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Dogwood Health Trust Invests in Affordable Housing through SMHP, Mountain Projects

From Dogwood Health Trust

Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust announced today its investment in affordable housing in Haywood and Jackson Counties. A grant made to Mountain Projects will go to support their affordable housing division, Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership, in their efforts to increase affordable homeownership opportunities and increase access to affordable rental units over the next two to five years. The grant will also catalyze a homeownership center that will serve counties throughout the region.

Mountain Projects is one of the original community action agencies formed in 1965 under President Johnson’s War on Poverty. Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership (SMHP) was formed in 2019 as the affordable housing division of Mountain Projects with offices in Waynesville and Sylva. Their mission is to advocate for and create opportunities for workforce housing. SMHP strives to assist residents in their service area through programs that include financial literacy, down payment help, rental assistance, credit counseling, and home purchasing.

According to SMHP Executive Director Heather Boyd, the terrain in Haywood and Jackson Counties makes buildable land scarce, and as a result, more expensive. “Support like this from Dogwood Health Trust allows us to jumpstart a few key projects and leverage funds from other sources,” said Boyd. “We anticipate being able to secure an additional $2.4M from state and federal sources as a result of this grant.”

Specific elements that the $872,671 grant will support include hiring additional housing counselors, covering acquisition and pre-development expenses on housing developments, being able to offset infrastructure and rising materials costs, and expansion of affordable rental opportunities. “The team at Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership knows their communities and they understand the constraints that prevent a family from owning a home,” said Sarah Grymes, Dogwood’s Vice President of Impact Investing for Housing​. “They also share Dogwood’s commitment to address the disadvantages created by a lack of affordable housing. It’s our great honor to walk alongside them and to provide support to see real change take place in these counties.”

Boyd notes that with the grant funding from Dogwood, SMHP will be able to catalyze their homeownership center, ultimately serving over 400 families over the next two years. “The right housing counselor has the potential to have significant impact in a person’s life,” said Boyd. “Their efforts with a client can create generational impact because they’re doing more than just helping them buy a house; they’re helping them see the bigger picture and instill values that will last a lifetime.” HUD certified housing counselors often work with clients on budgeting, meal planning, credit counseling, and foundational life skills that can positively impact their likelihood of homeownership.

To find out more about the services offered through the Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership, visit smokymountainhousing.org or call 828-452-1447. 

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Mountain Projects | Request for Proposal

RFP 2021 – WEB HOSTING AND MAINTENANCE

Scope of Work

Mountain Projects, Inc.,

Mountain Projects, Inc. is seeking proposals for a contractor to provide two years of web hosting, troubleshooting/maintenance, training and web development services as it relates to agency websites: Mountainprojects.org, SmokyMountainHousing.org, GetCoveredWNC.com, Haywoodtransit.com and others. 

It is our agency’s intent to streamline technical services and increase online capacity, to make our programs and products more readily accessible through our online presence, and to effectively tell the story of Mountain Projects.

Mountain Projects has a content development and design team in place, and the chosen provider will collaborate with this team and the staff at Mountain Projects to develop and achieve the organization’s online goals.

These sites are built or are transitioning to WordPress and it is important that respondents to this RFP demonstrate capacity in WordPress. Each site has individual technical needs and specific work plans are under development. The chosen contractor should provide answers to the questions below. The chosen service provider should expect to charge a monthly fee for basic services with an hourly rate for expansion projects. Some web development projects will require an estimate of costs in advance of the work.

All proposals must be completed and submitted electronically and marked “RFP for Website Services” in the subject line, no later than Friday, April 30 at 12:01pm EST.

Inquiries & Proposal Submissions

All inquiries and proposal submissions related to this RFP should be submitted to Angeline Schwab, [email protected] and Patsy Davis, [email protected].

Proposal Requirements

All submissions will be accepted electronically. Proposals should be specific in terms of price and experience to allow Mountain Projects to evaluate and compare the qualifications and costs compared to other respondents. Proposals should include the following information and any other information and data you believe should be or desire to be considered in the selection process:

  •   Service Packaging (Please describe)        
  •   Web hosting per month                          
  •   Web Development Costs by the Hour if needed                    
  •   Support Calls Costs                        
  •   Cost of additional bandwidth when/if needed                                 
  •   Training Costs (Support)                         
  •   Module/Widget Updates (Support)                                  
  •   E-commerce/Donations module description (Support)
  •   Connection to Newsletter Software
  •   Annual aggregated costs 
  •   SEO Services
  •   Security of data, website 

Please submit the following information with your proposal

  1. Basic Business Information
    • Provide a short description of your company. Describe any concepts, techniques and management tools you intend to utilize in managing this project. (For example, how do you manage communications and timelines with your clients?)
    • Your company’s size and location
    • Number of years in operation
    • Specific references of other website update/re-design projects you’ve completed in the last two years
    • Names and professional specialties of all individuals on the team who will be responsible for this project. Include information that highlights their qualifications and expertise.
    • Name of a single point of contact who will manage the working relationship with Mountain Projects Communications Staff.
  1.   Training: Submit a short description on how you will provide training on use of the websites to Mountain Projects Staff.
  1.   Technical Information: Please describe a preferred website hosting scenario, your experience with WordPress, specific software usage and network protocols.
  1.   Fees: Please provide these fees for services in an Excel worksheet. Include or attach any price-packaging descriptions.

Mountain Projects is interested in receiving information about other content and/or feature options your company can provide that are not included in the list above. Mountain Projects encourages respondents to submit their ideas and to propose alternative recommendations, but with specific costs associated with such upgrades.  

Evaluation of Proposals will be quantified as follows:
Proposals will be evaluated by staff against the following criteria: Total possible points for each evaluation criteria
1 Response to the RFP 15
2 Costs 20
3 Demonstrated competence and professional qualifications necessary for scope of work 20
4 Experience in content management website construction 10
5 Ability to attend in-person meetings,(with covid precautions) if needed, within a 24-hour period 10
6 References that illuminate track record of providing excellent customer service 10
7 Availability of services between services agreement execution and April 2023 15
  Total Points 100


General Summary of Work for the Mountain Project Websites

Mountainprojects.org: Hosting, implementation of new designs; newsletter, database and ecommerce software solutions, module and widget updates, structural changes to navigation when needed.

SmokyMountainHousing.org: Hosting, implementation of new designs; newsletter, database and ecommerce software solutions, module and widget updates, structural changes to navigation when needed.

Mountainstrongwnc.org: Currently under contract with another provider. 

GetCoveredWNC.com: Hosting, implementation of new designs; newsletter, database and ecommerce software solutions, module and widget updates, structural changes to navigation when needed.

HaywoodSeniors.org: Currently under contract with another provider. 

Haywoodtransit.com: Hosting, implementation of new designs; newsletter, database and ecommerce software solutions, module and widget updates, structural changes to navigation when needed. Potential opportunity for implementing transportation scheduling software.

Other websites as needed.

Content Components

Content will be provided by staff and/or developed with the assistance of Buris Chalmers Creative and the selected consultant. All features of the Mountain Projects website must be easy to manage and updatable by non-technical staff.

 Project Schedule

The following schedule is tentative and subject to change, but is being provided to give respondents an idea of the timeframes for this project.
April 15, 2021 – RFP available to prospective web development businesses

April 30, 2021 – Responses due no later than 12:01 PM EST (Please submit to [email protected] and [email protected]) 

May 14, 2021 – Review of responses will begin

May 28, 2021 – Selection announced

 

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Smoky Mountain Housing Partnership | Request for Qualifications

Request for Qualifications

Architectural/Engineering Services

Description of Project: Mountain Projects, Inc.  located in Waynesville, NC, is soliciting proposals for Architectural/Engineering Services for a 40.5-acre purpose-built community. The building projects may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Single-Family Housing
  • Multi-Family Housing 
  • Mixed Use Community Facilities 
  • Green Space

The scope of work includes but is not limited to the following:

  • Site Plan
  • Compaction Report
  • Timeline of Development Phases 
  • Appraisal
  • Wetland Delineation
  • Phase 1 Environmental & Geotechnical Exploration
  • Soil Sample
  • Infrastructure, Property Layout & Project Feasibility
    • Grading & drainage plans
    • Road design including NCDOT (Ingress & Egress)
    • Water & sewer design
    • Stormwater retention/ detention design
    • Preliminary parking and off-street loading layouts
    • Opinion of costs for infrastructure 

 

Applicants should have experience in educational design and be familiar with all pertinent codes and regulations. Mountain Projects, Inc. is seeking creative and economical design solutions that incorporate energy-efficient features. 

Each response is to provide information which will allow evaluation of the following:

  1. Past performance.
  2. Qualifications of professional personnel proposed for the project.
  3. Demonstrated ability to meet time and budget requirements.
  4. Location and size of firm, now and 5 years ago.
  5. Recent, current, and projected workloads of the firm.
  6. Creativity and insight related to the project.
  7. Related experience on similar projects.

 

Qualifications may be hand delivered, emailed, or mailed to Mountain Projects Inc., 2177 Asheville Road, Waynesville, NC 28786.

Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 pm on April 22, 2021.

Questions regarding the RFQ should be addressed to the SMHP Construction Supervisor, at the above address, Attn: Joey Massie Phone (828) 452-1447 or emailed to: [email protected] 

 

A contract will be negotiated with the most qualified firm(s) at a compensation which is stable, fair, and reasonable to Mountain Projects, Inc., If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated with any of the ranked firm(s), this RFQ shall be considered terminated.

Proposals: Mountain Projects, Inc. reserves the right to select the firm(s) which it deems to offer the best overall proposal taking into consideration all factors such as (a) past performance; (b) qualifications of professional personnel proposed for the project; (c) location and size; (d) recent, current, and projected workloads of the firm; and (e) related experience on similar projects.

This RFQ is made for information and planning purposes only. Mountain Projects, Inc. does not intend to award a contract solely based on any response made to this request or otherwise pay for the information solicited or obtained. Mountain Projects, Inc., will be the judge as to whether a proposal has or has not met the requirements of this RFQ.

Acceptance of Proposal Content: The contents of the proposal of the successful firm(s) may become part of the contractual obligations if a contract ensues. Failure of a successful firm(s) to accept these obligations may result in cancellation of the award.

Economy of Preparation: Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the firm’s ability to meet the requirements of the RFQ. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content.

Firm Responsibilities: The selected firm(s) will be required to assume responsibility for all services offered in its proposal whether it produces them. Firm(s) shall be responsible to adhere to all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances, etc., and if the request for proposal results in a contract award, selected firm(s) shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary permits and variances.

 

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We, Mountain Projects: Karen Chambers

Karen Chambers, a folk artist (Thosekookychickens.com) lives in Highlands and thought it impossible to afford insurance as a self-employed person. She saw an Affordable Care Act flyer in the post office, though, and recognized the insurance counselor’s name, Cynthia Solsbee, as a friend of hers in the community.

“My husband Tim and I are self-employed artists and don’t make a whole lot of money, so insurance felt out of reach before I signed up for Obamacare,” Chambers says.

Thankfully, she did, because soon after, Karen had a heart attack that could’ve taken her life if she hadn’t sought immediate treatment. “If I didn’t have insurance, I would have felt reluctant to go to the hospital when I needed help. I’m grateful for Cynthia and Mountain Projects for ensuring that I could take care of myself.”

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We, Mountain Projects: Darlene McElrath

Darlene McElrath has watched her mother cope with a common challenge: staying in her longtime home, but struggling to shop, clean and prepare meals.
For 15 years McElrath has served as Mountain Projects’ Senior Services Coordinator, where she has the chance to help hundreds of other families navigate such difficulties.
“We provide assistance to people who can’t do things by themselves anymore, and that makes a huge difference for them,” says McElrath. “I feel no one should have to move away if just a little help can allow them to continue living in the place they love, where they are comfortable and things are familiar.”
Beyond those basic needs, McElrath notes, Mountain Projects’ senior programs provide opportunities for socialization, interaction with others and chances to remain active and engaged with their peers.
All told, the organization serves hundreds of seniors across several programs.
Donations are welcome and put to good use, McElrath says – money goes toward shelf-stable food items and in-home services in particular – but the community can also help by spreading the word about Mountain Projects’ services.
“We want as many people as possible to be aware of what we offer,” she says.
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We, Mountain Projects: Dayton Hensley

Few people have a longer relationship with Mountain Projects than Dayton Hensley.

Hensley, 59, suffered physical abuse as a child and has a learning disability as a result. He got his first job through Mountain Projects at age 14, sweeping up at Camp Lab School in Cullowhee, and later at the Department of Social Services in Sylva. Much later, the organization stepped into his life again.

Last year Dayton was in the midst of remodeling his trailer home when he fell from a high ladder and suffered serious injuries.

With winter setting in, his home was unlivable.

His sister pointed him toward Mountain Projects, and a phone call later Vivian Bumgarner and () came to the rescue. They realized that rehabbing Dayton’s existing home was an impractical solution, so they quickly raised funds, found donors and replaced Dayton’s trailer.

“It was like a dream come true,” Dayton says. “They all fell in together and fixed me right up. They’re super. They all came in here and took down my old trailer and worked with Rocky Branch Church to take up donations. And they let me stay in a motel while they were doing the work.”

Now Dayton’s home, situated on pretty family land on a knoll along Hyatt Creek, is snug and tidy.

”In my old trailer nothing worked,” he says. “Why, I had to go outside to wash the dishes.”

Now he has two sources of heat, plenty of insulation, and plumbing that works, too.

“I believe the heat pump is worth more than the trailer,” he jokes.

Hensley was employed in manufacturing most of his adult life, with long stints at Heritage Quilts in Sylva and Cashiers Plastics locations in Cashiers and Waynesville. But many of those jobs are leaving the area, and that puts people like Dayton in a pinch.

“Back then, those were the types of jobs for people with learning disabilities like me,” Dayton says. “Now they want a high school degree. It’s hard to find good, inside work.”

”I’m one of those types of guys that couldn’t get an education,” he says. “I wanted one, and I wanted it bad, but some people have it and some people don’t, when it comes to that kind of thing.”

“Mountain Projects is a good thing for people like me, who don’t have an easy time finding jobs.”

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We, Mountain Projects: Vivian Bumgarner

When Vivian Bumgarner arrived at Mountain Projects 36 years ago, the first impression she made was of a willingness to roll up her sleeves and get right to work.

The Executive Director at the time, George Carpenter, recruited her from a landscaping crew.

“Can you read a tape measure?” he asked. She said she could, and before she knew it she was measuring and cutting plexiglass for Paul Tapp’s weatherization and rehab crew.

“Right after Paul was hired, the two of us tackled cleaning out the foyer in the former Mountain Projects building on Old Balsam Road,” says Bumgarner. “It was a mess, as there was insulation, bees, trash and debris everywhere. It took us about three days to do it, but we got it cleaned.”

Years later, Tapp told her that after that project, he knew she’d be a huge asset to the organization. Now Vivian is Mountain Projects’ Housing Rehabilitation/Weatherization Manager. Her unit served 91 families last fiscal year.

“I love helping people with their homes,” she says. “We weatherize homes, making their homes warmer, help them with roof repairs, water and well system, electrical repairs, handicap ramps and so forth.”

The repairs her crew perform are largely for elderly, disabled, and low income clients, and help them stay in their homes longer and with a greater quality of life.

“One of my best memories was of two little elderly ladies in Canton,” says Bumgarner. “They didn’t have a bathroom, only an outhouse that they had used all their lives. We did lots of work on the home and built a bathroom with running water. Later, when we went for an inspection, this little lady grabbed our inspector by the sleeve for a full bathroom tour, complete with flushes of the toilet.”

“She was so excited to have a bathroom. No longer did they have to go outside in the middle of the night, in freezing weather, rain or snow. Now they had the luxury that most of us do. This is why I do what I do!”

Bumgarner grew up in a hard-working household. 

“We had to help with cutting wood, working on cars, running cattle or just whatever was needed,” she says, “so I was used to working outdoors in the rain, snow or sunshine.” 

“I feel like I might have lucked up on getting this job,” Vivian says. “But I have worked very hard to get where I am today.”

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We, Mountain Projects: Angie Gass Roberson & Cayson Tiedge

Cayson Tiedge recently won high academic honors at Sylva’s Smoky Mountain High School, including National Honors Society, New Century Scholars and 4-H Youth Leadership Council. Now he attends the University of North Carolina on full scholarship and plans to pursue a degree in Psychology.

His academic path, though, started many years ago in Angie Gass Roberson’s Head Start class behind the high school on Fairview Road, where Cayson, then quiet and shy, was one of his teacher’s favorite children. She’s extraordinarily proud of his achievements.

One of many longtime Head Start teachers in Haywood and Jackson Counties, Angie is proud of the many relationships she’s built.

“I was a single parent of a child with disabilities, so I know what that feels like,” she says. “I know how much it means to receive help when you need it – it’s priceless – and I’m someone who wants to give back. I’m grateful for all the people who have helped me succeed.”

That gratitude translates into a generous and warm style of teaching.

“I want kids and their parents to understand that they are precious to me, that they matter,” Roberson says. “That they can come to me or the other teachers and we can relate to what they’re going through. I’ve had parents to come in and need to vent because they don’t have another adult to talk with. I listen the best I can. The most important thing about my job is being emotionally and mentally present for my families.”

Some students are at a disadvantage, Roberson points out, and occasionally Head Start is the only place a child might get a hot meal. Although the pandemic has restricted some activities for the short term, Roberson and other teachers, along with parent volunteers, often assemble food and clothing boxes for families in need. Within the framework of the program, employees work to meet the needs of the whole family.

“I hope the community will support these programs,” says Roberson. Make a financial contribution. Go to Sylva Linings and purchase things for your home. We are getting these children prepared for a positive future and when covid is out of the way, Lord willing, Head Start will expand the number of kids and families in our programs. I can’t think of anything better to invest in the future of our community. This is not just my job. This work is in my heart.”

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