RFP for the Implementation Partner for the Existing ACTES Program, a Component of Allegheny County’s Community Violence Reduction Initiative, in the South Hilltop

The Department of Human Services (DHS), on behalf of Allegheny County, is seeking Proposals from qualified Proposers to serve as the Implementing Partner for the existing Achieving Change through Transitional Employment Services (ACTES) Program (henceforth referred to as ACTES or the Program) in the South Hilltop and to participate more broadly in Allegheny County’s Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI).

ACTES is an evidence-based, complex and resource-intensive program that aims to decrease violence involvement and recidivism via relentless engagement with high-risk adult men by interrupting the social and economic influences of violence perpetration and victimization. Based on the Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI Chicago) model, ACTES combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), paid transitional jobs (TJ) and wraparound support services to:

1. support Participants in developing skills needed to buffer between stimuli, thoughts and response, thus mitigating rash, split-second decisions that often lead to gun violence.
2. ensure Participants have a safe place to work and spend time during the day, reducing their risk of exposure to violence.
3. improve quality of life and economic opportunity throughout participation in and upon completion of the program.

This Program is currently in place and in need of an Implementing Partner. The Successful Proposer will:

• Work in or be familiar with the field of community violence reduction, or, at a minimum, have mission alignment with the ACTES program.
• Have strong community orientation and relationships in the South Hilltop and across Allegheny County.
• Have the organizational capacity and experience necessary to employ and maintain a fully staffed direct services ACTES team and oversee the implementation of ACTES in the South Hilltop with fidelity to the program model.
• Ensure programmatic continuity and adhere to the established requirements of the ACTES program by, to the greatest degree feasible, utilizing existing ACTES South Hilltop resources, including trained staff, office space, a Participant van, worksites, partnerships and safety protocols.
• Contribute to Allegheny County’s CVRI, strengthening the local violence reduction infrastructure through collaboration within and across geographic boundaries.

Proposals must be submitted electronically on DHS’s Bonfire Portal. Please see the RFP for more details.