The Administration recommends approving the Resolution to authorize the execution of Amendment No.1 to the Program Agreement between the City of Miami Beach and The Caring Place (formerly known as the Miami Rescue Mission) (“Contractor”) for emergency shelter services and approving the increase in daily bed rate in a total amount not to exceed $120,780 for approximately one (1) year.

The Caring Place provides emergency shelter, residential programs, job training, education & computer literacy classes, healthcare, transitional housing, permanent housing, and employment opportunities for homeless men. The City has contracted with The Caring Place since 2003 to provide fifteen (15) emergency shelter beds. This longstanding partnership has allowed the City to offer shelter placement to homeless males in a safe, supportive environment with effective tools that support individuals in achieving short- and long-term goals. The Caring Place has historically been notably essential to the City’s outreach efforts by accepting homeless males that may be unable to access shelter at alternative locations due to mobility limitations, medical conditions, and substance abuse and/or criminal history.  

On September 12, 2018, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2018-30460, waiving, by a 5/7ths vote, the competitive bidding requirement and approving the City to enter into an agreement with the Miami Rescue Mission for a period of five (5) years for fifteen (15) emergency shelter beds. The agreement was executed on October 5, 2018, and will expire on October 4, 2023, with two (2), one (1) year renewal options to be exercised at the discretion of the City Manager.

In July 2023, the Administration met with the Contractor to negotiate the terms of the renewal agreement, at which point the Contractor conveyed that due to the organization’s rising operational costs, the renewal agreement would require an increase of $1.70 to the daily emergency shelter bed rate, thus increasing the rate from $20.30 to $22.00 (an 8.37 percent increase), totaling $120,780 for 366 days.

In March 2023, the City renewed the agreements for emergency shelter beds with Camillus House and the Salvation Army at a 3 percent increase in daily bed rates, increasing the costs to $30.54 and $36.08 per bed per day, respectively. The City also contracts with the Sundari Foundation for six (6) beds at a daily rate of $42.50 per bed. The Caring Place offers emergency shelter beds at a lower rate than any other emergency shelter provider contracted by the City. The Office of Housing and Community Services has inquired about purchasing additional beds from The Caring Place, however, no additional beds are available at this time. To increase the City’s benefit of services, the Contractor has agreed to support the City’s newly formed extended outreach team by accepting clients for shelter placement on Saturdays and Sundays.

The current agreement with The Caring Place expires on October 4, 2023 and must be renewed beforehand to avoid service interruption. The Administration has drafted the proposed amendment to increase the daily rate for emergency shelter beds to $22.00 per bed for fifteen (15) beds. The Administration is seeking the approval of Amendment No.1 to the agreement with The Caring Place for emergency shelter services with an increase in daily bed rate in a total amount not to exceed $120,780 for approximately one (1) year.

The Administration recommends approving the Resolution to authorize the execution of Amendment No.1 to the program Agreement between the City of Miami Beach and The Caring Place (formerly known as the Miami Rescue Mission) for emergency shelter services and approving the increase in daily bed rate in a total amount not to exceed $120,450 for approximately one (1) year.