2020-2021 Annual Report

This year, BACS provided services to 14,699 neighbors experiencing behavioral health challenges, housing insecurity and/or homelessness, and other complex needs. As an historical agency celebrating our 68th anniversary, it is our founding commitment to do “whatever it takes” to meet the needs of our community. This Annual Report, and our work every single day, is dedicated to the people we serve.

This was a year of profound struggle; and yet, the BACS Community – all of you who will read our report – stepped up to the plate. Donors, community members, staff, board, volunteers, and advocates. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of all our donors, and the support of our volunteers and community partners – our work is made possible thanks to you.

Play Structure Ribbon Cutting for Kids without Housing at the SHARE Center

Kids living at the SHARE Center now have access to a play structure, provided by the community and built by volunteers, where they can get exercise and play outdoors!

Thank you to Supervisor Luis Alejo, who led the fundraising efforts and coordinated volunteers; to the donors who contributed to the play structure including Comcast; to the Monterey-Santa Cruz Building Trades Council for volunteering to assemble the play structure; and to the kids at SHARE for filling the space with joy and laughter – see the video here!

Our society makes it too easy to think of people without housing as a problem, and to consider the bare minimum that should be provided. At the SHARE Center, we have a determined focus on housing, but we also work to uplift every person who lives with us on their journey to housing. We help the “whole person,” and getting to play and exercise in the fresh air definitely helps the whole person.

BACS is going to keep doing “whatever it takes” to help each of these kids’ families find housing, but in the meantime, we are grateful to the active and engaged Salinas community for literally building joy for these kids.

Sacramento / CORE Expansion

BACS is very excited to share that we are expanding our impact in Sacramento County with two new CORE programs!  Our two CORE programs will each include a Wellness Center and an outpatient mental health program.

BACS opened the our first Wellness Center (WC) in the Bay Area in 1969, Towne House. For decades, our four WCs have been hubs of behavioral health, housing, employment, and community-building services. We serve thousands of people who need outpatient behavioral health support.

Our goal is to provide timely, flexible, low barrier services that reduce unnecessary contact with emergency health or justice systems, promote housing stability, strengthen community integration, and support transitions to lower levels of care. We are so excited to create these community centers, and look forward to inviting all our Sacramento neighbors to visit.

If you are interested in joining our growing Sacramento team, visit our website to learn about our benefits, our mission, and the open opportunities. 

Fremont Housing Navigation Center

Felix was born in Texas, but moved to the Bay Area years ago. He lived in several cites in the Bay Area, but Fremont was always his favorite because of the climate, the people, the food, and how walkable it is. Felix worked as a bank auditor, and was engaged. When his fiancée called off the engagement and ended their relationship, it destabilized him financially and emotionally, and he soon lost his job. Essentially, his personal safety net vanished, and his savings were not enough to keep him housed. He did not have a car, so he fell into street homelessness pretty quickly.

You can help thousands of people like Felix by donating today!

Graduates from Culinary School Start Fresh

Congratulations to the three BACS partners who graduated from the St. Vincent de Paul “Kitchen of Champions” Culinary Training program, and to our expert Employment Coordinators who made this possible! This specialized program provides in-depth training across nine weeks to prepare students for wide-ranging culinary employment opportunities. These three partners are part of our Housing Fast program, and are ready to start fresh and achieve lasting stability for themselves – including housing, employment, and community support. Cooking for others helps build self-confidence and meaningful connections, and we look forward to supporting these partners in their new careers!

SHARE Center Christmas Joy

The first ever Christmas at the SHARE Center in Salinas was a festive event, with visits from was a festive time at the SHARE Center in Salinas! Supervisor Alejo and Mayor Craig helped with fundraising (raising more than $5,000), getting backpacks and school supplies, toys for the kids, and gifts for all the adults at the SHARE Center – plus the Salinas Fire Department brought two Santas (one from the north pole, one from the south pole) to hand out the toys! In addition, a new play structure has been purchased from the raised funds, which will be installed by volunteers from the Monterey/Santa Cruz Building & Construction Trades Council in the next month.

Special thanks to sponsors Comcast, General Motors, and the American Beverage Association, plus to the Hawaiian Women’s Association for donating the pizza party, and to all the people who donated gifts to make this holiday memorable! BACS is continuing our work to get every individual and family into stable housing, because everyone deserves quality housing.

BACS opens Contra Costa’s Newest Hub for Housing & Services

BACS is excited to announce the grand opening of Delta Landing in Pittsburg, providing low-barrier, interim housing services focused on rapidly transitioning participants into permanent housing with intensive aftercare supports – doing “whatever it takes” to help them stabilize and remain in their housing. Delta Landing is a 172-unit interim housing site in BACS’ signature “Housing Fast” model, and opened in December 2021.

BACS has housed over 3,000 people through this model, which we have honed over the past 11 years and demonstrated a consistently lower recidivism rate (falling back to homelessness) than national and local averages for this model. Generally, achieving permanent housing does not require a lifetime permanent subsidy.

The Delta Landing site has been transformed into a state-of-the-art interim housing site, with onsite physical and behavioral healthcare, case management services for employment and housing assistance, and other services to support our clients as they work towards housing. BACS Delta Landing will provide respite, wraparound, housing placement services, and employment support to the Contra Costa Community experiencing homelessness.

State Homekey Innovation Award

In a state-wide honor, BACS received the Homekey Innovation Award for our bold 2020 housing initiative, Project Reclamation. Project Reclamation is our unique, neighborhood-oriented approach to ending homelessness. Each individual has their own bedroom. Each home is a micro-community, often in the neighborhoods where residents grew up, that residents can feel proud of – with ongoing supportive services.

This award “acknowledges your bold action and commitment to solving the housing and homelessness crisis that is impacting our state.” In 2020, the State of California set aside funds to create permanent housing. BACS was awarded $10 million to buy houses, and with additional partnership from Crankstart, added 142 units to BACS’ unique housing co-living model – which we started in 1973 and now serves more than 200 people.

Sacramento Crisis Navigation Success

The Sacramento Crisis Navigation Program (CNP) opened its doors in June 2021 and quickly built a reputation for providing flexible, community-based services. CNP utilizes peer staff to support community members discharging from Emergency Departments and Psychiatric Facilities. CNP staff provide a “whatever-it-takes approach” to engage members, increase readiness for services, and advocate for needed services and resources.

This past November, CNP received a referral for a community member who was in need of services but had some distrust of providers due to past experiences. The community member struggled with ongoing mental health symptoms, substance use, and chronic homelessness. CNP staff continued to work to build rapport, set boundaries, provide incentives, and utilize creative interventions. Over the next few months, this member successfully linked to a high level mental health program and moved into a transitional housing program. At the time of discharge, the member reported two weeks sobriety and reported he was excited for the prospect of having a future and thankful to be receiving mental health services.

Art Piece: Social Justice, COVID, and Fire

BACS is from, by, and for the community – and we are inspired every day to push beyond the barriers that hold our community back, which means confronting our reality face-on.

Fiona Ruddy, talented artist and program manager of BACS’ LIFT program, made this beautiful work of art, inspired by the harsh realities of the last few years. This piece is on display at BACS headquarters, Thunder Road, in Oakland. Its beauty and power inspires staff and partners as they walk through our halls.

Health and wellness do not happen in a vacuum – art is healing. Housing is healing. Truth is healing. We strive to treat ‘the whole person’ no matter what their needs are. BACS’ Registered Art Therapists do important work helping the people we serve process and grow from their challenges, and continue their journey of wellness and recovery.

Tipping Point Breakfast

In 2021, BACS completed the first year of our partnership with Tipping Point Community (TPC), who provide strategic investments in non-profits proven to make a difference. It was a tremendous honor, as a first-time grantee, to additionally be chosen as a featured grantee at the annual Tipping Point Breakfast! CEO Jamie Almanza and Property Manager Terrell Hegler joined to share our neighborhood-oriented approach to ending homelessness. Sam Cobbs, CEO of Tipping Point Community, introduced them saying “On the surface, BACS is a housing provider, a really good one, but when you dig deeper, housing is just a tool they use to transform the communities they serve.” 

Tipping Point fights poverty in the Bay Area, through targeted investments and capacity-building support. Since 2005, Tipping Point has invested nearly $300 million in housing, early childhood, education, and employment solutions – strengthening our community’s safety net. We look forward to further partnership with TPC!