Bay Area Community Services (BACS)

Supporting People, Supporting Community

BACS Connections March 2018

Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Grant Award

BACS is delighted to announce a historic grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, which awarded BACS $100,000 to support our housing & homeless solutions programs in Oakland.

Additionally, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation has offered a $50,000 challenge grant. We need community support to help us meet this match. You can make a gift towards this goal and double your impact: donate now!

Thanks to this generous support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, BACS will be able to support homeless individuals through our Housing Fast Support Network, ensuring they have access to all the necessities it takes to move from homelessness to housing.

Case Management Program 25 Year Anniversary

BACS is delighted to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of BACS’ Intensive Care Coordination / Case Management Program. BACS opened our Case Management program in 1993 to fill a crucial need in the community: providing psychiatric services and care coordination for people with severe behavioral health issues and trauma.

Our Intensive Care Coordination programs have made a difference for hundreds of people over the last 24 years. Learn more about our Intensive Care Coordination programs here.

Homelessness Can Happen to Anybody

Veronica has lived in the Bay Area her whole life, and raised her four children here. But when she got into a car accident and could not afford to keep her housing along with her bills, suddenly Veronica was homeless and dealing with addiction to pain medication. She came to BACS to get her life back on track – and today, she works at a hospital, has a home, and is connecting with her family.

Veronica says, “BACS helped me with employment issues. If it wasn’t for BACS, and the staff, I don’t know how I would have done it. BACS always encourages me to keep going to the next level.”

Congratulations on your successes, Veronica!

Employee of the Month

BACS is delighted to honor Marian Asu, Accountant with our Finance Team, as Employee of the Month!

Marian’s colleagues who nominated her say, “Marian is a good colleague that is easy to work with and ask for help. She always works hard and is friendly.” 

Marian’s work in the Finance Team helps keep BACS operations running smoothly! Marian says “It gladdens my heart to see our staff smile each time they leave our office. I help employees’ with petty cash and checks to pay for participants needs and other expenses. My favorite part of my job is that from the back end, I do whatever it takes to serve our staff and clients and to ensure BACS is solvent to continue the good work.”

Join Our Cause

Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes?

Micah square

Donate

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.

Work Here

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities. Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.

Planned Giving

Many people leave a charitable gift in their will. Do you want to make a lifetime of impact in the community you care about? Email us to learn more!

BACS Connections January 2018

Thomas J. Long Foundation Makes Historic Grant to BACS

BACS is delighted to announce an historic grant from the Thomas J. Long Foundation, which awarded BACS $750,000 to support our senior services.

This year, BACS celebrates our 65th anniversary of providing crucial social services in the Bay Area. This foundation partnership supports our work, our sustainability, and our mission.

This historic grant allows BACS to close out our mortgage for Towne House Wellness Center, a central hub for all our services, while expanding our Aging With Independence program by hiring an Aging Director. Learn more about the Thomas J. Long Foundation, or read our complete announcement.

Oakland Raider Karl Joseph Visits BACS

Karl Joseph, Strong Safety on the Oakland Raiders, was struck by the level of homelessness in Alameda County, so he came to visit a new homeless program that BACS is supporting. Karl joined us for a holiday lunch with the community, talked to everyone, and passed out gift cards to folks in the program.

Through this program and all BACS housing programs, we use direct outreach to find people where they are at, whether it is on the street, in encampments, or more. Then, we do whatever it takes to find them permanent, sustainable housing. We offer interim housing, benefits assistance, job support, food support, housing application fees, and more.

Community support and visibility are so important to ending homelessness – thank you to Karl Joseph for visiting!

CARF Accreditation

CARF, the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, visited BACS in 2017. BACS is delighted to announce that the CARF issued us a 3 years accreditation! This is the highest level of award.

BACS was delighted to host CARF at our sites, to demonstrate the quality of performance of our services, and to accept recommendations as part of our Continuous Quality Improvement process.

Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys

BACS was honored in December to receive a major contribution from Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys! The partners presented BACS with this $5,000 donation to benefit our housing, aging, mental health, and youth services.

Donahue Fitzgerald Attorneys are the oldest continuing law firm in California, and became connected to BACS when former partner Michael Ward joined BACS’ team as our Senior Director of Administration. Thank you Donahue Fitzgerald for your commitment to bettering our community!

Pathway Community Church

Since January of 2017, Pastor Ken Jung and the Pathway Community Church in Pleasanton has partnered with BACS’ Valley Wellness Center to support our community. The Pathway community began making weekly deliveries of pastries and bread, but soon became a monthly lunch catered by Pathway members! Over the holiday season, the Pathway Community Church donated a Christmas tree, and brought a holiday luncheon to Valley Wellness Center. We are so grateful to the Pathway Community Church, and to Pastor Ken Jung, for their generosity and community service! Check out their full story here.

Coffee with Milly

This January, Milly Alvarez began her “Coffee with Milly” series at Towne House Wellness Center. Milly Alvarez worked as Manager at Towne House for 30 years, and is hosting this event to keep connections with the community, and to honor Towne House’s past as we continue to look to the future.

Please join us for our next “Coffee with Milly” on February 7, 10 a.m., at 629 Oakland Ave.

Join Our Cause

Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes?

Micah square

Donate

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.

Work Here

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities. Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.

Planned Giving

Many people leave a charitable gift in their will. Do you want to make a lifetime of impact in the community you care about? Email us to learn more!

BACS Connections – Warriors Tickets Auction – November 2017

Warriors Tickets up for Auction

BACS is auctioning suite tickets for three Golden State Warriors games, generously donated by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf!

Suite tickets are available for the following games: Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls on 11/24/2017, Warriors vs. LA Lakers on 12/22/17, and Warriors vs. NY Knicks on 1/23/18.

All proceeds from this auction will help to end homelessness in Oakland. Winning bids are tax deductible above the fair market rate for tickets. Visit our auction site to bid on your suite and help your community!

Give as a Gift Launch!

We are excited to announce our Give as a Gift donation option! You can now make a gift to BACS in honor of a friend or loved one, for occasions like birthdays, holidays, memorials, or ‘just because’.

When you make your donation, you will have the option to print a card at home, have a card sent via email, or have BACS send a card signed by our Executive Director to your gift recipient. You can give as a gift here today.

 Towne House Reunion & Open House

Towne House

BACS is celebrating 48 years of Towne House Wellness Center, and 25 years at the current neighborhood location on Oakland Ave!  Participants are able to contribute to the community by cooking meals, leading groups and activities, participating in creating beautiful artwork, and most importantly, caring for one another and lending a helping hand.

We cordially invite you to the Towne House Reunion and Open House, for all supporters and former participants to come celebrate 48 years of community wellness. Join us Wednesday, November 29, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., at 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland.

Sprouts Foundation Grant

BACS is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation! The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation is providing these funds to BACS in order to support critical housing programs for individuals with complex needs. This program provides stable and permanent housing options, at very low cost, along with a care coordinator who helps residents learn independent living skills in a supportive environment. The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation knows that change matters, and that making a difference on the local community level can bring big change.

BACS’ Memory Care Centers 30th Anniversary

BACS is delighted to celebrate the anniversaries of our two Memory Care adult day programs! Our first Memory Care program started in 1987 in Oakland, and we opened our Fremont location in 2000. These Memory Care programs are spaces where elders with memory disorders can connect with others, socialize, and participate in guided activities. Our services offer respite for caregivers and families.

Thank you to everyone who makes our programs special — caregivers, staff, and the participants who come every day!

Finding Purpose at BACS’ Wellness Center

Before she came to BACS, Kara Alyssa Bautista was a regular at inpatient hospitals. Now, she says, she has “found purpose” at BACS’ Valley Wellness Center as a Peer Lead. “I learned many life lessons at Valley such as the importance of community and how it correlates to wellness. I have motivated and encouraged my peers to assist me in maintaining and preserving the center and in turn, developed leadership skills and assertiveness to foster healthy levels of self-esteem.” Kara is part of the BestNow program, providing training and job readiness, and hopes to complete it then return to college.

Join Our Cause

Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes?

Micah square

Donate

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.

Work Here

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities. Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.

Planned Giving

Many people leave a charitable gift in their will. Do you want to make a lifetime of impact in the community you care about? Email us to learn more!

BACS Connections October 2017

Announcing New Strategic Plan

BACS was founded in 1953 – and over the last 65 years, BACS has tailored our services to keep up with the changing needs of our community. BACS’ Strategic Plan for 2018-2020, rooted in our mission and our vision, is to focus on three solutions that aim to chip away at systematic barriers for healthy communities: Housing is the Solution, Community is the Solution, and Sustainability is the Solution. Our full announcement is here.

Sup. Keith Carson Visits HFSN

Supervisor Keith Carson and 40 State/County Representatives visited BACS’ Housing Fast Support Network (HFSN) in September. After touring the encampments in Oakland, and meeting with community members experiencing homelessness. Then, they came to HFSN to tour members and staff of the California State Association of Counties ‎and to share the work that Alameda County is doing to end homelessness. Thank you for visiting, Supervisor Carson!

Donate Your Car to BACS!

Board Member Alistair McElwee generously donated his car to BACS, with the assistance of CARS, Inc.! If you want to donate your car to BACS, go to careasy.org and enter BACS as the charity of choice. Then, enter your contact information and schedule a pickup time. The CARS representative will come, check your ownership papers, and load the car onto the truck. Your car can be in any condition. 70% of the proceeds from the sale of your car will come to BACS as a donation.

BACS extends our gratitude to Alistair McElwee, for donating his car, and to CARS, for making it so simple!

Mayor Schaaf Connects with Formerly Homeless Community

This month, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf came to BACS’ HFSN, located at our Henry Robinson Center, for an intimate meeting with BACS participants affected by homelessness. Mayor Schaaf sat down with Miriam Martin, a local landlord, and two formerly homeless BACS participants, Fatima Washington and Christopher Riese, to hear their stories. Each was impacted by the housing crisis in the Bay Area. Their experiences demonstrate that homelessness can happen to anyone – but also, anyone can help make a difference. Check out their full stories here.

The Meyer Corporation Donates to BACS

BACS is delighted to thank our community partners at The Meyer Corporation, who donated a van full of kitchenware to our Towne House Wellness Center! This bulk donation allowed us to replace all of our cookware, which is used every day by our participants who cook a hot breakfast and lunch for each other, fostering community. This is an incredibly exciting donation. Thank you to the Meyer Corporation!

HIP Annual BBQ

HIP team celebrated their annual HIP BBQ alongside amazing participants at Lake Chabot. We love building community with TAY across Alameda county and to show them that we appreciate their commitment to the program. We have so much fun sharing laughs, participating in activities, such as going on scavenger hunts, water balloons toss, and giving away prizes. The HIP team appreciates servicing our TAY and seeing them succeed in making new friends.

FREE at Santa Rita Jail

BACS’ Forensic Re-Entry and Empowerment (FREE) program visited the Santa Rita Jail Service Fair for inmates who are seeking services upon release from jail. Of all the programs, BACS is the only one providing some form of housing support – and we were able to waitlist 100 inmates pre-release! We look forward to helping each of them when they re-enter the community.

Employee of the Month

BACS is excited to announce that Sarina Huerta, Peer Counselor, is the Employee of the Month! Sarina’s nominator says that she  is “always willing to help out, solve a problem, share her knowledge, assist with a crisis – and all with a reassuring smile.”

Sarina’s favorite part of her job is that at BACS “we literally do whatever it takes to connect our participants to the resources they need to maintain their health, wellness and independence and in turn supporting them in improving their overall quality of life.”  Congratulations, Sarina!

Join Our Cause

Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes?

Micah square

Donate

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.

Work Here

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities. Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.

Planned Giving

Many people leave a charitable gift in their will. Do you want to make a lifetime of impact in the community you care about? Email us to learn more!

BACS Connections September 2017

Mayor Schaaf Visits BACS

BACS is expanding our partnership with the City of Oakland! Mayor Libby Schaaf stopped by to tour our Housing Fast Support Network (HFSN), the largest program to end homelessness in Oakland. She also announced, during a KTVU panel, our newest program, the Housing Resource Center program. Over the next few months, BACS is opening more housing programs with the City, which will target developing new housing to impact the housing crisis immediately.

You can learn more here, or if you have a room to rent in Oakland and want to make a difference, click here.

BACS Seeks Construction Manager

BACS logo

BACS is seeking an experienced, qualified construction manager for our Amber House facility in Oakland, California. We are currently partnering with Alameda County to remodel this facility, which has been and will continue to be a residential treatment facility. To find out more, read our full posting here.

BACS Pride

BACS Pride

BACS had a great time at Oakland Pride this year, representing our community! We were out and proud, and got to get our information to people in need. We also got to connect with some new volunteers, and were visited by a participant’s family member who shared her story about BACS’ impact on her mother.

BACS is doing whatever it takes to make a difference, and everyone is welcome at BACS.

UPS Job Fair

new-ups-logo-vector-download

In August, UPS hosted a job fair at BACS! The idea started when Antonio Montesinos, BACS Employment Coordinator in Downtown Oakland, helped a participant get a job at UPS. That participant, through his hard work, got promoted to Supervisor. He decided to give back by helping BACS and UPS organize this job fair, giving opportunities to people who need work. The job fair was a huge success – 15 people were hired, in one day! Thank you to UPS, to Antonio, and to the hard-working participant who keeps his community in mind, and congratulations to all those who have new jobs.

IPS Report

BACS’ IPS Supported Employment Program provides job placement services to help individuals with complex needs find competitive, satisfying, and sustainable employment to uplift them from poverty.

BACS recently received our IPS Fidelity Report, and BACS received 113 out of 125 possible points, which the report notes is “the highest fidelity IPS program in Alameda County.” According to the report, “BACS staff, participants, and family members spoke highly of the IPS services,” saying things like “It’s an awesome program.” Furthermore, CARF visited recently, and had zero recommendations for the IPS program. Our team is proud of the work they are doing! You can read our full announcement here.

Successes at BACS

Debra Ario

Debra was born in New Orleans, but she has been living in the Bay Area since she was 5 years old. Debra loves Oakland, but when she became a single mother, she and her two children struggled. Eventually, Debra was struggling to make rent, and came home to an eviction notice. Without a rental agreement, she ended up living on the streets – first Arroyo Park, and eventually in a shelter. But then, Debra came to BACS for help. Debra recently moved into permanent housing, and she is thrilled. Debra says “I wanted to prove to myself that I could get back on my feet, that I could be happy. It’s because of BACS that I made it today. They blessed me with my apartment. I’m happy, and I’m glad I succeeded. All my life I never succeeded, but now I have. I graduated from BACS. Now I’m just trying to make it. I am recovering from surgery in my home, instead of on the streets.”

Employee of the Month

Kara Tow

BACS is delighted to honor Kara Tow, with BACS’ Intensive Case Management program, as our Employee of the Month for August! Kara says “The work that we do at BACS is so important because we provide direct assistance, advocate for people’s voices to be heard, and model treatment with the dignity that all deserve to break down stigmas and barriers so that people can remain connected to the larger whole. Connection heals trauma, not isolation.” Congratulations, Kara!

Join Our Cause

Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes?

Micah square

Donate

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.

Work Here

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities. Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.

Planned Giving

Many people leave a charitable gift in their will. Do you want to make a lifetime of impact in the community you care about? Email us to learn more!

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BACS is accredited by CARF, an international independent accrediting body, whose focus is on ensuring high-quality services.