The Minnesota Department of Human Services, through its Economic Assistance and Employment Supports Division (STATE), is seeking proposals from qualified responders to partner with the STATE to coordinate and deliver culturally and developmentally appropriate Shelter-Linked or shelter-based mental health services to youth. The target population for services are youth who are uninsured or underinsured and are served by a Safe Harbor or Homeless Youth Act provider.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Human Services
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/27/2022
Size of the Grant: $2,000,000
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
Mental health services provided can be for short-term crisis response in outreach, drop-in, and emergency shelter settings, support to youth in longer-term shelter or housing settings, as well as ongoing services to youth who move into other living arrangements from a shelter or housing program.
Qualified responders are Safe Harbor and Homeless Youth Act funded providers. To be eligible, a Safe Harbor or Homeless Youth Act provider must partner with a community-based mental health provider to deliver trauma informed, youth-focused mental health services, which may include preparing youth to receive mental health services, providing on-site mental health services, and consulting, training, and educating program staff regarding mental health.
The broad purposes of these grant funds are listed below and will vary depending on the service model. These purposes include the following:
- Increase accessibility for uninsured, underinsured and culturally-underserved youth.
- Provide co-located mental health services wherever financial/transportation/cultural barriers exist.
- Improve early and appropriate identification of mental health issues for youth.
- Increase capacity of shelter and housing staff to identify mental health issues and make effective adaptations in the shelter/housing environment.
- Utilize independently licensed mental health professionals, master’s level mental health practitioners and appropriately supervised masters and doctoral level interns to deliver medically necessary mental health assessment and treatment services.
- Involve families, parents and youth, when possible and appropriate.
- Be developmentally appropriate, accessible, flexible, culturally and ethically competent.
- Assist youth who have a mental health diagnosis in setting a path to improve clinical and functional outcomes.
Funding Information
The Department of Human Services estimates that two million dollars ($2,000,000) is available in grants. The term of the grant period is anticipated to be from December 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. STATE may extend the contract up to a total of five (5) years.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible Applicants:
- The STATE is seeking to enter into grant contracts with Responders who meet all of the following criteria:
- Preference will be given to Responders who have demonstrated a commitment to providing evidence-based treatments and/or trauma informed approaches developed with this unique and underserved population of youth in mind.
- Preference will be given to those who are partnering in this application with other Safe Harbor providers, and/or Homeless Youth Act providers where possible.
Eligible Activities
The grant contract(s) resulting from this RFP will fund activities related to increasing the clinical capacity of mental health professionals and Safe Harbor or Homeless Youth Act program staff to meet the needs of youth staying in those programs. Given the priority to provide services to youth who are uninsured or underinsured, approved ancillary and supportive services may be funded with grant dollars for youth irrespective of insurance status. Responders are eligible to use grant funds for capacity building as it relates to service implementation.
Grants awarded through this RFP shall fund five (5) service categories which include:
- Capacity building for service implementation;
- Programming to prepare youth to receive mental health services;
- On-site mental health services;
- Staff consultation and training; and
- Ancillary support services.
For more information, visit MNDHS.