Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was recently featured in a four-person panel on KTVU, including the Mayors of San Jose and Berkeley, and the San Francisco Director of Supportive Housing. She shared outcomes from the Housing Fast Support Network (HFSN), like that historically 80% of participants go on to permanent housing. And that this year, 87% of HFSN participants have found permanent housing with our dedicated staff.
Mayor Schaaf also announced our newest program, the Housing Resource Center. This program helps end homelessness by developing relationships with landlords across Oakland and Alameda County, to provide spaces for rent. BACS provides temporary rental assistance, support and mediation for both landlords and tenants, and a 24/7 hotline for emergencies. If you are interested in renting a unit while helping end homelessness, contact us at RoomsInOakland@bayareacs.org
To kick off this program, Mayor Schaaf visited BACS’ Housing Fast Support Network (HFSN) in Downtown Oakland, as part of the city’s push to make a dent in the homeless crisis. BACS is a major partner of the City in this effort.
Mayor Schaaf took the time to talk with our staff and participants, to hear about their experience in homelessness, and to see the success stories of people who escaped homelessness.
HFSN Manager Gary Tia shared his experience, saying that “people don’t go homeless when they run out of money, but rather when they run out of relationships” – and at BACS, we do whatever it takes to help clients mend relationships, gain income, and reduce their barriers to finding and keeping permanent housing.