Bay Area Community Services (BACS)

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Governor Newsom Visits BACS

On May 21, Jamie Almanza and the rest of the BACS team were thrilled to host Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Libby Schaaf, Mayor Bill Steinberg, Supervisor Keith Carson, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and others to announce a new taskforce & $1 billion investment to address homelessness in California.

Governor Newsom toured BACS’ Housing Fast Support Network, which moves people directly from encampments to BACS sites and sees 88% of participants find permanent housing after just 4-6 months.

[Read more…]

Nobody Wants to be Homeless – So We’re Buying a House a Year to End Homelessness

BACS is stepping up to the plate to end homelessness. Some affordable housing projects are taking up to 10 years before move in, & can cost up to $600k per studio apartment built. We cannot afford to wait 10 years.

BACS committed to buying ‘a house a year’ to end homelessness. We buy homes where the entirety of a six-bedroom house costs less than a newly built affordable housing studio, and are ready to move people in within 30 days – not 10 years.

We are opening up opportunities for a sponsor to name the house and leave a lasting legacy. Individuals, families, corporations, and foundations are invited to donate $100,000 or more to have a house named in their honor – and permanently end homelessness for 6 or more people. Contact us to learn more.

In the last 6 months, BACS bought two houses – permanently ending homelessness for 14 people, who are all living with complex mental health issues. Every year, BACS’ houses keep over 100 people off the streets, with ongoing mental health services included. Our housing is embedded in the community, and allows clients to share in cooking & other house activities while still having their own bedroom, preventing isolation.

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BACS Connections April 2019

We’re Buying a House a Year to End Homelessness

BACS is stepping up to the plate to end homelessness. Some affordable housing projects are taking up to 10 years before move in, & can cost up to $600k per studio apartment built. While affordable housing developments are a major solution to ending homelessness for the most vulnerable, we cannot afford to wait 10 years.

BACS committed to buying ‘a house a year’ to end homelessness. We buy homes where the entirety of a six-bedroom house costs less than a newly built affordable housing studio, and are ready to move people in within 30 days – not 10 years.

We are opening up opportunities for a sponsor to name the house and leave a lasting legacy. Individuals, families, corporations, and foundations are invited to donate $100,000 or more to have a house named in their honor – and permanently end homelessness for 6 or more people. Contact us to learn more.

Major Donation from Salesforce

BACS is thrilled to share that Salesforce has made a major technology donation! Salesforce donated 50 Dell laptops to BACS. Thanks to Salesforce, our team is better equipped, and overhead that would have been allocated to technology can instead go directly into our housing & homelessness services, mental health services, and more. Quinn Lung, BACS Board Vice Chair, connected Salesforce with BACS.

This donation improves BACS’ ability to keep our staff with modern technology, while improving the ability of participants using our sites to connect online! Economic and housing opportunities are easier to access online, and technology improves access to healthcare, mental health care, and more. Thank you Salesforce!

Trans/Gender Inclusion at BACS

This month, BACS hosted a Transgender/Gender Responsiveness Training for our whole team! Kelsey Pacha hosted two days of training for BACS’ team to deepen our understanding of gender, with an emphasis on creating affirming social service, health, and employment systems as well as identifying barriers to accessing services for trans and gender expansive clients.

BACS deeply values integrity, accountability, community, and diversity – and being an agency that welcomes and uplifts all members of our community. Thank you to the Cultural Responsiveness Committee for their leadership in setting up this training.

Everyone, no matter your gender identification or orientation, is welcomed and celebrated at BACS.

Simply the Basics Changes Lives

Did you know that 67% of homeless community members have a preventable health condition? Without the resources that many people take for granted – like access to a sink – people living on the streets develop health issues. Things like dental issues, skin conditions, foot pain, and hypothermia, which can all prevent keeping a job or finding housing, and can lead to long-term health problems.

BACS’ partner Simply the Basics takes hygiene seriously, and has donated 2,600 hygiene kits, 8,900 feminine hygiene products, and 650 detergent packets for laundry over the last two and a half years.

Wellness Centers 50 Year Anniversary

Towne House

BACS is celebrating the 50 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 50 years. Learn more about our Wellness Centers here. Thank you to everyone who makes our Wellness Centers special!

Invest in Your Community

Micah square

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 March 2019

Keep Oakland Housed

In Oakland, it only costs $2,965 on average to prevent homelessness before it starts.

Keep Oakland Housed (KOH) does exactly that – supportive services, emergency financial assistance, and legal support – for people who are on the verge of losing their housing. To date, the KOH partnership has helped 761 people in under 6 months. 

The need is greater than we imagined, and KOH has received additional grant funding to serve more Oaklanders! BACS thanks Kaiser Permanente, which committed $6 million over 2 years, Crankstart, at $3 million over 3 years, donors who sponsored Mayor Schaaf’s Inaugural Dance Party benefitting KOH, and other anonymous funders. This program would not be possible without such significant community investment. Donate today to keep this program going.

Happy Anniversary: Jovan Yglecias

This month, BACS’ Director of Programs Jovan Yglecias is celebrating 5 years with BACS!

Jovan has been a leader in our behavioral health programs, helping us strengthen existing services while opening new programs to expand our reach. Jovan is an expert in clinical programming and daily operations, which he seamlessly balances with a community-oriented and participant-centered philosophy. Congratulations, Jovan, and thank you for your dedication and leadership!

Job Fair Helps Hundreds

BACS is always looking to help our participants find satisfying, sustainable employment in the community. This month, BACS, Oakland Housing Authority, Alameda County Social Services, and California Department of Rehabilitation partnered to host a job fair, which was a huge success! Over 400 job seekers and over 30 employers showed up to make connections, do on-site interviews, and get to work.

A big thank you to our IPS Supported Employment Team, as well as the volunteers and employers who made this possible!

Case Management Celebrates 26 Years

BACS is delighted to celebrate the 26 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.

Invest in Your Community

Micah square

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.

Simply the Basics & Health while Homeless

Did you know that 67% of homeless community members have a preventable health condition? Without the resources that many people take for granted – like access to a sink – people living on the streets develop health issues. Things like dental issues, skin conditions, foot pain, and hypothermia, which can all prevent keeping a job or finding housing, and can lead to long-term health problems.

Simply the Basics takes hygiene seriously. Simply the Basics partners with BACS and other organizations to provide hygiene kits – including things like feminine hygiene products, toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, and more.

[Read more…]

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Email: bacs@bayareacs.org

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