Bay Area Community Services (BACS)

Supporting People, Supporting Community

Connections August/September 2022

Google Partnership Announcement

An illustration of four housing complexes in the Bay Area with a car and a bike in front of them. One of the buildings is under construction.

BACS is so excited to share that we are partnering with Google to prevent homelessness before it starts for 100 Oakland households – and working with UCSF to run a longitudinal study to determine the effect of cash assistance on housing stability, while also measuring the potential reduction of racial disparities in those who become homeless.

Through this partnership, we are demonstrating:

  • homelessness can be prevented before it starts
  • preventing homelessness is cost-effective
  • non-profits can rapidly implement innovative pilot programs
  • BACS data practices are consistent with validated longitudinal studies
Thank you to Google for putting funding, data, and support directly into the Bay Area community of your headquarters!

CORE Wellness Center Launch

Announcing a new resource for Sacramento community members – our CORE Wellness Centers are now open!

Every door is the right door when you come to us, so people who need assistance with housing, employment, behavioral health, food, healthcare, community-building, and more are all welcomed and will find the support they need at our neighborhood hubs.

BACS Wellness Centers are a hub for support for individuals with behavioral health challenges, who want to manage their symptoms and move forward with their lives in healthy and positive ways. Our first Wellness Center, Towne House, opened in 1969 in Oakland.

Come visit us at Sycamore Wellness Center (9333 Tech Center Drive, Suite 100, Sacramento, 95826) and Cedar Wellness Center (4600 47th Street, Suite 111, Sacramento 95824) today. Willow Wellness Center coming soon.

BACS Solutions in the News

Almost everyone agrees that homelessness is an emergency – an urgent crisis that needs to be addressed for the health of our community. So what if we really invested in treating it like one?
Keep Oakland Housed was founded in 2018 with the idea that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and 3.5 years of data show that it is cheaper to prevent homelessness before it starts.
San Francisco Chronicle‘s Fixing Our City podcast takes a look. Listen today, and get involved in the solution by donating to keep your neighbors housed!

KidsBikeLane and Workday Build Bikes for Kids Exiting Homelessness

Thank you Kids Bike Lane and Workday for all your work in assembling all the bicycles for the community! We are excited to see the smiling faces of the kids who will be receiving these gifts. Cycling is important not only for getting around and being eco-friendly but also for developing a child’s balance and motor skills – and a vital skill and opportunity that kids experiencing homelessness sometimes miss out on because of bicycle affordability. Thank you again for your hard work!

Annual Staff Appreciation BBQ Returns

After 3 years, BACS held its Annual Staff Appreciation BBQ at Lake Chabot Regional Park. This was an overdue appreciation for all the hard work our teams have put in these past few years. BACS  did not shutter during COVID, we stayed open and engaged in the community! After what felt like a lifetime, we were once again reunited as a team and celebrated the hard work we have done over the past few years.

“It was so much fun!!! The games, children playing, pets, dancing, food, prizes, recognition,  and most of all the LAUGHTER that filled the air. Seeing Staff that has been around for 5yrs and more and meeting new staff was wonderful. COVID had us on shut down but we did WHATEVER IT TAKES to make this happen. We needed this REUNION!!  To the new staff, we welcome you to the BACS Family.” – Gail Clough, HCS Supervisor.

Data Confirms – BACS is reducing Hayward homelessness

The data confirms – BACS is reducing Hayward homelessness.

The Point-in-Time Count carried out across the Bay Area on Feb. 23 found 381 people experiencing homelessness in Hayward — with 114 of these individuals unsheltered—figures that were DOWN 22% and 28% respectively from the last Point-in-Time Count in January 2019.

This is the trends our communities need, but not all of them are seeing. Thank you, the City of Hayward for investing in the Housing Navigation Center and the HNC Annex. And shout-out to the BACS Hayward teams, ENDING homelessness for over 200 people during that time! If you live in Hayward and want to see this improvement last, consider donating to BACS today and helping your neighbors.

Connections July 2022

Data Confirms – BACS is reducing Hayward homelessness

The data confirms – BACS is reducing Hayward homelessness.

The Point-in-Time Count carried out across the Bay Area on Feb. 23 found 381 people experiencing homelessness in Hayward — with 114 of these individuals unsheltered—figures that were DOWN 22% and 28% respectively from the last Point-in-Time Count in January 2019.

This is the trends our communities need, but not all of them are seeing. Thank you, the City of Hayward for investing in the Housing Navigation Center and the HNC Annex. And shout-out to the BACS Hayward teams, ENDING homelessness for over 200 people during that time! If you live in Hayward and want to see this improvement last, consider donating to BACS today and helping your neighbors.
 

BACS Initiative “Keep Oakland Housed” Wins HUD Award

SOHUD Welcomes HUD Leadership | Secretary Marcia L. Fudge we… | Flickr The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department Secretary, Marcia Fudge, presented BACS and Keep Oakland Housed partners with the “2022 Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships – Housing and Community Development in Action.” The awards recognize the partnership process and its impact as a community strategy to increase the quality of life for low- and moderate-income residents across all American geographies – urban, suburban, and rural.

This is a huge honor, as KOH was one of only seven awardees in the entire country for 2022. Since launching in 2018, 7,208 Oakland households have gotten the support they need to stay housed, and $39,259,955 has been distributed directly to households in need.

The impact KOH has made on Oakland is both measurable and meaningful – but there is still more work to do. If you can help us keep your neighbors housed (and prevent homelessness before it starts), donate today.

Sacramento CNP Milestone – 1000 People Served

The Crisis Navigation Program was BACS inaugural Sacramento program and has reached its first year being open! In the first year, CNP built a solid team of dedicated peer support staff to provide crisis intervention and system navigation to our community members. CNP developed meaningful partnerships with all eight Sacramento County Emergency Rooms and many of our local psychiatric hospitals to support high utilizers of emergency services link to much needed care. CNP staff have proven to be a dynamic team that loves potlucks, team building and advocating for community members!

Juneteenth Celebrations

In 2021, BACS added Juneteenth as a holiday for our team. Juneteenth is a celebration of long-overdue change and freedom. It is also time for all of us to reflect on the work that remains and the activism it will take to get to where we do not see generational poverty, homelessness and displacement, economic disempowerment, incarceration, and policing over-impact people of color.

We hosted celebrations at our Wellness Centers and encouraged staff and partners to participate in the education and importance of the history of this holiday. Staff, partners, and community members joined us for a day of full of fun and laughter while also remembering how far we have come.

If you would like to see more events hosted by our Wellness Centers, visit our activity calendars here.

SHARE Landlord Event

BACS Share Center presented its first Annual Housing Collaboration Luncheon. Property owners joined us at Cultura in Carmel-by-the-sea for lunch and to learn more about the benefits of our programs and BACS services.

“I am incredibly proud of the SHARE team for putting together such a successful event!! My Care Coordinators had the idea and made it all happen – from getting invitations to collecting donations for the silent auction. My RCs came through with homemade desserts and basket wrapping. Now we are getting landlords and property managers-that never gave us the time of day-reaching out to us to see how we could partner. A huge shout out to Cultura for their incredibly generous donation!! If anyone is looking for some good Mexican, look no further. We also could not have been as successful if our housed partners, Christie and Jennifer, didn’t come and share their experiences.  It was a beautiful event and I was lucky to be a part of it.”- Nykole Sakihara, SHARE Center Manager

Thank you to our guest speakers and everyone that was able to join us. If you are a property manager and would like to partner with BACS, please reach out to us at bacs@bayareacs.org

National Resource, Local Support – Call 988

The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly a 10-digit 800 number, can now be simply reached by dialing “988”. As of July 16, simply calling or texting 988 or chatting 988Lifeline.org will connect you to compassionate care and support for mental health-related distress. We encourage everyone to share this with their communities because everyone deserves support in a crisis.

Learn more on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here: https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/ 

 

BACS Connections June 2022

BACS does it again, adding nearly 100 permanent supportive housing units in Alameda County for unhoused neighbors

In Oakland and Berkeley, 89 neighbors – currently living on the street or in emergency housing – will soon have permanent, private, and dignified housing thanks to two Homekey awards for BACS projects: Golden Bear Homes and Piedmont Place.

“Today, right now, you have neighbors on the street. Community members who are not different, they are just not housed. And thanks to this historic investment, there will be 89 fewer neighbors who are outdoors instead of indoors,” said Jamie Almanza, MBA, BACS CEO. “The BACS magic is blended housing and supportive services, rooted in expertise built across 70 years of doing whatever it takes to solve seemingly impossible problems.”

Golden Bear Homes is located in the vibrant and well-connected West Berkeley neighborhood, a short distance to the North Berkeley BART Station, downtown Berkeley, University of California at Berkeley and many neighborhood amenities, services and employment opportunities.

Piedmont Place is located between the Piedmont Avenue and Uptown neighborhoods of Oakland, a short distance from Grand Lake, Kaiser Permanente Oakland, and the MacArthur BART station, as well as BACS’ Towne House Wellness & Housing Hub on Oakland Ave and our headquarters on 40th Street.

This is the result of community advocates making their voices heard at neighborhood gatherings and city council meetings; of individual neighbors signing up to donate and volunteer before the sites even open; of Governor Newsom’s leadership in creating and funding the Homekey initiative; of California taxpayers for making such bold initiatives possible; and of local Oakland and Berkeley leadership for making this dream come true. See the full story and property/program details here. 

Home in a Basket

Think global, act local! Thanks to Turner Construction Company, 17 people getting out of homelessness are going to get beautiful welcome baskets when they move into their new homes.

Employees from Turner Construction collected household items during the month of May and donated 17 complete Home in a Baskets! A “Home in a Basket” is and starter kit for individuals who are moving into housing. They are a great way to get involved, teach kids about volunteering and community, and make a direct difference.

If you would like to learn more about our home in a basket program, please visit our website at https://bayareacs.org/ways-to-give/ , Thank you again to the staff at Turner Construction Company.

Success Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacqueline, a Napa Valley native, has fond memories of gardening with her mother and being part of a loving home. As she got older, she always wanted a garden of her own. She says that having a garden has many benefits including staying in shape from all the digging and planting that is done. Her love of gardening extended to a love of food, and she worked for many years as a chef.

During the pandemic, her health issues (including a heart condition) had Jacqueline as high-risk, so she could not continue working. As the pandemic dragged on, she went through her savings and lost her housing. Fortunately, she connected with a BACS case manager when she found temporary housing at the Days Inn. The case manager helped her move into one of the BACS Supported Independent Living (SIL) homes, where she currently resides growing and keeping the beautiful garden.

When Jacqueline moved into the SIL she was excited that she would have a backyard large enough to grow various plants and herbs for her to enjoy. She mentioned that the birds have even helped grow some plants from the seeds they drop. Her garden has become a sanctuary for birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife.

Jacqueline said that sometimes there is so much chaos going on that she steps out into her garden. She starts feeling calm and she even creates art with her green thumb. She finds peace in her garden. Jacqueline said that her next project would be planting squash and other vegetables that she can use to cook.

Housing Resource Center Grand Opening in Berkeley

BACS is excited to announce the expansion of our North County Housing Resource Center (NC-HRC) in Berkeley. BACS’ NC-HRC coordinates all county resources to connect high-needs individuals with housing.

Our goal is to end homelessness, permanently, in our community. Our site has access to housing education, individual housing counseling, legal workshops, and other resources in collaboration with the county in an effort to help individuals who need housing support.

Please stop by our newly expanded office or give our information to anybody in the area who needs help! We are located at 2809 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 202, Berkeley, CA 94705. Open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

New Board Member Joins BACS

Head-Royce School Leadership: Executives and Demographics

BACS is excited to welcome Scott Verges as the newest director on our Board of Directors!

Scott Verges is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of TMG Partners, a San Francisco based real estate development company. Scott has been a California real estate lawyer and developer for the past 42 years. Scott earned his JD at the University of California, Berkeley’s BoaIt Hall, where he was one of the editors of the California Law Review. Scott is proud to bring this real estate, housing, and legal expertise to help unhoused and precariously housed BACS community members.

Scott is a former adjunct professor of Real Estate and Business Law in the MBA program at Mills College and the former Vice-Chair of the Alameda County Health Foundation. Scott has published two books (University of California Press) and numerous articles on a variety of real estate and finance subjects, including real estate finance and real estate acquisitions. He is a member of many real estate associations and the former editor of the California Real Property Journal. Scott’s interests include fishing, hiking, and film (he has produced 6 award winning films on a variety of subjects). Scott brings a strong community connection to this role. Welcome, Scott!

BACS adds nearly 100 new units of housing to end homelessness

Nearly 100 neighbors in Oakland and Berkeley – currently living on the street or in emergency housing – will soon have permanent, private, and dignified housing thanks to two Homekey awards for BACS projects: Golden Bear Homes and Piedmont Place.

“Today, right now, you have neighbors on the street. Community members who are not different, they are just not housed. And thanks to this historic investment, there will be 89 fewer neighbors who are outdoors instead of indoors,” said Jamie Almanza, MBA, BACS CEO. “The BACS magic is blended housing and supportive services, rooted in expertise built across 70 years of doing whatever it takes to solve seemingly impossible problems.”

This is the result of community advocates making their voices heard at neighborhood gatherings and city council meetings; of individual neighbors signing up to donate and volunteer before the sites even open; of Governor Newsom’s leadership in creating and funding the Homekey initiative; of California taxpayers for making such bold initiatives possible; and of local Oakland and Berkeley leadership for making this dream come true.

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