��������

John Sims says he’s been homeless for a while, and he’s grateful the Firehouse Shelter has been a place where he could sleep for the last two months. “Without this place, I could be somewhere in the streets dead or whatever,�� Sims said.Transitional and independent housing could be on the horizon for him. On Tuesday, Birmingham City Council approved a million-dollar bid to buy 50 micro shelters similar to this to help people like sims. �������� 13’s Magdala Louissaint asked Sims, “Are you surprised the city is doing a step like this?�� He replied, “I’ve been waiting for it for years.”Meghan Venable-Thomas is leading the new pilot program, “Project Home for All.”She says the application process is open now for non-profit organizations to request micro shelters to set up in areas where they know homeless gather. “Our residents experiencing homelessness already have communities right. It allows us to understand the opportunities of the different neighborhoods across the city,�� Venable-Thomas, director of community development for Birmingham, said.Applicants must prove they can provide mental health, workforce and case management services.“The individual must have a person that they can come to them about what they’re doing on a daily basis,�� Venable-Thomas said.Birmingham is the first in the state to launch a program like this.“I think it’s scary to do anything first a little bit, but also I think that it’s always overridden by the need,�� Venable-Thomas said.A new need john says has now motivated him, Sims says, “Help the helpless because there’s a lot of people that want to be helped that’s trying and it’s hard for some of us.”Birmingham has plans to share their work with Jackson, Mississippi and Charlotte, North Carolina.Meanwhile, the application process will close at the end of the month. In between this time, city officials will hold public meetings to answer community questions for organizations who express interest. Birmingham City has officially released the plan for organizations who want to apply. Read below. The City is now launching a Request For Proposals (RFP) for site selection and partners for this pilot. They are seeking public service providers, nonprofits and institutions interested in piloting a capacity building program to support chronically unhoused with non-congregant housing and wrap around services necessary to create sustainable life options. Here are the important milestones regarding the RFP: Information Session 1: Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. Information Session 2: Thursday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. Proposals due by: Tuesday, Jan. 31 Finalist notified: Tuesday, Feb. 14 The Home For All community is expected to be ready to serve early summer. For more information and to get a copy of the RFP, go to birminghamal.gov/homeforall.