involvement with the criminal justice system

o Having active or a history of alcohol and/or substance use

o Having been impacted or affected by a crime

o The type or extent of disability-related services or supports that are needed

o Lacking ID or proof of U.S. Residency Status

o Other behaviors that are perceived as indicating a lack of “housing readiness,” including

o resistance to receiving services

• Households are not terminated from the program for:

o Failure to participate in supportive services or treatment programs

o Failure to make progress on a housing stability plan

o Alcohol and/or substance use in and of itself is not considered a reason for termination

Respondents should carefully review this RFP and the minimum program requirements for eligible types

of homeless housing and services. It is the applicant’s responsibility to read and understand the funding

requirements and restrictions.

Contract Term

July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

Budget

Anticipated funds available for this Kitsap Housing Services and Homelessness Prevention for Youth

and Young Adults RFP are estimated to be $380,000 cumulatively for the state fiscal year. It is

anticipated that the County will contract with multiple organizations for provision of various programs

providing eligible services for youth and young adults, with the average award amount anticipated to be

$50,000-$100,000.

After awards for this RFP are announced, the winning respondent(s) to this RFP will be invited to provide

an adjusted final budget.

Funding

The Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) program is funded through the portion of document recording

fees that are not retained locally and are transmitted to the Washington State Department of

Commerce. Commerce distributes these funds back to counties through contracts for specific homeless

housing and services. These grant funds are administered by the Kitsap County Housing and

Homelessness Division and sub-contracted to eligible service providers. Eligible uses of Consolidated

Homeless Grants (CHG) are determined by the Washington State Department of Commerce in their

periodically published CHG Guidelines.

Solicited Services

Operation of a housing services/homelessness prevention program for youth and young adults.

The contracted program must adhere to the CHG Guidelines and the Kitsap County Grant Guidelines

Handbook. Both documents are updated periodically. Allowable program operations expenses are

detailed in the Department of Commerce’s Guidelines for the Consolidated Homeless Grant.

Funds will be sub-contracted for this program on the state fiscal year timeline (7/1/2026 – 6/30/2027).

This is anticipated to be a one-year contract with no renewals.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants/recipients include: local city or county governments, tribes, public housing

authorities, IRS-certified non-profit 501(c)(3) agencies/providers of affordable housing, local

development corporations, and faith-based organizations.

• Applicant organization and proposed program or project must be eligible to receive Consolidated

Homeless Grant funds;

• Applicant must have the organizational and management capacity to carry out the proposed

project;

• Demonstrate an active governing body or board of directors with skills and experience to provide

leadership and direction to the agency;

• Demonstrate the legal, financial, and programmatic ability to administer the proposed program;

and

• Meet the County requirements for contracting agencies such as insurance requirements, audit,

and financial requirements.

• Applicant must have sufficient financial capacity; and

• Applicant must be able demonstrate a positive history of performance with prior grant funds and

not be out of compliance with current grant awards.

Eligible Services

• Rapid Re-Housing: Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) quickly moves households from homelessness into

permanent housing by providing:

o Housing Identification Services: Recruit landlords to provide housing for RRH participants

and assist households with securing housing.

o Financial Assistance: Provide assistance to cover move-in costs and deposits as well as

ongoing rent and/or utility payments.

o Case Management and Services: Provide services and connections to community

resources that help households maintain housing stability.

• Homelessness Prevention: Homelessness Prevention (HP) helps households who are at risk of

homelessness to maintain or obtain stable housing and avoid homelessness. Services include:

o Housing Identification Services: Recruit landlords to provide housing for RRH participants

and assist households with securing housing.

o Financial Assistance: Provide assistance to cover move-in costs and deposits as well as

temporary rent and/or utility payments.

o Case Management and Services: Provide services and connections to community

resources that help households maintain housing stability.

• Targeted Prevention/Diversion

o Can include diversion from homelessness activities through problem-solving

conversations, linkages to mainstream and natural supports, and/or flexible and light

touch financial expenses (non-housing expenses that prevent homelessness)

o Can include program operations expenses in the form of assistance for alternative

housing options (e.g. Tiny House Village fees, home share, etc.)

Scope of Work

The following allowable uses of funds outline the elements of the scope of work, including specific

requirements. Additional details can be found in the Department of Commerce’s Guidelines for the

Consolidated Homeless Grant.

Operate a housing services/homelessness prevention program for youth and young adults, including

providing progressive engagement case management for eligible households and working with these

households to develop and carry out Housing Stability Plans.

Components of this program should include:

• Development and/or expansion of a housing services/homelessness prevention program for

youth and young adults.

• This program should work to coordinate with other funding sources that could provide additional

and/or future assistance for households enrolled in the program.

• Case management support should be provided for program households.

• Case management should include working with households to identify needs, resources,

opportunities, and next steps through development of a Housing Stability Plan.

Administration

Up to 15 percent of CHG Program costs over the course of the grant period may be used for

administration. This limit must be reconciled before the end of the grant period.

Allowable administrative costs benefit the organization as a whole and cannot be attributed specifically

to a particular program or to the homeless crisis response system. Administrative costs may include the

same types of expenses that are listed in program operations (such as IT staff and office supplies), in the

case that these costs are benefiting the agency as a whole and are not attributed to a particular program

or the homeless system.

Allowable administrative expenses are detailed in the Department of Commerce’s Guidelines for the

Consolidated Homeless Grant.

Evaluation

CHG Homelessness Assistance Programs should be considered a work in progress, with frequent internal

evaluations to make necessary adjustments to ensure the efficacy of the programs. In addition, periodic

check ins with partner agencies should be used to ensure that those partnerships support the efficacy of

the program and that it is working for all parties.

• Homeless Management Information System - Washington State Department of Commerce has

mandated that all agencies receiving state funding for homeless housing must also participate in

HMIS.

• Evaluation Tools - Implement program evaluation tools to measure client satisfaction and program

effectiveness.

• Reporting - Submit quarterly reports to Kitsap County. Provide additional reports and data as

requested by Kitsap County.

• Monitoring - Periodic monitoring and evaluation by the County and by the Washington State

Department of Commerce.

Expectations of Contractor

• Housing First – the organizational mission and philosophy of the provider must be aligned with

Housing First principles: everyone is housing ready and there should be minimal barriers or service

participation requirements imposed on homeless people as a condition of entering housing.

• Low Barrier - Low barrier projects have realistic and clear expectations. Rules and policies are

narrowly focused on maintaining a safe environment and avoiding exits to homelessness. Low

barrier projects do not have work or volunteer requirements. The Consolidated Homeless Grant

(CHG) guidelines include a definition of low barrier programs as it relates to this program.

• Voluntary Services - Programs must not terminate or deny services to households based on refusal

to participate in supportive services. Supportive services are helping or educational resources that

include support groups, mental health services, alcohol and substance abuse services, life skills or

independent living skills services, vocational services, and social activities.

• Progressive Engagement - Whenever possible, households experiencing a housing crisis should be

diverted from entering homeless housing programs through problem-solving conversations, linkages

to mainstream and natural supports, and/or flexible, and light-touch financial assistance. Initial

assessment and services should address the immediate housing crisis with the minimal services

needed, and frequent re-assessment determines the need for additional services. Services are

individualized and responsive to the needs of each household.

• Systems Thinking – the program is an essential component of the County’s homeless response

system. To successfully operate the program, the selected provider must embrace a systems-

thinking approach.

• Data-informed – the data collected will be used for ongoing and continuous system improvement.

The provider must have strong commitment to data quality and a willingness to make data-informed

decisions.

• Flexible – the program is a work in progress. Policies, procedures, and tools will need to be adjusted

and refined over time.

• Collaborative Approach – the provider must have the ability to build and maintain strong and

effective working partnerships homeless service providers, housing providers, and landlords.

• Communication – staff must have the ability to communicate how the system works to people

experiencing homelessness, service providers, landlords, and the public.

• Objectivity – successful operation of the programs requires that the provider use consistency and

fairness in applying all policies and procedures and use of tools.

• Problem Solving – the program provider must embrace a problem-solving approach to ending

homelessness. To be effective, the provider must employ staff who are skilled at problem-solving

and understand how to adopt a strengths-based and client-centered approach to all aspects of

service delivery.

Performance Measurement

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

2026-020 RFP Kitsap County Youth Services

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