Proposal for RFP #10037-2021 Community Development Division Housing-Focused Street Outreach

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Applicant Organization: Catalyst for Change Contact Person: John Adams Address: 459 W. Gilman St. Ste 110 D Madison, WI 53703 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: catalystforchangeinc.org Telephone: (608) 305-4742

Federal Tax ID or EIN 84-3428678

DUNS Number 117637887

Corporation Limited Liability Company General Partnership Legal Status: Sole Proprietor Unincorporated Association Other: .

Tax Exempt Status: 501 (c)(3) since December 2019

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PART 1: Organizational Capacity

1. Describe your agency’s experience working with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Include the experience providing services such as street outreach, case management, and housing search and placement; number of people served; and outcomes.

The founders of Catalyst for Change (CFC), John Adams and Michael Moody have extensive knowledge and years of experience serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness and unsheltered homelessness in Dane County, Wisconsin. John Adams, BS, Co-Founder, President, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, and Michael Moody, MSW, Co-Founder, CEO, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, have held various positions in homeless services over the past seven years. John began working as an overnight awake staff at Hope Haven in 2014 and then quickly transitioned to a full-time substance abuse counselor. After working at Hope Haven and experiencing serving people with substance use disorders and many people experiencing homelessness, John was asked to lead Bethel Lutheran Church's Homeless Ministry. In 2016, Michael Moody joined John at Bethel Lutheran Church's Homeless Ministry. They teamed up to support and advocate for people experiencing homelessness while also promoting a safe and welcoming space at Bethel Lutheran Church. After successfully restructuring Bethel Lutheran Church's Homeless Ministry by implementing behavioral expectations, suspension policies, and restorative justice practices, John and Michael were asked to be founding staff members of The Beacon Day Resource Center. John was the Lead Guest Services Specialist for six months and was then promoted to Program Director of The Beacon Day Resource Center. Michael began as a Guest Services Specialist and was later promoted to Community Partner Relations Specialist. From 2018 to 2021, John directed The Beacon, ran day-to-day operations, created and implemented policies, and worked directly with people experiencing homelessness. While working as the Program Director of The Beacon, John still prioritized meeting individually with people experiencing homelessness and assisting many people in obtaining housing, and connecting them to the resources they needed. While working as Community Partner Relations Specialist, Michael built partnerships and connections with other homeless services organizations. In 2019, John and Michael founded Catalyst for Change to fill the gaps in homeless services and centralize our mission of building connections and trusting relationships with people experiencing homelessness to support them as they grow and move to the next stage of their lives. We believe in elevating people by treating them with dignity and working with them as part of our team to assist them in achieving success. In May of 2020, we were able to add two highly qualified staff members to our team to expand our services.

CFC hired two direct service staff members, Hana El-Omari, BSW, and Ben Li, BS, who have over a year of experience working directly with people experiencing homelessness. Hana worked at The Beacon Day Resource Center as a receptionist and Guest Services Specialist since June of 2020 and is deeply passionate about serving people experiencing homelessness and people affected by immigration status and issues. Ben Li is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree from UW-Madison and worked as an intern at the Beacon Day

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Resource Center from September 2020 through May 2020. Ben has also worked as a shelter assistant at Porchlight Men's Homeless Shelter. Ben is passionate about making systems-level changes to provide the most equitable and beneficial services to people experiencing homelessness. Both Hana and Ben joined the CFC team as part-time street outreach workers and CCS service providers. They will be working directly with clients to provide trauma- informed case management, housing and employment services, mental and physical health assistance, and much more.

As an organization, Catalyst for Change has been performing street outreach in Dane County, Wisconsin, since September 2020. In September 2020, we began our partnership with the City of Madison through a mediation contract to reduce negative interactions between individuals experiencing homelessness and downtown business owners, the community, and local law enforcement. This contract was a mediation outreach contract rather than just a street outreach contract because Catalyst for Change has a successful history of mediating complicated relationships between people experiencing homelessness and their surrounding community. From September 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, Catalyst for Change Inc. staff performed 1,044 hours of direct services via mediation outreach to people experiencing homelessness in Madison. In addition, we entered 2,667 services into HMIS, ranging from in- person mediation to bus fare, emergency food, referrals to medical respite hotels due to COVID-19, and ride app services to transport people to shelter. From September 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, we connected 12 people experiencing homelessness to long-term, sustainable housing. We encountered and served 377 unduplicated individuals. We were able to refer 179 individuals to night shelters and 302 individuals to our day resource center to access resources. We mediated several interactions between local law enforcement, local businesses, and people experiencing homelessness to help keep people experiencing homelessness out of jail. We met with 46 different businesses located downtown and collaborated with them to best support them in managing people experiencing homelessness near their businesses. Because of our successful outcomes during our initial three and a half month contract, our contract was renewed for three and a half more months in December 2020 and another three and a half in April 2021. From September 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021, we have logged 4,495 service transactions with people experiencing homelessness, including services where we supplied people experiencing homelessness with items such as sleeping bags, tents, food, water, bus fare, dog food, and more. We served 483 unduplicated individuals. We have provided over 170 rides to our emergency shelter system, and we have connected over 31 individuals to COVID vulnerable hotels. We have housed 21 individuals in permanent housing. We have housed 21 people through connections we have established with local property owners and managers and worked to keep our clients stabilized in their housing. Because there are few openings in Permanent Supportive Housing through Dane County Homeless Services' Housing Priority List, we created our own version of "permanent supportive housing," where we work very closely with our clients and property managers to make sure that our clients are successful in their housing. Our goal is not to get clients housed, but rather our goal is to improve their overall quality of life and assist them in individual skill development to achieve success however it looks for them. We have extensive experience

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connecting our aging homeless population with resources like Medicare, food share, housing, V.A. benefits if they are eligible, and more. We have created close relationships with many other non-profit organizations in Dane County through our previous contracts, and we can refer vulnerable individuals to our medical respite hotels after hours to protect them from contracting COVID-19. We can also connect people to shelter after hours if they decide they would be interested in staying at one of our county's homeless shelters. No matter the population we are serving, we prioritize building trusting relationships with everyone we encounter. When we build trust and community and make our clients feel heard and seen, they are more willing to work with us and accept our referrals to various services. We believe that our ability to create a support network and trust with everyone we connect with leads to our successful client outcomes.

Catalyst for Change's staff are all Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) providers through Dane County Human Services. People experiencing homelessness receiving CCS through Dane County can get connected with one of our staff members to receive services like Physical Health Monitoring, Individual Skill Development and Enhancement, Employment-Related Skill Training, Individual and/or Family Psychoeducation and Wellness Management and Recovery/Recovery Support Services. Through CCS, we can provide more comprehensive services to individuals experiencing homelessness, and we can continue working with them after they obtain housing.

2. Describe how your agency is part of the larger system of services and/or housing resources for people experiencing homelessness. How will your agency partner with other organizations and systems to support your agency project participants?

Catalyst for Change is proud to be an integral part of the larger homeless services system in Dane County, Wisconsin. We believe that ending homelessness will require everyone's investment and involvement, from homeless services organizations and agencies to our local and state governments. This is why we have worked closely with the City of Madison, Dane County, local law enforcement, and the parks departments to identify and engage the most significant areas of need and address ongoing problems with our homeless community. We believe in working together because we know we all have a common goal of ending homelessness, eliminating human suffering, and improving the quality of life for people experiencing homelessness.

Not only do we work closely with local government and government agencies, but we also rely on our partnerships and connections with other homeless service agencies. We engage with unsheltered homeless individuals and build relationships with them. After building trusting relationships and gaining and understanding our clients' goals, we can make informed referrals for other services and resources for them. We work to connect people experiencing homelessness with our emergency shelter system. Often, we encounter people sleeping outside who are having a rough night, and we recommend that they go to a shelter for a couple of days to have a break from sleeping outside. We always encourage people we encounter to utilize the shelter system. If we meet people who are experiencing their first

4 | Page occurrence of homelessness, we refer them to the emergency shelter system. We have brought people to Porchlight Men's Shelter and the Salvation Army Women and Family's shelter when they need emergency shelter and are unsure where to go. Some individuals may be nervous about accessing shelter for the first time, so we will accompany them and introduce them to the shelter staff to feel safe and have a positive experience. Occasionally, individuals have missed the intake period at the shelter, and we can call and get them an exception to be let in after intake has ended. When the weather is freezing, we often refer people to emergency shelters to prevent frostbite and hypothermia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked with the City of Madison to refer individuals with COVID-19 symptoms to the Medical Respite Hotel, where they could quarantine until they felt better and received negative test results. We are trained in completing the VI-SPDAT assessment and can refer individuals to the Coordinated Entry System. We enter every encounter we have as a service transaction in Clarity so that we can track whom we've engaged with and how we have served them. We connect people with health insurance, food share benefits, doctor's appointments, employment assistance, and housing. We refer unsheltered homeless individuals to The Beacon Day Resource Center to access computers, laundry and engage with onsite partner agencies. We utilize our connections with over 25 partner organizations in Dane County to connect clients with the resources they need to succeed. We have assisted several of our clients in obtaining security deposits and first month's rent through Catholic Charities Housing Navigation and Porchlight's DIGS program. Through our relationships, we can make referrals to mental health providers at Monarch Health, Our Generations Therapy, The Psychology Clinic, and Focus Counseling to assist our clients in receiving the mental health service they need. Previously, we have connected individuals experiencing homelessness to MACH1 Health to treat minor open wounds and evaluate the extent of frostbite. We have utilized our connections to advocate for people experiencing homelessness and assisted them to check in to Porchlight Men's Shelter after the usual intake period has ended. We have connected individuals to The Beacon Day Resource Center, so they can order a government-issued phone or obtain their Social Security Awards Letters. We have assisted folks in applying for housing at the YWCA, Porchlight, Tellurian, and more, and we have advocated for them by providing reference letters and providing transportation to appointments.

Our specialty is utilizing our partnerships and relationships with property owners and managers and local businesses to house people experiencing homelessness. Because the Dane County Priority List rarely has openings in Rapid-Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing, we utilize our connections with local property owners and managers to assist individuals in obtaining long-term housing. Many local landlords are unwilling to work with people who have experienced homelessness, and property management companies have created extreme rental qualification requirements to systemically deny people experiencing homelessness and block them out of fair market housing. We knew this was an ongoing challenge for assisting individuals in obtaining housing, so we have worked over the past several years to build relationships with local property owners and managers. We commit to supporting our clients so that the property owners and managers will not have significant problems with our clients when they become tenants. We utilize our excellent mediation and

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motivational interviewing skills to assist our clients in having the best transition into housing possible. Then we continue to mediate and provide case management through CCS so that our clients can maintain their housing and gain a positive rental history. This system has worked for over 20 of our previously homeless clients, and we continuously have more opportunities arising because of the positive experiences property owners and landlords have had working with us. Not only have we created partnerships with property owners and managers, but through street outreach, we have also cultivated relationships with local downtown businesses. Many local businesses have been willing to employ people experiencing homelessness upon our recommendation. By gaining employment, people experiencing homelessness can earn an income, which helps them stabilize, reintegrate into society, and build positive relationships. Working provides many people with something positive to do with their time and an opportunity to expand their support system. By earning a regular income, people experiencing homelessness can regain their independence and obtain housing. We have had so much small and large successes through forming relationships already, and we are very excited about what would be possible with this housing-focused street outreach funding.

3. Describe your agency’s commitment to equity and inclusion. How does your agency board and staff demographics reflect the target population? How does your agency reflect and engage the experiences of people you serve, especially the voices of black, indigenous, and other people of color, into your agency’s operations and project planning?

Catalyst for Change is committed to equity and inclusion. Because of historical systematic and institutional racism and discrimination, there are significant racial disparities. African Americans, Indigenous, and other people of color are more likely to experience poverty and homelessness in the United States. Madison, Wisconsin, is no exception, and many of our residents of color have experienced generational racism, discrimination, and trauma, which has led to an increased presence of African American's experiencing homelessness. Because of these disparities, we believe it is our mission to implement antiracist policies and restorative justice practices to actively undo the discriminatory history of Black and Indigenous people in America. As Angela Davis said, "It is not enough to be not racist; we must be actively antiracist." We believe in advocating and fighting for Black and Indigenous people so that they have more equal opportunities. We meet every person where they are at and provide them with equitable services. While we have an organizational commitment to equity and inclusion, much of our advocacy and antiracism is practiced individually with each client.

A recent example of our restorative justice practices occurred when the Madison Police Department told us they were looking for a man experiencing homelessness because a woman, his off and on girlfriend, reported that he has sexually assaulted her the previous night. This man is a large Black man who may be perceived as intimidating and scary by some. We happened to be with this particular man the previous night at the emergency room. We were with him for several hours that spanned the time the assault reportedly took place and was reported. We were able to locate this man and tell him that the police had a warrant for assault charges. He immediately wanted to run from the police. We told him that we were with him when the assault reportedly took place, and we would share that with the police to attempt to get the charges dropped. He agreed, and we mediated the situation between him and the police, and the

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charges were dropped. We also assisted in mediating the situation between the man and his girlfriend so it would not lead to any more encounters with the criminal justice system. This is just one example of many where we have done whatever we could to provide restorative justice, support people experiencing homelessness, and prevent them from having more trauma and negative experiences.

Not only do we believe in and practice antiracism, but we also have created a staff and Board of directors that is reflective of the clients that we serve. Our team is currently made up of 67% People of Color and 33% white people. Our Board of Directors and our staff are made up of individuals who have not only been working in homeless services for many years, but we have also experienced many struggles similar to those experienced by many of our clients. Members of our staff and Board have experienced substance use disorders and achieved long-term recovery. We have had encounters with the criminal justice system and served time. We have raised children on their own as single parents. We have been immigrants. We have been homeless, and we have experienced poverty and housing insecurity. Because of these experiences, our team is highly compassionate and empathetic towards the people we serve. We understand how vital second and third chances are because many of us have had many second and third chances. We understand the importance of building positive connections and trusting relationships to act as a support system when support is most needed. We value active listening because we know that sometimes we just need someone to bear witness to our story. We believe that every client has immense potential. Every client is able to change and live a happy and healthy life, and we work to help them to believe this about themselves and then make it a reality.

4. Describe the history of effective organizational and fiscal management, including timely and accurate reporting.

Catalyst for Change is managed by John Adams and Michael Moody. John was the program director at The Beacon Day Resource Center for over two years, where he managed and supervised several staff members. John created the yearly budget and trimmed unnecessary expenses to create an efficient and effective program. While the program director, John, brought the Americorps VISTA Program to The Beacon to offer opportunities for people to learn more about homelessness and homeless services and discover their career paths. John managed several small grants which provided people experiencing homelessness with bus passes, move-in fees, and summer educational opportunities for youth. Catalyst for Change receives weekly clinical supervision from Ruchita Ervin, LPC, CSAC. Ruchita is a therapist at Our Generations Therapy and assists our direct service providers with case consultations and with implementing evidence-based interventions and services to our clients. Fiscally, Catalyst for Change utilizes Quickbooks for accounting, payroll, billing, paying taxes, and managing health insurance benefits. Fiscal transparency is important to us as an organization.

Catalyst for Change as an organization is meticulous about collecting and sharing data. We aim to set the industry standard of good, accurate data collection and sharing throughout homeless services. We are a data-driven organization, and we always strive to increase our services provided month over month and year over year. We believe in collecting data to systematically measure our tangible results and then share what is working for us and why. We enter all service transactions, including tents, sleeping bags, food, water, connections to rental assistance, entry and exits into our program, and entry and exits into housing nightly. We track all of our encounters on the micro-level to use data collected to impact macro-level systems. We enter new clients into HMIS and share data with all homeless services agencies. We understand how valuable HMIS can be when utilized

7 | Page consistently, and we have been able to facilitate many connections with various service providers and their clients. When we enter service transactions timely and regularly, social service providers can reach out to us if they see we have connected with their clients recently. In addition, we can provide regular reports through HMIS whenever needed.

PART 2: Project Design and Plan

1. Describe the agency’s plan to expand or extend services identified in the RFP Section 1.5 Project Scope/Required Services, including the following:

• Proposed outreach team staffing with position titles, responsibilities and roles, and staff qualifications. Include information of staff who will be part of the program if staff has already been identified.

• Proposed outreach schedule and coverage, including when and where services will be provided. Note: the City reserves the right to adjust schedule and coverage areas, in consultation with the contracted agency, as situations warrant.

Catalyst for Change (CFC) will provide street outreach to individuals and families experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the City of Madison. CFC has been providing street outreach to people experiencing homelessness in Dane County since September of 2020 through a contract funded by the City of Madison. Due to the successful outcomes of our street outreach program, our initial three and a half month contract with the City of Madison was extended for three and a half more months in December and extended again in April. With this Housing-Focused Street Outreach contract and hopefully some ESG funding, we would continue and expand our current street outreach program, which is scheduled to end in July of 2021. If awarded these funds, we will utilize them to pay four .5 LTE street outreach workers, and one flexible/float .25 FTE street outreach worker. Our outreach teams will still consist of two to three individuals, but we will now provide one daytime outreach team and one evening outreach team. Our evening outreach team will continue to provide street outreach Monday through Friday from 5:00 - 9:00 pm and flexible hours on the weekend. The evening outreach team will continue to focus on crisis stabilization and mediating negative encounters between law enforcement and people experiencing homelessness. They will also continue to connect people sleeping outside with the emergency shelter system. If individuals decide they would rather go to shelter than sleep outdoors, we can provide transportation and use our relationships with the Porchlight Shelter staff and Salvation Army staff. In addition to our evening outreach team, we will also add a second outreach team that will provide three hours of street outreach daily during regular business hours. Their primary focus will be directing people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to resources and services that are only available during normal business hours. Our daytime outreach team will also provide follow-up outreach and case management during business hours. They will direct people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to our Catalyst for Change offices located within The Beacon Day Resource Center and 459 W. Gilman Street. We will continue to identify, engage, and provide case management to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness who do not regularly utilize emergency shelter services. We will develop individualized goals and housing plans for each individual and work to connect them to housing and other resources that will assist them in obtaining housing. We will utilize our connections to help individuals in their housing search and placement, and then we will work with them to secure the funds they need to pay their first month's rent and security deposit. Our daytime and evening outreach teams will serve as a mobile hub for the Homeless Services Consortium's Coordinated Entry System. All of our staff members are trained to administer the VI-SPDAT assessment, and all of our staff have been trained in the

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Clarity Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Our team can refer individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness to the Dane County Housing Priority List. When clients are matched with housing through the Priority Housing List, we will complete chronic homelessness documentation and other required documentation to establish eligibility for Permanent Supportive Housing and other housing programs. We will provide crisis stabilization for mental and physical health emergencies when needed, like administering Narcan when an overdose occurs or referring individuals to the emergency health services they need. We will promote health and safety in every encampment and provide sanitation supplies to protect people from COVID-19. We will continue referring individuals to medical respite and COVID-19 testing when necessary. CFC will continue collaborating with Public Health Madison and Dane County to practice harm reduction methods like supplying Narcan, sharps boxes, and clean needles. We will connect with other outreach providers and collaborate to best support people experiencing homelessness. CFC will track all services provided in HMIS and run regular reports to show progress made. We will attend Homeless Services Consortium outreach coordination and case conferencing meeting and participate in weekly meetings with the City to identify areas that require support and provide progress updates.

Catalyst for Change will perform street outreach throughout Dane County. Our team can travel to wherever needed throughout Dane County. We currently perform street outreach on State Street, Capitol Square, Reindahl Park, Starkweather Park, and Highway 30. We can perform street outreach at any location where there is a significant population of people experiencing homelessness residing, and we will also engage individual people sleeping in remote areas. When we are notified of a person experiencing homelessness sleeping in a remote location, we will locate and engage them within 24 hours. In addition, we have built connections with local law enforcement so that if the police need an individual to relocate to avoid being ticketed or have their possessions disposed of, law enforcement will call our team and give us a chance to reach out and connect with the individual and help them find alternative locations before the police fine them.

Catalyst for Change is currently of a team of six employees. John Adams, BS, Co-Founder, President, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, will be a .5 FTE outreach worker, case manager, supervisor, and project manager for this program. John will be responsible for reporting to the contract and billing hours. He will run reports and share them with the City of Madison and attend HSC meetings, outreach meetings, and City meetings. John will supervise all staff members under this program. John will be responsible for ensuring his staff are providing the best possible services to the clients we serve. John will provide direct services and assist clients in defining their goals and creating and following a housing plan. He will provide informed referrals and support clients in attending appointments and achieving improved quality of life. He will enter his service transactions into HMIS. In addition, he will provide crisis stabilization and emergency physical and mental health services. John graduated from UW-Stout with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2019. John has been working with people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders since 2014. Before founding Catalyst for Change in 2019, John was the Program Director of The Beacon Day Resource Center. When John took over, he quickly noticed and analyzed deficiencies within the program. He built sustainable, restorative justice policies and services by using the many community connections he had made over the years. John uses his life experiences to help him relate, understand, and advocate for people often misunderstood and struggling with life challenges. John is an exceptional leader and mentor and believes in thinking outside the box to find creative solutions to problems. He also prides himself on being a life-long learner and aims to learn something from everyone he meets.

Michael Moody, MSW, Co-Founder, CEO, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, will be a .5 FTE outreach worker and case manager for this program. He will engage with clients directly and assist them in

9 | Page defining their goals and creating and following a housing plan. He will provide informed referrals and support clients in attending appointments and achieving improved quality of life. He will enter his service transactions into HMIS. He will provide crisis stabilization and emergency physical and mental health services. He earned a Master's of Social Work from UW-Madison in 2018. He has worked directly with people experiencing homelessness since 2016 when he joined John at Bethel Lutheran Church's Homeless Ministry. Before co-founding Catalyst for Change, Michael was the Community Partner Relations Specialist at The Beacon. He focused on building connections with partner agencies to create multifaceted support systems for people experiencing homelessness. Michael is an advocate for marginalized people and devoted to elevating their voices to help them be heard. Working with people experiencing homelessness has taught Michael that it is crucial to ask difficult questions and listen to what people have to say. Every person has a different story and journey, and we must listen and meet them when they are at to work together to achieve goals. Through such discussions, he has learned about his own inherent biases and has been working on transcending them.

Hana El-Omari, BSW, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, will be a .5 FTE outreach worker and case manager for this program. She will engage with clients directly and assist them in defining their goals and creating and following a housing plan. She will provide informed referrals and support clients in attending appointments and achieving improved quality of life. She will enter her service transactions into HMIS. She will provide crisis stabilization and emergency physical and mental health services. Hana earned her Bachelor's in Social Work with a minor in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her parents are Egyptian and Palestinian, and she grew up in Montreal, Canada and Egypt before mvoing to the U.S. in 2009. Hana has been working as a receptionist and Guest Services Specialist at The Beacon since June of 2020. She has worked directly with people experiencing homelessness to meet their needs relating to housing, mental and physical health, medical insurance, employment, and more. Being a Person of Color and moving a lot as a child, Hana profoundly understands what it is like to juggle different identities, languages, and cultures. This aptitude to appreciate the multiple layers that shape one's life, and her dedication to help others navigate difficult circumstances are exactly what made her want to become a social worker.

Ben Li, BS, outreach worker, and CCS service provider, will be a .5 FTE outreach worker and case manager for this program. He will engage with clients directly and assist them in defining their goals and creating and following a housing plan. He will provide informed referrals and support clients in attending appointments and achieving improved quality of life. He will enter his service transactions into HMIS. He will provide crisis stabilization and emergency physical and mental health services. Ben is currently pursuing a Master's in Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, Ben interned at The Beacon and worked as shelter assistance at the Porchlight Men's Homeless Shelter. Ben is dedicated to working on issues at both the interpersonal and policy levels. He is passionate about bringing together policymakers and the communities they are trying to serve. As an outreach worker and case manager, he enjoys developing relationships with people and looks forward to integrating their ideas and experiences into effective policies.

Drew Porter, outreach worker, will be a .25 FTE/float outreach worker and case manager for this program. He will engage with clients directly and assist them in defining their goals and creating and following a housing plan. He will provide informed referrals and support clients in attending appointments and achieving improved quality of life. He will enter his service transactions into HMIS. He will provide crisis stabilization and emergency physical and mental health services. Drew has worked at The Beacon Day Resource Center since January 2020 and with Catalyst for Change since September of 2020. Drew has faced

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discrimination and prejudice as a Black man in America, and he is committed to serving people who look like him and making sure they have opportunities to succeed.

Casey Horn is Catalyst for Change's receptionist and program manager. She has excellent organizational skills and will be responsible for many administrative tasks for this program.

Ruchita Ervin, LPC, CSAC is a therapist at Our Generations Therapy. Ruchita provides weekly supervision to all of Catalyst for Change's direct service providers. She assists our team with case consultations and with implementing evidence-based interventions and services to our clients. Ruchita has been integral to our growth as an organization and as individual service providers.

2. Describe evidence-based or best practices that the project will utilize.

Catalyst for Change utilizes many evidence-based and best practices while serving individuals experiencing homelessness. We believe in serving the whole client, and we believe in using a "client in environment" approach to helping our clients. For our clients to have successful outcomes and improve their quality of life, we must consider all facets of them as human beings. This means we must assist them in achieving physical and mental health and support them in building positive relationships and support systems. To do this, we are trained and have extensive experience utilizing motivational interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, trauma-informed case management, and harm reduction practices. All of our staff who provide direct services to clients have received or are in the process of receiving Bachelor's or Master's level social work educations. Because we serve a diverse population of people with various needs and different goals, we believe it is essential to be able to weave together multiple evidence-based practices to meet each client's needs individually. When clients are experiencing substance use disorders, we are likely to utilize motivational interviewing and the stages of change model to have them identify how substances may be negatively impacting their lives and how they may benefit from making changes. From our experience serving people experiencing homelessness, we know that trauma is significant in the people we serve. Many people experiencing homelessness have experienced considerable trauma before experiencing homelessness or while experiencing homelessness. We utilize trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy to assist folks in understanding and finding hope despite the trauma they have endured. We work with our clients to identify negative thought patterns and how they have shaped what the client believes about themselves, and then we work to rewire those thought patterns with more positive thoughts. We utilize trauma- informed case management with all of our clients, and we have worked to create trauma-informed policies and practices and trauma-informed office spaces so that our clients feel safe and comfortable when they come to work with us. We utilize harm reduction practices and provide safer measures for our clients who utilize substances. We provide Narcan and sharps boxes and support people with using substances in safer ways.

We believe in Housing First as a best practice, and we work diligently to get all clients housed no matter the challenges they face. Housing first means that housing is the first step, but it should not be the last step. We have trained our staff to be Comprehensive Community Service (CCS) providers through Dane County Human Services. Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) is a voluntary, community-based program that offers a wide array of psychosocial rehabilitation services. CCS provides services that assist clients with mental health and/or substance use conditions to achieve their highest level of independent

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functioning, stability, and independence and facilitate recovery (Dane County Human Services). In addition, through CCS, we can provide our clients with evidence-based, wrap-around case management services.

Any person who is receiving public health insurance such as BadgerCare or Medicaid and has either a mental illness diagnosis or a substance use diagnosis is eligible to be enrolled in CCS. Many people experiencing homelessness are already enrolled in CCS or are eligible to enroll. Once individuals experiencing homelessness are enrolled in CCS, they are provided a service facilitator. John Adams is a certified service facilitator and can connect CCS enrollees with CCS service providers. Once connected with a service provider, our clients are eligible to receive evidence-based services such as Physical Health Monitoring, Individual Skill Development and Enhancement, Employment-Related Skill Training, Individual and/or Family Psychoeducation and Wellness Management and Recovery/Recovery Support Services. We are committed to working with our clients to obtain housing and assisting them in maintaining stability in their housing and increasing their overall well-being. Through CCS, we can connect individuals we encounter on outreach with the evidence-based services that can assist them in changing their lives.

3. Describe the proposed client-level outcomes, including the total number of people to be served, the percentage of people exiting to permanent housing, and the percentage of people connected to emergency shelters and other resources.

Catalyst for Change anticipates serving 350 unduplicated clients and entering over 1,500 service transactions, ranging from providing food and survival gear to entry into permanent housing over six months. Because in our past contracts, we served over 400 unduplicated people experiencing some level of homelessness or housing instability. It is difficult to predict the percentage of people encountered who will exit to permanent housing. We know that Dane County CoC's performance measures would like to have 50% of program participants exit to permanent housing for street outreach programs. However, because we have over 400 people who are program participants, it is improbable that we will be able to connect over 200 people with permanent housing. Based on our past experience and upcoming projects with local property owners, our realistic goal is to house 50 people experiencing homelessness over the six months of this contract. We recognize that over 200 people currently staying at our vulnerable COVID-19 hotels will be required to leave during this contract. We hope to assist a large number of these individuals in obtaining permanent housing. Because they have successfully maintained their hotel rooms over the past year and a half, we believe the individuals who have been staying at the vulnerable hotels have developed many skills that will help them be successful in independent housing. We hope to promote and encourage those skills by assisting them in getting connected to housing as soon as possible.

We want to house 30 people from the vulnerable hotels alone. However, we know this may be challenging due to the lack of affordable housing and willing property owners and managers in Dane County. Therefore, we will connect 150 individuals to our emergency shelter system and 300 individuals to The Beacon Day Resource Center. In addition, we anticipate referring several people to our Coordinated Entry System to update and complete VI-SPDAT assessments. In addition, we expect to make hundreds of referrals to mental health services, medical services, substance use treatment, health insurance, FoodShare, VA benefits, and more.

4. Provide a timeline of key activities.

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Catalyst for Change hired two additional full-time staff members in May 2021 to join our team as CCS service providers and outreach workers. We also hired a full-time receptionist and program administrator in June 2021. Because of our recent expansion, we would begin providing direct services and serve our first client on the anticipated contract start date of July 27, 2021. By August 27, 2021, we will have engaged over 100 unduplicated clients and entered over 100 service transactions. After the first three months of this contract, we anticipate having housed 20 individuals experiencing homelessness, engaged 200 unique individuals experiencing homelessness, and logged 500 service transactions into HMIS. By the contract end date, we will have served 350 unduplicated clients, housed 50 individuals in permanent housing, and logged over 1,500 service transactions.

5. If the proposed program were recommended for a lower funding amount than what your agency requested, would your agency still accept the funds? (YES/NO) Yes. If yes, what is the lowest amount acceptable for this program to be functional at your agency? $150,415 Describe how receiving the lowest amount acceptable will change your program operation. If we received $150,415, we would have to cut project costs of program supplies and equipment, office supplies, transportation reimbursement, and a $10,000 reduction in special costs for direct aid to clients. We are unable to change our proposed salaries to staff because then we would not be able to provide the necessary services, and we would not be able to meet our proposed client-level outcomes.

PART 3: Project Budget

AMOUNT SOURCE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF OF NON- NON CITY BUDGET EXPENDITURES PROJECT CITY $ CITY FUNDED COSTS REQUESTED REVENUE PORTION A. Personnel Costs (Complete Personnel chart

below) 1. Salaries/Wages (show detail below) $109,015 $109,015 $0 N/A 2. Fringe Benefits and Payroll Taxes $17,400 $17,400 $0 N/A B. Program Costs 1. Program supplies and equipment $1,100 $1,100 $0 N/A 2. Office Supplies $1,000 $1,000 $0 N/A 3. Transportation $1,000 $1,000 $0 N/A 4. Other (explain *) N/A N/A $0 N/A C. Space Costs $0 N/A 5. Rent/Utilities/Telephone $4,000 $4,000 $0 N/A 6. Other (explain): $30,000 $30,000 $0 N/A D. TOTAL (A + B + C) $163,515 $163,515 $0

Explanation of “Other” expenses:

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C. 6. Tents, sleeping bags, tarps, food, water, blankets, IDs, bus passes, application fees, move-in costs, emergency hotel placement, and transportation PART 4: Personnel Chart

Identify and describe the role of key staff positions and affiliate partners who would become directly responsible for the various aspects of the contract, if awarded. For each position, please note if duties will be provided by a current staff position (no additional FTE), a new position, or expanded hours for a current staff position (additional FTE) in the hiring plan column.

Hiring Plan Expected hours Proposed (Current, New, to be spent in Role With This Project Title of Staff Position Hourly or Expanded) this project per Wage week John Adams, Case manager, Current 30 Street outreach worker, program administrator program supervisor, $45 program manager, housing specialist, and director of special projects Michael Moody, Case Current 25 $45 Street outreach worker, manager, Program case manager, Outreach admistrator team coordinator Hana El-Omari, Case manager New 25 $24.04 Street outreach worker, case manager Ben Li, Case manager, Data New 20 $24.04 Street outreach worker, specialist case manager Drew Porter, Case manager Current 10 $24.04 Street outreach worker, Casey Horn, Admin Assistant New 10 $24.04 case manager

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