Landlord Engagement

BACS takes a big-picture approach to addressing all parts of the housing crisis.

Our goal is to permanently end homeless by creating more and better housing opportunities in the community.

We are working with landlords across Northern and Central California to increase available, accessible, affordable units for people exiting homelessness. We provide landlord incentives, housing support services, housing location services, rental assistance, transitional and ongoing tenant support, mediation for landlord/tenant relationships, and a 24/7 landlord hotline.

We work to break down the stigma that makes housing inaccessible for people with histories of homelessness so that the past does not get in the way of the future.

Interested in partnering with BACS to rent your unit? Landlords can email us directly: landlordengagement@bayareacs.org

Project Reclamation Update

Project Reclamation is preserving the Oakland community by reclaiming neighborhoods for community benefit! We met our goal and finished purchasing the properties in Oakland neighborhoods, creating more units of housing to end homelessness.

BACS’ Project Reclamation is part of Governor Newsom’s Project Homekey initiative to purchase and rehabilitate buildings and turn them in to housing for people experiencing homelessness. We asked for funding to expand our Co-Living model founded in 1973, and thanks to the City of Oakland and local advocates who made their voices heard, BACS has been able to move people directly from the street or temporary Roomkey homes into permanent housing.

Property Manager Terrell Hegler gave a virtual tour of two Project Reclamation homes in December.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg House

Beyond the Project Reclamation homes in Oakland, BACS is excited to announce our first ever housing co-op site in Contra Costa County! Thanks to partnership from the Menorah Park Community Impact Fund, BACS was able to purchase this beautiful home in Richmond.

We began our search for the perfect home just days after Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg passed away in 2020, and are honoring her legacy and commitment to equality and justice by naming this the Ruth Bader Ginsberg House.

The “RBG House” will be a permanent home for 5 people who would otherwise be homeless due to behavioral health challenges or other complex needs, including people re-entering the community from prison/jail.

Expanding Protections Against Homelessness

In partnership with the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation, BACS is expanding homelessness prevention assistance to Oaklanders at risk of displacement. BACS is piloting a “shallow subsidy” program in Oakland, providing ongoing rental support at a lower level of assistance compared to expensive long-term or “lifetime” subsidies, to target under-served and economically disadvantaged Oaklanders.

This work is growing out of our experience as a founding member of Keep Oakland Housed. In March of 2020, BACS began focusing on people without leases but who were not yet experiencing street homelessness – couch surfing, living in their cars, etc. – BACS has been able to house and re-house 138 households to date – many of whom would otherwise go on to longer-term homelessness, with exponentially increasing barriers the longer they remained unhoused. As part of this shallow subsidy pilot, BACS expects to serve 500 families over 18 months.

UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative is partnering on this initiative to perform a first-of-its kind longitudinal evaluation of the shallow subsidy pilot.

Crisis Navigation in Sacramento County

Even in communities with plenty of resources, the mental health system can be really hard to access and understand – especially if you are experiencing a crisis. BACS is so excited to announce that we have been invited to partner with Sacramento County to make that easier and strengthen the local safety net.

BACS will provide community-based mental health support from “peer” staff with lived experience, individualized support in navigating the system of care, and link clients with care that matches their unique needs. BACS is expecting to help more than 3,300 people each year in Sacramento County alone.

This is very exciting for our team as well, because 16% of staff live in and commute from Sacramento to our Solano County and Alameda County programs. This is a wonderful opportunity to have some of our experts work closer to home, and help bring the neighborhood-oriented “whatever it takes” BACS philosophy to Sacramento.

Welcoming New Board Member

Please join us in welcoming Armando Pastran Jr., J.D., to the BACS Board of Directors. Mr. Pastran is a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County. Mr. Pastran is extremely committed to improving behavioral health services, especially how the justice system interacts with people experiencing behavioral health challenges.

Mr. Pastran represented the DA at the Alameda County Behavioral Health Court, a court developed to divert justice-involved community members with behavioral health needs out of the criminal justice system. He also co-chaired a committee to train Alameda County Judges on alternatives to incarceration for the people we serve. Mr. Pastran volunteers with the Race, Policy and Law Academy at Oakland Tech High School, Centro Legal de La Raza’s Youth Law Academy as a mock trial coach, and delivers meals for Alameda Meals on Wheels.  He is excited to bring his experience to help advance the important work and mission of BACS.

Easier Access to Housing Resources in Hayward

This year, BACS is expanding our Hedco Wellness Center to include the Hayward Housing Resource Center! At the new HRC, unhoused neighbors can stop by and our team will problem-solve to identify any immediate solutions to an individual’s housing crisis. We also do a Coordinated Entry System assessment to connect community members with resources as soon as there is a good fit.

Our Wellness & Housing Hubs, like Hedco, are the primary access point to the BACS suite of mental health, housing, and re-entry services – without a time limit on services. Community members can always drop in, access classes, resources, and groups, and know that BACS is going to do “whatever it takes” to help them reach stability. Perhaps someone falls behind on their rent, or loses their job, or stops taking their meds. At our Hubs, Wellness & Housing supports will always be available to help them get back on their feet.

BACS has provided programs in Hayward since 1973, including a Housing Co-Op site, Hedco Wellness & Housing Hub, Woodroe Place Crisis Residential Treatment and the recent Housing Navigation Center that opened in 2019.  Our team in Hayward is excited to hit the ground running thanks to our deep roots in the area, and help unhoused Hayward neighbors access the housing system of care.

 

California, Oakland, and BACS – Partner Together Announcing Major Investment in Permanent Housing for Oaklanders

 

During the upheaval of the last 6 months – with the pandemic and fires making the ongoing housing crisis more complex –  BACS has persevered and continues to be ‘on the ground’, doing whatever it takes:

• All of our residential programs, community intensive programs, and houses have stayed open 24/7;
• In the first three months of the pandemic, BACS kept 695 families in their housing through Keep Oakland Housed;
• BACS — operating two sites and serving 600+ people — joined Project Room Key, the state-wide initiative to provide a safe place for unhoused community members to shelter-in-place.

And today, we get to share spectacular news: BACS has been awarded $10 million to buy single-family homes in Oakland, to create permanent housing for community members with complex needs who are experiencing homelessness through Project Home Key! 

BACS CEO Jamie Almanza says, “This model is a game-changer for how our community will solve homelessness. It is innovative, simple, and cost-efficient. And at the heart of this model is that it takes a stand at fighting gentrification – at reclaiming our communities. BACS, as a non-profit, holds assets in the community trust, for the people. These homes – and the individuals that hold the keys – are for the community, of the community, and in the community. I am so proud to live in a State and a community where the public leaders see the strength of this model, as it is unique and could have easily been passed over. Thank you for your leadership.”

The Program Model

BACS buys homes across the Bay Area where the entirety of a six-bedroom house costs less than ONE newly built affordable housing studio, and are ready to move people in within 30 days – not the 10 years it takes to construct new housing due to bureaucratic and neighborhood issues.

Residents are people who would otherwise be homeless due to mental health complications and other barriers. Rather than living on the streets or being institutionalized, which is harmful for the individual and our community, participants get to live safely and healthily in the community of their choice.

The longest-standing resident in this model has lived in a BACS housing co-op for over 30 years!

Every year, BACS “supported independent living” housing co-ops keep hundreds people off the streets, with ongoing mental health services included. Learn more about our housing co-ops on our website.

We want to thank every single person who supported our application, and the community for supporting this transformative approach to ending homelessness.

We thank Governor Gavin Newsom, who has now visited two BACS housing programs, for his initiative and leadership – Governor Newsom’s commitment will help thousands of community members escape homelessness.

Finally, we are so thankful to the City of Oakland, the Oakland City Council, Mayor Libby Schaaf, and Oakland Housing and Community Development Department leadership for partnering with BACS by sponsoring our application, and working tirelessly to communicate the vision and make this possible.

BACS Housing Navigation Center Opens in Fremont

The Fremont Housing Navigation Center is welcoming its first residents and starting to help them on their journey to find stable housing! Learn more on our website, or on the City of Fremont’s announcement page.

The HNC, located near Fremont City Hall, is an innovative approach to help those experiencing homelessness find housing while providing a clean, safe, and calm environment so participants can focus on finding stable, permanent housing.

BACS is honored to partner with Mayor Lily Mei and the City of Fremont in supporting unhoused community members at this time of historic need.

Connect with the Fremont Housing Navigation Center on Facebook! Take a virtual tour of the Navigation Center!

BACS Comes to San Francisco

BACS is excited to share that we have started our first ever program in San Francisco! Operating out of a beautiful and historical hotel in San Francisco, BACS will support 137 un-housed neighbors to Shelter In Place.

BACS is partnering with San Francisco to uplift individuals experiencing homelessness, helping them come inside and minimize their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19. This program is similar to our Contra Costa County Shelter In Place hotels, located in Richmond and Pittsburg.