The City of Philadelphia issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit ideas, information, and interest from potential City partners, providers and coordinators at “Neighborhood Resource Centers” (NRCs) throughout Philadelphia. Philadelphia plans to create a network of NRCs, community hubs that reduce barriers for people under county supervision and provide a broad range of services to support holistic reintegration, restoration, and wellness. The RFI and related appendix are available at: https://www.phila.gov/rfp/
Posting of RFI – December 13, 2018
Questions on RFI due – December 21, 2018 (5:00 pm Local Philadelphia Time)
Responses to questions provided – December 28, 2018 (5:00 pm Local Philadelphia Time)
RFI submission due – January 7th, 2019 (5:00 pm Local Philadelphia Time)
Excerpts from RFI:
PURPOSE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, IDEAS, AND INTEREST:
The City of Philadelphia (the “City”), acting through the Managing Director’s Office of Criminal Justice (“OCJ”) issues this Request for Information (RFI) to solicit ideas, information, and interest from potential City partners, providers and coordinators at “Neighborhood Resource Centers” (NRCs) throughout Philadelphia. The NRC concept was developed through a collaboration between the City, the First Judicial District (including the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department (APPD)), representatives of City Council, the District Attorney’s Office, the Defender Association, and other criminal justice stakeholders interested in connecting people involved with the criminal justice system to additional resources, programs, and services. NRCs will be implemented by the City in close collaboration with APPD, and with the support of the other criminal justice partners. Through the preliminary planning process, the City sought the feedback and was guided by: individuals directly involved in the justice system, service providers, the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition, and community organizations. This represents only the beginning of outreach and engagement.
This RFI is not an RFP or application to participate in the NRC initiative. Organizations do not need to respond to this RFI in order to respond to future related RFPs.
What Are Neighborhood Resource Centers?
Philadelphia plans to create a network of Neighborhood Resource Centers, community hubs that reduce barriers for people under county supervision and provide a broad range of services to support holistic reintegration, restoration, and wellness.
The three primary goals for the NRC network are to:
Meet people where they are to reduce probation/parole violations for Philadelphians, in particular for young adults (18-25) who are at risk of being re-arrested and/or re-incarcerated.
Unite citywide resources with community-based service providers to provide holistic services in welcoming spaces within the community.
Open community-based services to justice-involved individuals, their families and loved ones, and community members, building trust between City agencies and neighborhoods.
The NRC network will include sites across the City, in the neighborhoods where the highest numbers of people under the supervision of APPD live. Instead of reporting to the central APPD location in Center City, people who live in those neighborhoods who are on county probation or parole will meet with their probation officer at a Neighborhood Resource Center, where they can also access programs and services, alongside their families, neighbors, and other community members. The vision for NRCs is to transform supervision from compliance and reporting to ensuring that those under the care of APPD receive the resources and programs – such as peer support, workforce development, education, treatment for substance use disorder, behavioral therapy – that they need so that they, and their families and communities, can move forward with their lives.
The City is still exploring different potential operating models for the Neighborhood Resource Centers, and releasing this RFI to learn more about what will make this initiative successful, and what capacity organizations have to be involved.
Where will NRCs be located?
NRCs will operate on a community-based model, with over half a dozen locations (main hubs and satellite sites) to be opened over the next 5 years across Philadelphia.
An independent review identified five neighborhoods for site locations based on where individuals on county probation and parole live, with one to two locations to be identified to lead the initial phase based on need and available city resources.
North Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia
Juniata
Port Richmond
Germantown
Please see the full RFI for details on the initiative and how to respond to this request for information, and the Appendix for a summary of feedback previously provided by the Reentry Coalition.