Emergency Homeless Assistance Program: EHAP

EHAP Program Information Webinar:

📅 Tuesday, March 4
⏰ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

🔗 Join Here: https://housingnm.org/meetings-notices-webcasts/meetings-events-notices

FAQ

Housing New Mexico will provide a response to all questions posted to this site. These responses will be posted on three dates only: March 4, 11, 18. At 5:00pm on March 18, the FAQ site will close.

Questions & Answers

Question: What should I do if my submission file is too large to attach to an email even after trying to reduce the file size?

Answer: Send an email to CDDprogramcoordinator@housingnm.org stating that your EHAP RFP submission is too large to attach to an email. We will respond with an invitation for you to send us the larger file using a file transfer system built into our email.

Question: Does this RFP pertain to domestic violence communal transitional housing?

Answer: This RFP can fund existing emergency shelters. EHAP funds are subject to the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations that govern Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, 24 CFR 576. These regulations define an "emergency shelter" as "any facility, the primary purpose of which is to provide a temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations of the homeless and which does not require occupants to sign leases or occupancy agreements." [emphasis added] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-576 If the "communal transitional housing" program requires clients to sign a lease or occupancy agreement to be in the program, that would not qualify as an emergency shelter.

Question: What is the date requirement and/or fiscal year requirement of the most recent financial audit?

Answer: Applicants should submit their most recent fiscal year audit. If the agency's FY24 audit is not yet completed, applicants should submit their FY23 audit along with a letter from their auditor stating when the FY24 audit will be complete.

Question: On the checklist of I see where it is asking for MOU's with other organizations and then I see again evidence of collaboration with homeless services. On the webinar letters of support were discussed. I have received those but am unclear where they would go as the other sections are asking for MOU's. Can you please clarify? 
Also to clarify the HQS is done during a monitoring review? Thank you.

Answer: Offerors should provide a copy of an MOU if there is an official agreement in place between the Offeror and a partner organization to provide specific services or funding. For example, if the Offeror has an arrangement with Agency A for Agency A to provide case management services for clients served in Offeror's program, an MOU should be submitted. Only official MOUs should be submitted for this item. 
Letters of support do not require an official agreement and are meant to document that the Offeror is aware of and collaborates with other homeless service providers in their community. An MOU can be considered "evidence of coordination with other targeted homeless services," however, a letter of support cannot be counted as an MOU. Both letters of support and MOUs may be submitted for this item.
Offeror's must provide the results of the most recent HQS/Habitability inspection for their shelter facility. Housing New Mexico | MFA conducts Habitability Inspections during the course of a monitoring visit, and it's possible the most recent Inspection was completed by Housing New Mexico | MFA.

Question: I am not sure if a budget needs to be added to the proposal. Please advise.

Answer: Offerors are only required to submit the materials listed on the Submission/Documentation Checklist.
If an Offeror is selected for funding they will be required to complete a program budget as part of their contract agreement with Housing New Mexico | MFA. The amount of EHAP funding that is estimated to be available for the 2025-2026 funding term is shown on page 9 of the RFP.

Question: This question is regarding the letters of collaboration. How are they to be addresses? In other words, are they to make it out to a specific person or to NM MFA?

Answer: Letters of collaboration are between the Offeror and other homeless service providers (or related organizations) in the community. Essentially, a letter of collaboration is an acknowledgement between organizations that they are working towards a common goal (in this case addressing the needs of the homeless community) and that the organizations support each others' work. Housing New Mexico | MFA would not be a party to any letter of collaboration because Housing New Mexico | MFA is not a homeless service provider working in the community. Letters may be addressed to either the Offeror or “Funder”.

Question: Form Exhibit D-Capacity does not include a section for a brief description for Program Manager. Do we need to submit a brief description for Program Manager?

Answer: Offerors only need to fill out the Exhibits with the requested information. If there is not a place to enter particular information on an Exhibit form, then that information is not required and won't be scored.

Question: We were unable to compress the application into one document due to the size of the file. We had to send the documents in three separate emails. Is this okay?

Answer: Offerors are requested to compile all of their application materials into a single PDF document for submission. Submitting the materials this way helps ensure documents won't be misplaced or overlooked.
Options to decrease the size of a PDF document include using an application like Adobe Acrobat to reduce the file size (e.g. "Save as reduced size PDF"), compressing the file into an archive (zip folder) before emailing it, reducing the size of images before adding them into the document, or using the "Print to PDF" function (rather than saving as a PDF)

Question: At the bottom of page 1 Exhibit A -Minimum Threshold Documentation Checklist there's a box (checklist) for "Offeror Executive Summary" Can you explain where or what we need to submit here?

Answer: The "Offeror Executive Summary" should be drafted by Offeror and included as a page (or pages) in the packet of materials submitted to respond to the RFP. An executive summary should provide an overview of how the Offeror determined the need in their community for services, how the shelter will operate (staffing, hours, etc.), and the activities/services Offeror will provide.

Question: How much money can be requested for the EHSP RFP? It does not give a number or a scale of numbers anywhere in the RFP.

Answer: Page 9 of the RFP lists the estimated amount of total EHAP funding that will be available this funding year ($934,892). This estimate is based on the amount of EHAP funding that was available in the most recent funding year. Actual funding levels have not yet been determined and could vary from the current year's funding levels. There are 18 shelters currently receiving EHAP funding.
There is no hard limit on the amount of funding that can be awarded to an Offeror. Program budgets are not a requirement for RFP submissions.

Question: Where do we apply? Is there an online system? It doesn't say how to apply in the RFP and it's driving me mad!

Answer: Page 3 of the RFP states "All Offeror proposals must be submitted by e-mail with a subject line of "Proposal to Offer Services - EHAP RFP" to: CDDprogramcoordinator@housingnm.org.
All application materials are available on the Housing New Mexico | MFA EHAP page, under the "Program Documents" header, titled "All EHAP RFP Forms."

Question: Can you provide more information on the emergency shelter Habitability Inspection?

Answer: All EHAP-funded emergency shelters must meet the ESG Minimum Habitability Standards for Emergency Shelters. HUD ESG Minimum Habitability Standards forms (including an inspection checklist) can be found on hudexchange.info: https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/3766/esg-minimum-habitability-standards-for-emergency-shelters-and-permanent-housing/ 
Per HUD's standards, "inspections to determine that emergency shelters... meet the ESG minimum standards do not need to be evaluated by a certified inspector." Shelter staff are free to complete the Habitability Standards checklist themselves and include their self-inspection in their response to this EHAP RFP.

Quesion: I thought I had seen where we needed an affidavit stating we attended the RFP webinar but I can not find in on the documentation checklist. Is this required?

Answer: Offeror's are not required to submit an affidavit stating they attended the EHAP RFP training. This had been a requirement in years past but is not currently required.

Question: Where can I find information on "Exhibit K," the RFP webinar training affidavit?

Answer: There is no Exhibit K required for RFP submissions. This was a typo in the RFP referencing a requirement from a previous year. Please reference the documentation checklist (Exhibit A) in the "All EHAP RFP Forms" document for the most up-to-date list of submission requirements.

Question: The rubric refers to "Agency grievance policy" Is this referring to the policy for clients to file grievances about program/services?

Answer: Per the MFA ESG Written Standards: Sub-recipients must create a formal standardized grievance process which they must incorporate into their internal policies and procedures and at a minimum include:

• An established escalation process if no resolution is found through initial efforts
• A designated grievance liaison within the agency
• A standard grievance form that can be filled out and returned to a grievance liaison

Participants are informed, at initial intake, of their right to file a grievance and that no services will be denied based on complaints or grievances. In the event that a grievance is filed, participants must be provided with contact information for the agency’s director, the MFA program manager, and/or a HUD representative, if applicable. The signed grievance form is to be kept in the participant’s permanent file.

Emergency Shelters

Temporary shelters located throughout New Mexico that offer assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness and/or those who are fleeing domestic violence.