Committee reviews Day Center RFP; staff present Together Place proposal as an example

The advisory committee on homelessness spent its meeting reviewing a city request for proposals (RFP) intended to identify operators for a low‑barrier day center after The Well closed earlier this year. The chair opened the discussion by asking staff and council liaisons to explain council's intent for the RFP so the committee could advise on whether the solicitation matched council expectations.

A staff presenter described why the RFP was issued and what it required. She said the RFP asked for nonprofit bidders with either building ownership or a rental agreement covering the operation period, proven fiscal and reporting integrity, adequate staffing and outreach plans, and the ability to operate warming‑shelter services in the same facility as a preference. "We asked for 2 proposals, 2 budgets, 1 for what would it look like for 5 days a week, and 1 budget that would look like 7 days a week," the presenter said.

Committee members and service providers reviewed local options that currently supply day‑space functions — the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, library accommodations, Bridal Church, and winter warming centers — and noted none fully matched the low‑barrier day‑center model described in the RFP. Staff told the committee the city received a single application from Together Place; the application included detailed staffing plans and budgets the presenter characterized as a very robust or "platinum" model meant to demonstrate possibilities rather than set a guaranteed funding floor.

Members asked staff to invite Together Place back for a focused Q&A to clarify which elements the organization would retain if asked to scale the proposal down. The committee did not make a final funding recommendation; members agreed they needed additional information on budget expectations and on how council wants to prioritize low‑barrier versus higher‑expectation services before advising the council on awarding or modifying the RFP.