Low Demand Safe Haven Services for Hines VA Hospital 5/15/2025-5/14/2030 and J&A Posting

Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 5 of 5 Sources Sought Notice *= Required Field Sources Sought Notice Page 1 of 5 Low Demand Safe Haven (LDSH) Services On behalf of the Edward Hines, Jr.

Veterans Affairs Hospital (VAH), the Great Lakes Acquisition Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, intends to solicit and negotiate a contract with Volunteers of America of Illinois, for residential placement and supportive services under the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Low Demand Safe Haven (LDSH) Program for the anticipated period of performance May 15, 2025 through May 14, 2030, with one 6 month option to extend through November 14, 2030. This program has been developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to aid in ending Veteran homelessness.

Veteran participants in this program have a severe mental illness and may or may not have a substance use disorder. Often times, traditional VA or non-VA residential programs have been unsuccessful.

A result of market research, Volunteers of America was found to be the only vendor in the Hines VAH catchment areas of Cook, Du Page, Kane, DeKalb, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties in Illinois, that is capable of providing the required services under the VA Low Demand Safe Haven Program and that meets all VA requirements.

Contractor shall provide a clean and comfortable environment of care that promotes re-establishment of trust and staff/resident engagement, while at the same time keeps demands on the resident s low. As such, conditions of a continued stay must not require acceptance of treatment, abstinence from alcohol or drugs, or compliance with prescribed medication.

Similarly, non-compliance with house rules that do not constitute a risk to the personnel safety, or the safety of other residents/staff would not be a reason for discharge.

Contractor is also required to provide or have arrangements/relationships with subcontractors or community organizations in place to provide the following services: room and board, 24/7 on-site staff, 3 meals per day and snacks, free laundry facilities, health and personal hygiene products, medications, supportive/case management services, substance use disorder treatment services, education regarding community living skills, and transportation services.

Volunteers of America of Illinois is licensed by the State of Illinois and has met all federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for the operation of this program. Volunteers of America of Illinois also has sufficient staff in numbers and positions to carry out the policies and responsibilities.

Volunteers of America of Illinois staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid, including use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and trained to integrate Harm Reduction model and principles in care plans.

Volunteers of America Hope Hall facility conforms to local and state licensing standards for residential board and care type occupancies as well as the standards in the general chapters of the latest edition of the Life Safety Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard No. 101. The Federal Supply Code is G099 - Other Social Services and the North American Industry Classification System Code is 623220 Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities, with a small business size standard of $19 million. Responses shall include the information below.

a. Company Background Information Number of years in business, number of years providing Low Demand Safe Haven Services and/or related social services, type of population served (ie. veterans, women, men, and families), facility location/physical building address including a map of the area, indication if facility is accredited by Joint Commission or CARF, if facility considers themselves healthcare providers and complies with HIPAA requirements as normal business practice.

b. Facility Photographs Color pictures of all major areas including outside of building, entrance, bedrooms and furnishings, medication and food storage areas, kitchen, bathrooms, common areas, etc.

c. Community Partner Organizations/Providers (subcontractors) Listing of these partners/providers who will be assisting in the provision of the Low Demand Safe Haven Services as noted above and their roles/responsibilities.

d. Copies of licenses, certifications, and permits Examples are:

Safe Serve, Occupancy Permit, First Aid/CPR for staff, Counselor Licenses or Certifications, etc.

e. Copies of ALL state agency reports/inspection results within the last two years.

f. Information pertaining to counseling services Listing of what types of counseling sessions are provided by the vendor/partners and the frequency in which they are offered. This notice is NOT a request for competitive quotes. A solicitation document is not available. If any vendor believes they can satisfy the needs of the Government, they are encouraged to respond to this notice no later than Monday, February 24, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. central time. No telephone responses will be accepted.

Information received will be used to determine whether or not to conduct a competitive procurement. The determination to conduct a competitive procurement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Any responses should be emailed to the Contracting Officer, Carrie DeSwarte at carrie.deswarte@va.gov. Facsimile responses will not be accepted.

Interested parties are reminded to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at www.sam.gov to be eligible to do business with the Government. Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) or Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) must be certified in VetCert (https://veterans.certify.sba.gov/) to be eligible for an award.