Bay Area Community Services (BACS)

Supporting People, Supporting Community

BACS Connections August 2018

Thunder Road Updates

This month, BACS is celebrating the 1 year anniversary of operating Thunder Road! It has been an amazing year of start-up, solidifying the program and treatment model so the youth and their families get the help they need.

BACS is also excited to announce that the first stage of remodeling Thunder Road is complete! The youth at Thunder Road have moved in to their new home, which is finally up to the BACS standard of beautiful, welcoming, engaging places to encourage recovery and wellness!

The Thunder Road Treatment Program has so many strengths and assets that are building on top of one another: new 7 Challenges Model, new Home, and a community that cares so much about one another and our youth and families. If you want to help us finish the remodel, donate today!

Jamestown Supports BACS’ Berkeley Homeless Program

BACS is honored to announce a significant donation from Jamestown LP, a real estate investment company founded in 1983, with an office in San Francisco. Jamestown donated $25,000 to the Berkeley Pathways STAIR Center. This generous donation invests in the future of our community, by helping people get out of homelessness through BACS’ rapid re-housing program. Learn more on their website!

We Met the Match!

In March, BACS announced a new partnership with the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, which awarded BACS $100,000 to support our housing & homeless solutions programs in Oakland. The Foundation also offered a $50,000 challenge grant – and thanks to supporters like you, we met the match! BACS raised more than $60,000 from our community.

Thanks to this generous support from our donors and 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!

Program Anniversary

Solano County hills

BACS is happy to celebrate the anniversary of our Prevention Engagement Program (PEP), which opened in Solano County in 2014. PEP, a prevention and early intervention program, provides brief services for individuals exiting inpatient hospital stays, or experiencing early-stage behavioral health issues, who need support to prevent relapse and promote well-being. PEP was also BACS’ first program in Solano, and opened the door for us to provide many more services. BACS is grateful for the staff who make the program special, the participants who are part of the program, and the County of Solano!

Peer Specialist Graduation

This month, BACS is celebrating our participant Ronnie, who is the first BACS participant to graduate from the Alameda County Accelerated Peers Specialist Program! Ronnie came to BACS’ Supported Employment IPS program ready to make a change. Though the road has not been easy, he has shown determination, strength of character, courage, and persistence towards meeting his career goals. He completed the Accelerated Peer Specialist program, and is on his way to becoming a Peer Specialist with a partner agency. He hopes to serve and give back to the community he loves so much and lead by example. We have no doubt Ronnie will be successful as a peer specialist and wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors!

Start a Career with BACS

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our career opportunities on our website, and learn more about what makes BACS special.

BACS welcomes people of all backgrounds and expertise to apply. Even if you have never worked in the mental health or homeless solutions fields, but you are inspired to make a change, reach out to BACS – we have many training and entry-level positions.

BACS provides benefits and perks like: fully covered medical/dental/vision/life insurance, tuition reimbursement for loans and tuition, clinical supervision hours towards licensure, internal growth opportunities, and more! BACS also works with a wide variety of populations, and has many opportunities for learning and advancement.

Employee of the Month

BACS is delighted to announce Khalil Tokhey, of the Hedco Wellness Center, as our Employee of the Month!

Khalil says, “I think BACS’ work matters because there are so many individuals that do not get services/get the right services/know that services are available to them. We are here to help them. Each day, I open the doors not knowing what the day will bring.”

Khalil loves the team work at BACS, and the flexibility within his job to make a difference, but his favorite part of his job is “seeing a participant smile after a hard event happen or seeing the success (big or small) of the participants.”

Invest in Your Community

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Our work has profound individual and community impacts. Every person that comes to BACS for help can achieve stability, move off of the streets, get a job, live safely with their mental health issue, or stay out of jail. And for each of those success stories, our community gets better. We see fewer people living on the streets or in poverty. We spend less on emergency medical services. We see less of our tax money going to prisons. Your investment in BACS, and in the people we help, transforms our community.

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 390 40th Street, Oakland, CA 94609. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly.

BACS Connections July 2018

First Graduate of Thunder Road under BACS Leadership!

Jeremiah is a musician, and one day will hit it big. He is making music and is our first Thunder Road graduate under BACS new management of the program!

Jeremiah graduated high school while at Thunder Road, got a job, and used the program to propel him forward! Jeremiah invited both Jamie Almanza, CEO, and Benjamin Blake, COO to his graduation. If you know of a recording artist or producer interested in meeting with Jeremiah, please email us!

Staff Appreciation BBQ

BACS celebrates our wonderful staff members each year at our Annual Staff Appreciation BBQ! This year, we celebrated the 180+ staff, and their friends, family members, and pets who help lift them up and make BACS special. Our team celebrated each other and the hard work each person has done over the last year. Shout out to Rueb’s Qin BBQ for providing the awesome food – an awesome BBQ catering company started by former BACS staff member Rueben!

BACS is fortunate to have an incredible, talented, and dedicated staff. Thank you to everyone who came!

Birthday Fundraiser for BACS

Rena Rickles, Immediate Past Chair on the BACS Board of Directors, hosted a birthday fundraiser for BACS on Facebook. BACS is so grateful to the 20 people donated, who collectively raised more than $1,000 for our Housing Fast Support Network! Happy birthday, Rena, and thank you for generously using your birthday to benefit the community.

If you want to set up a birthday fundraiser, Facebook makes it super easy. Get started here!

Program Anniversaries

BACS is celebrating the anniversaries of two of our programs: IPS Supported Employment (2013) and OPC (2011).

OPC provides outreach, housing and financial support, mental health and care management, substance use, and primary care to individuals who are homeless and have mental health issues.

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

Congratulations to both of these programs for their collective 13 years of making a difference in our community!

Employee of the Month

Jose Barrera, from the Oakland Project Connect program, won BACS’ Whatever It Takes Award this month! Jose says, “It took me a while to understand the motto: “Whatever it takes” until my manager pointed out that I was already doing it. Everyday services and client face-to-face contact made the difference. BACS does what other agencies and organizations do not do consistently, treat clients with dignity and recognize their potential at whatever stage they bring.”

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!

Currently the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation is matching all new gifts up to $50,000! This funding will go to end homelessness in the Bay Area.

Do you work for Cisco? You can donate to BACS, and the Cisco Matching Gifts program will match your gift!

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.

BACS Connections June 2018

BACS to Open Whole Person Care Program in Solano County

Solano County hills

Solano County is opening its first Whole Person Care (WPC) program, and has chosen BACS to spearhead this pilot! WPC focuses on looking at the ‘whole person’ from an integrated care perspective, moving away from fragmented health care systems that treat each issue individually. This WPC program is patient-centered and involves the coordination of primary care, behavioral health, social services, and housing for high-needs users.

BACS is thrilled to be able to bring innovation to this project, in partnership with Solano County, and help people with chronic and serious health conditions access the care they need!

Mendelson Family Fund

BACS is honored to announce a partnership with the Mendelson Family Fund! The Mendelson Family Fund, formed by Joan Sautter and Dr. Roger Mendelson, has made a generous gift to BACS to support our Housing Solutions programs. Their donation will support homeless community members in Oakland.

Housing Program Success Story

Our Housing Education & Counseling program is excited to share a new success story, from someone who went from homelessness to housing! A single mother with a five year old son attended our program. She and her son had been living in their car for nearly two years, and she did not have a rental history, so she could not find housing. BACS’ Housing Education team wrote a letter to the landlord of a potential unit, and spoke to him over the phone to advocate on behalf of the woman and her child. The team let him know the woman was consistently attending the Housing Education and Counseling program. Thankfully, the landlord saw the women’s dedication to get into housing, and now the woman and her child are in a home of their own. BACS celebrates success stories like these every day!

Homeless Outreach and Crisis Residential Program Anniversaries

This month, BACS is celebrating two program anniversaries.

Rosewood Crisis Residential Center opened in 2017 in Vallejo, and provides services to people across Solano County. Rosewood provides short-term residential services for individuals in active psychiatric distress who need support to cope and heal. BACS thanks the dedicated staff, who have helped Rosewood make a difference for 120+ people since it opened.

North County Senior Homeless Program (NCSHP) opened in 2007 in Alameda County to fill a crucial need in the community: outreach, housing and financial support, mental health and case management, substance use, and primary care to individuals who are homeless and have mental health issues. This Full Service Partnership helps the most vulnerable members of our community.

Start a Career with BACS

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our career opportunities on our website, and learn more about what makes BACS special.

BACS welcomes people of all backgrounds and expertise to apply. Even if you have never worked in the mental health or homeless solutions fields, but you are inspired to make a change, reach out to BACS – we have many training and entry-level positions.

BACS provides benefits and perks like: fully covered medical/dental/vision/life insurance, tuition reimbursement for loans and tuition, clinical supervision hours towards licensure, internal growth opportunities, and more! BACS also works with a wide variety of populations, and has many opportunities for learning and advancement.

You Can Make A Difference

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Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 390 40th Street, Oakland, CA 94609. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly!

Currently the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation is matching all new gifts up to $50,000! This funding will go to end homelessness in the Bay Area.

Do you work for Cisco? You can donate to BACS, and the Cisco Matching Gifts program will match your gift!

 

BACS Connections May 2018

Former NFL Star Donates to Thunder Road

Anthony Trucks, former NFL athlete and “American Ninja Warrior” star, made a donation to BACS’ Thunder Road Program from his local gym. Trucks Training, his gym in Antioch, is a 24-hour facility dedicated to health and wellness for members of all fitness levels. Trucks epitomizes his philosophy of “Trust your hustle”, by creating opportunities for people to find the fitness solutions that work for their personal goals. The residents at Thunder Road will now have an opportunity to use a full-size Everlast punching bag to work on their fitness, physical and emotional health, thanks to his donation!

Homelessness Can Happen to Anybody

Before a brief jail sentence for illegal business activity, Glenn lived in Piedmont with his family. When he got out, Glenn struggled with homelessness. BACS was able to help Glenn get into housing, find satisfying employment, restore his benefits and healthcare, and get his life back on track. Today, Glenn is writing a play, supporting PhD research, and says his life is “prosperous.”

Glenn says, “I was learning to re-build my life. That’s what BACS is about. What BACS can do for me, it can do for anybody. Without BACS, I wouldn’t have known what’s possible again. And what’s possible is what’s imaginable.”

Supported Independent Living sites celebrate 45 years!

BACS opened our first Supported Independent Living (SIL) site in 1973 to help individuals who have mental health and other health-related issues such as homelessness and want to pursue sustainable housing in a safe environment.

Our SIL sites have made a difference for thousands of people over the last 45 years. Help us keep them open!

Winter Shelter Makes a Dent

BACS is dedicated to ensuring that all people have access to housing – and in the short term, we provide programs like the Winter Shelter to help make winters less dangerous for un-sheltered community members. Through just the Winter Shelter this year, BACS helped 79 people to become housed or end their un-sheltered status. Plus, 20 individuals moved from the Winter Shelter into our short-term housing, and 59 moved into permanent housing!

Older Americans Month

May is Older Americans Month, and BACS is honored to recognize older Americans who have contributed and made such a difference in our community. BACS knows that community activities help to enrich the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the population.  Older Adults offer a great deal of wisdom and experience to other generations. BACS is proud to do its part by offering older adults a place to connect during the day with the Adult Day Center (ADC). The ADC offers a space for socialization, recreation and mind building activities. Let us all take some time this month to honor an older American and continue to promote healthy aging.

Employee of the Month

BACS is delighted to announce Arash Darian as Employee of the Month! Arash works with BACS’ Wellness Centers, and has demonstrated exceptional accountability, positivity, and integrity with his work. He supports BACS in reaching crucial agency goals, balancing this with providing services and interventions that are supportive, engaging, and well-versed in the BACS philosophy of care.

Arash says, “I believe that the services that BACS and its teams provide are extremely important to the communities we serve and live in. BACS is often the “last stop” and the only agency that will work with some of the more severely disabled members of our communities. As I understand it, our goal as an agency is to help those who need it, as much as possible, and that is a cause that I believe in, not only professionally, but morally as well. Based on the work that I have seen many of my colleagues do, this is a mentality that is shared throughout the agency”

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!

Currently the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation is matching all new gifts up to $50,000! This funding will go to end homelessness in the Bay Area.

Do you work for Cisco? You can donate to BACS, and the Cisco Matching Gifts program will match your gift!

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.

BACS Connections April 2018

BACS Awarded STAIR Center in Berkeley

BACS is delighted to announce that we are expanding our homeless and housing services to Berkeley! BACS was selected to operate the STAIR Center in Berkeley, which will provide short-term housing and housing placement services to people living in encampments in Berkeley. BACS looks forward to bringing our mission and vision to Berkeley.

We are expanding rapidly to meet the needs in Berkeley – and you can help. Donate today to help the STAIR Center succeed. Or, if you or someone in your network has an interest in working with the homeless, we are recruiting! Check out open positions here.

Matching Grant Opportunity

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

Criminal Justice

BACS’ Forensic Re-Entry and Empowerment (FREE) program recently participated in the very first Forensic Peer Specialist certification class for the State of California!

Brandie Greene, Personal Services Coordinator at BACS, presented innovative ideas developed by the FREE team, to help better serve participants across California.

Success Stories in Ending Homelessness

BACS’ Landlord Liaison program has  been working to house chronically homeless participants who have been living in their cars,  shelters, or on the streets. We work with local landlords to find or create safe, affordable housing, which they can then rent to people exiting homelessness.

One of our participants, who wished to remain anonymous, has been homeless for 15 years. The moment he stepped foot in his new home, he looked over at his BACS Housing Coordinator gratefully and said, “It’s been a long time. I never thought I would live to see the day.”

If you are inspired to help, email us to learn more!

Local Boxing Gym Inspires BACS’ Teens

Guardian Gym

BACS’ Thunder Road provides behavioral health and substance use treatment for Bay Area teens – and BACS is excited to announce a new partner! Guardian Gym, located in Oakland near Thunder Road, is a non-profit martial arts gym rooted in community. Guardian Gym says, “Our space was founded on the belief that almost everyone wants to be a part of a tribe, and we work daily to serve as a vital space for our community.”

The gym is free for kids ages 10-18, and has opened its doors to the youth at Thunder Road. They are benefiting from the healthy and fun activity, as well as the welcoming environment.

Wellness Centers 49 Year Anniversary

Towne House

BACS is celebrating the 49 year anniversary of BACS’ Wellness Centers (originally called the Creative Living Centers).

BACS opened our Wellness Centers in 1969 to fill a crucial need in the community: welcoming and accessible community spaces for individuals living with behavioral health issues. Our Wellness Centers offer classes and programs, skills-building, and behavioral health services. Our Wellness Centers have made a difference for thousands of people over the last 49 years. Learn more about our Wellness Centers here. Thank you to everyone who makes our Wellness Centers special!

Employee of the Month

BACS is delighted to announce Mateo Chavez as Employee of the Month!

Mateo works with BACS’ Transition Aged Youth (TAY) programs, and is always enthusiastic, flexible, and very positive.

Mateo likes his work with BACS because, “There are so many people in the community that are under-served and forgotten who need the type of services that BACS provides. We work with the toughest of tough clients who sometimes come to us with multiple needs but are unable to articulate them. Nevertheless, regardless of where they stand in their present lives, they are provided the support they want and often times the support they don’t realize they need.”

April is Stress Awareness Month

Charter Students

Held each April since 1992, Stress Awareness Month is honored by health care professionals and support service providers to increase public awareness about both the causes and possible cures for modern stress epidemics.  At BACS, we strive to create and maintain a cooperative effort to support and inform both participants and staff about the dangers of stress.  Promoting effective coping and relaxation strategies are integrated within our daily commitment to wellness.  Through this mission we aim to reduce harmful misconceptions about stress that are prevalent in our everyday lives and activities.  This month, at Hedco Wellness Center in Hayward, we have successfully implemented several strategies for reducing stress including: yoga, baking club, walk therapy groups and peer led arts and crafts.

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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