Abiye’s Journey: His New Home is His Castle

“The first year was just shock—Oh my God, I finally have a place of my own.”

After years of housing instability, Abby found a safe, permanent home with help from BACS. Now he’s setting boundaries, pursuing a career in tech, and building a life he’s proud of.

Read Abby’s full story of growth, self-expression, and reclaiming independence: https://bayareacs.org/abiyes-journey-his-new-home-is-his-castle/

Home in a Basket

Big thanks to the Black Staff and Faculty Organization-University of the President team, especially Joyce Price and Roni Wilson, for donating these baskets.

BACS helps thousands of people experiencing homelessness each year, and your support can help them get settled into housing more quickly and comfortably. Each basket goes directly to a community member who has been experiencing homelessness but has finally found permanent, stable housing. The “Home in a Basket” helps people settle into their new home with basic items. This is a great activity for offices, kids, and teens to get involved in, thinking about what makes a house feel like “home” and adding those items to the basket.

Joel and Ebony are two of our community members who have finally found permanent housing after experiencing homelessness, and got to move in with a Home in a Basket to start them off! Pictured are Rae from BACS and Joyce from BSFO-UCOP.

Get involved and make a difference! Learn more: https://bayareacs.org/hiab/

Outreach Efforts Growing

Our Outreach Team is on the streets every day, going to encampments and other places where people are living to bring the services TO THEM. We do assessments in the field and help people get connected to resources immediately.

Since 2019, we’ve expanded our Outreach program to 4 cities, with 12 staff members – all with lived experience – serving Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, and beyond. We are also excited to announce that Markos Gonzalez, who has led our outreach department over the years, has been promoted to Associate Director over our outreach services.

Last year, we had 5,125 service interactions in non-traditional locations by our outreach team. Transforming lives, one connection at a time.

Springtime Support for BACS

Nonprofits like BACS rely on government funding to provide essential services—housing, mental health care, job support, and more. But most government grants pay on a reimbursement basis, meaning we do the work first and then get paid. Now, federal funding is in limbo, putting critical services at risk. But we refuse to back down.

There’s no such thing as “free money” for nonprofits. The government funds organizations like BACS because we do the work it can’t, won’t, or doesn’t know how to do.

BACS has always stretched every dollar to make the biggest impact—our admin rate is only 9.9%. When funding stalls, it’s not just a budget cut—it means real people in our community lose the support they need. This spring, we hope you support BACS!

Quality Improvement Growing at BACS

Sacramento’s Mental Health QIA team has hit the ground running! What started with three amazing QIA team members holding down the fort, has now become a growing group of nine! Our team has been busy welcoming and training our newest folks to help contribute to our programs running as smooth as possible. We have an amazing group of individuals doing “whatever it takes” to help support our programs.

Panera Feeds People in Need with BACS

Huge thanks to Panera Bread’s Day-End Dough-Nation program. We’re grateful to have received $24k worth of donated bread & baked goods last year, which made a real difference for our staff and clients at our wellness centers. That means that the more than 30,000 visits to our wellness centers for support with behavioral health care or housing insecurity could include a filling meal or snack, building up health and wellness together. This kindness helped support those rebuilding their lives and navigating mental health challenges.

Thanks to Kids Bike Lane!

We’re grateful to announce that 12 individuals, including Kendra and her daughter, have received refurbished bikes through our partnership with Kids Bike Lane. These bikes will provide a sense of freedom and independence, making it easier to commute and enjoy recreation. Thank you to Kids Bike Lane for their generosity and support.