This week, Forum continued its series In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis, taking a closer look at what happens when people first lose their housing. Each year, an estimated 44,000 people across the Bay Area become homeless, according to All Home. For some, the experience is temporary. For others, it can mean moving between couches, shelters, tents, or cars — with the risk of sliding into long-term homelessness.

BACS’ own Markos Gonzalez, Associate Director of Programs – Community Outreach, joined the discussion alongside NPR housing reporter Vanessa Rancaño, Sharon Cornu of St. Mary’s Center, and community member Keanna Ward, who shared her lived experience.

Markos spoke about both the challenges and the hope that come with this work:

This work can be both incredibly rewarding and heartbreaking for those of us who witness it every day. My street outreach team is out there five days a week, and the toll it takes is real. But there’s hope. For the person who just called in, we have multiple Housing Resource Centers, each with its own unique approach. Any of our programs can be an access point. And even if you encounter a program that isn’t directly focused on housing, our Housing Resource Centers in Oakland, Berkeley, and Hayward can support.

At BACS, we believe in making homelessness brief and rare, and ensuring that there is no wrong door when coming to BACS for help. Our Housing Resource Centers, street outreach, and behavioral health programs are designed to help people stabilize quickly, access resources, and prevent chronic homelessness.

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