Broome County Announces Homelessness Solutions Initiative and Opens RFP for New Emergency Shelter System

(BROOME COUNTY, NY) - Broome County Executive Jason Garnar today announced the opening of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development and operation of a comprehensive homelessness response system designed to create lasting solutions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Broome County.

The initiative represents a major shift away from reliance on costly motel and hotel placements and toward a coordinated system focused on stability, supportive services, and pathways to permanent housing.

"This is about much more than building a homeless shelter," said Garnar. "This initiative is designed to implement short, medium, and long-range solutions that help people regain stability and move toward permanent housing and independence. Hotels and motels were never intended to solve homelessness. They are expensive, lack support systems, and too often leave people trapped in crisis instead of helping them move forward."

The RFP seeks qualified nonprofit organizations, housing providers, healthcare organizations, developers, and service providers capable of helping Broome County establish a modern homelessness response system focused on outcomes, accountability, compassion, and long-term success.

The county's vision includes:

• Emergency shelter capacity
• Transitional housing opportunities
• Mental health and addiction treatment services
• Workforce and employment assistance
• Veteran support services
• Intensive case management
• Partnerships focused on permanent housing placement

Broome County currently spends millions of dollars annually on emergency motel placements. County officials say the current model is financially unsustainable and does not provide the level of support necessary to help individuals and families achieve long-term stability.

"We cannot continue spending millions of taxpayer dollars managing homelessness without creating long-term solutions," Garnar said. "This initiative is about building a system that restores dignity, improves outcomes, protects taxpayers, and helps people find a path home."

County officials emphasized that the RFP process is intended to encourage innovative ideas and collaborative partnerships that address the root causes of homelessness while improving coordination between housing providers, healthcare systems, municipalities, law enforcement, and community organizations.

The county expects the RFP process to begin immediately, with proposals evaluated over the coming months.

"This is the beginning of a transformational effort for Broome County," Garnar said. "We are committed to building a smarter, more compassionate, and more effective system that moves people from crisis to stability and from homelessness to hope."

Interested organizations are encouraged to review the full RFP and respond at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-york/broome-county.

To provide an overview, below are key portions of the RFP that outline the initiative's primary goals and expectations:

BROOME COUNTY

DIVISION OF PURCHASING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Strategic Advisory, Alternatives Analysis, and Predevelopment Services to Reduce County Reliance on Hotel and Motel Placements for Homeless Households

1. INTRODUCTION

Broome County, New York ("County"), through the Department of Social Services, in coordination with the Department of Mental Health, Department of Planning and Economic Development, Department of Health, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Law, and Division of Purchasing, is seeking proposals from qualified firms or consultant teams to provide strategic advisory, alternatives analysis, predevelopment planning, and procurement support services to identify and recommend the most cost-effective, timely, legally compliant, and operationally sustainable alternatives to the County's current use of hotel and motel placements for homeless individuals and families.

The County seeks proposals from firms with demonstrated expertise in homeless systems planning, temporary and emergency housing alternatives, landlord engagement and housing navigation strategies, affordable and supportive housing development, public-sector procurement, and implementation planning.

The selected Consultant shall evaluate both non-capital and capital solutions, including but not limited to direct landlord contracting, master leasing, nonprofit-operated scattered-site housing, landlord incentive and risk mitigation programs, motel acquisition or conversion, acquisition or lease-up of small multifamily properties, congregate family shelter models, adaptive reuse, modular construction, and cottage or tiny home village concepts.

The County intends to retain one qualified Consultant or Consultant team under a professional services agreement for a term sufficient to complete the required work.

Budget not to exceed $200,000 with a maximum completion date of 24 months.

1. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING

There will be a pre-proposal meeting at 10:00 am on Tuesday June 9, 2026, at which Broome County will be doing a presentation on the anticipated project. Attendance is strongly encouraged.

1. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

Broome County currently utilizes hotel and motel placements to meet certain emergency housing and temporary placement needs for homeless households, including families with children and other eligible populations. While hotel and motel placements can provide immediate emergency capacity, the County seeks to evaluate alternatives that may reduce cost, improve service delivery, enhance placement stability, and create a more effective long-term system of care.

The County desires to engage a qualified Consultant to perform a comprehensive review of current hotel and motel usage, identify and compare alternative placement and housing strategies, and provide implementation-ready recommendations. The County is specifically seeking a Consultant that can analyze immediate operational alternatives, near-term leasing or acquisition strategies, and longer-term capital or development options, with a focus on reducing public costs and improving outcomes.

The County is not seeking a Consultant to validate a preselected solution. Rather, the County seeks an objective, data-driven assessment of alternatives, including but not limited to strategies that do not require new construction.

The selected Consultant shall assist the County in identifying the lowest-cost and most practical alternatives to hotel and motel placements, including options that may be implemented in phases over time, and shall provide procurement and predevelopment support sufficient to allow the County to advance one or more recommended strategies to implementation.

1. OBJECTIVES

1. Assess the County's current use of hotel and motel placements, including cost, utilization patterns, household types served, average lengths of stay, and operational challenges;

2. Identify and evaluate non-capital and capital alternatives to hotel and motel placements;

3. Compare alternatives on cost, speed of implementation, legal and operational feasibility, service delivery implications, and scalability;

4. Recommend a phased strategy to reduce County reliance on hotel and motel placements over the short, medium, and longer term;

5. Develop implementation-ready program models for selected alternatives, including landlord-based and market-based options;

6. Identify funding opportunities, grants, and financing tools that may support implementation;

7. Provide predevelopment and procurement support sufficient for the County to issue one or more subsequent solicitations or otherwise move forward with implementation.

1. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The selected Consultant shall provide all labor, supervision, expertise, and incidental services necessary to complete the work described below. Proposers may recommend refinement to the scope, but the County expects, at minimum, the following tasks and deliverables.

Task 1 - Project Initiation and Work Plan

• Conduct a kickoff meeting with County representatives;

• Confirm project goals, schedule, data needs, and key decision points;

• Identify key County departments and stakeholders for coordination;

• Submit a detailed work plan, including task schedule, milestone dates, interview plan, and data request list. Deliverable: Project Work Plan and Schedule

Task 2 - Current-State Assessment of Hotel and Motel Usage

• Review annual and monthly hotel/motel expenditures; • Analyze average cost per household per night and per month;

• Review utilization by household type and length of stay;

• Identify geographic distribution, operational challenges, and key cost drivers.

• Review current New York State regulations related to Temporary Housing Assistance Deliverables: Current-State Conditions Memorandum; Baseline Hotel/Motel Cost and Utilization Summary

Task 3 - Alternatives Analysis: Non-Capital / Existing Housing Stock Options

At minimum evaluate:

• Direct landlord contracting with County/DSS;

• Master lease or block lease models;

• Nonprofit-operated scattered-site emergency or bridge housing;

• Landlord incentive and risk mitigation programs;

• Short-term lease-up or control of existing apartment units;

• Acquisition or lease-up of small multifamily properties.

Deliverables: Non-Capital Alternatives Analysis Memorandum; Draft Program Design for Recommended Landlord / Leasing Strategy(ies)

Task 4 - Alternatives Analysis: Capital / Facility / Real Estate Options

At minimum evaluate:

• Motel or hotel acquisition and conversion;

• Acquisition and rehabilitation of small multifamily properties;

• Adaptive reuse of existing buildings;

• Congregate family shelter or private-suite family shelter models;

• Modular or off-site constructed family housing or emergency shelter;

• Cottage, duplex, fourplex, or tiny home village concepts.

Deliverables: Capital and Facility Alternatives Analysis Memorandum; Preliminary Comparative Cost and Feasibility Matrix

Task 5 - Comparative Decision Matrix and Recommended Phased Strategy

• Prepare comparative decision matrix;

• Recommend immediate (0-90 days), near-term (3-12 months), and medium-term (12-24 months) actions.

Deliverables: Comparative Decision Matrix; Draft Recommended Strategy Presentation; Final Recommended Phased Implementation Plan

Task 6 - Funding, Grants, and Financing Strategy

• Identify potential federal, state, local, and philanthropic funding sources;

• Assess eligibility, timing, competitiveness, and recommended use cases.

Deliverable: Funding, Grants, and Financing Strategy Memorandum

Task 7 - Predevelopment and Procurement Support

• Draft RFPs/RFQs or related procurement documents for selected strategies;

• Recommend evaluation criteria and scoring;

• Assist with procurement schedule and process design;

• Support questions, addenda, evaluation, and interviews if requested.

Deliverables: Draft Procurement Package(s); Final Procurement Package(s) for County Use; Procurement Support Memorandum (if applicable)

Task 8 - Meetings, Presentations, and Stakeholder Coordination

• Attend County project team meetings and executive briefings;

• Provide presentation materials as requested.

Deliverable: Meeting materials, agendas, and presentation decks as required