CEO Celebrates 10 Years with BACS
This month, we are celebrating our CEO Jamie Almanza for her 10 year anniversary with BACS!
“It has been a remarkable 10 years for me and I can only sum it up in one way – it is our entire team – that has given me the tremendous learning, growing, stretching that we do every day. And the people we are charged to serve. There is more need than ever before… But more hope. For a day when every community member doesn’t have to sleep outside, or sleep inside a jail cell or psych bed – to get their basic needs met. BACS is strong and we are thriving.” – Jamie Almanza, CEO
Congratulations, Jamie, and we are very lucky to have you leading our organization!
Crankstart Foundation
We are thrilled to announce that Crankstart, a private foundation in San Francisco, awarded BACS a generous capacity-building grant of $2,500,000 over five years. This investment comes at a time when demand for our services is greater than ever and was awarded “in recognition of our outstanding leadership and dedication to doing whatever it takes to prevent and end homelessness.” Thanks to Crankstart’s flexible, multi-year support, BACS will be able to make critical investments in our staffing and infrastructure, while we continue to innovate and scale solutions in response to the most pressing challenge of our time.
Oakland Teen Models Compassion
“Hi there, I’m Aidan, I am a seventh-grader here in Oakland. A couple of years ago I noticed so many homeless people in our community. I decide that for Valentines Day I wanted to make cookies for the homeless and had this idea of “Spread the love.” I have been making cookies for the homeless on Valentines Day for three years now.
This year I felt like I wanted to do more. At my school I did a donations drive to help our homeless population. I collected 4 huge boxes of items, and put together 40 hygiene kits! I feel deeply that everyone deserves a home, and I want to do everything I can to help those who don’t.”
Thank you so much, Aiden (and Pilar)! This goes such a long way towards helping our community members who are currently unhoused. Especially feminine hygiene products, the “pink tax” makes it so hard to be hygienic and a women when you have few resources.
Covid-19 & Vulnerable Communities
BACS is doing everything we can to prevent Coronavirus from impacting our participants and staff. We are NOT stopping our work to end homelessness, or support people with mental health needs.
Our team is doing whatever we can to help people experiencing homelessness to decrease their risk during this outbreak. Hygiene and other precautionary measures are much more challenging when you are unhoused.
Please, donate to BACS today to help us minimize the risk for the most vulnerable community members!
We installed additional hand washing stations at four of our sites in Hayward and Oakland to protect people at our Housing Fast program locations, all of our sites are disinfecting surfaces hourly, and more precautionary measures per HUD recommendations for homeless service providers!
Recovery Expert & Advocate
Many thanks to Lee Davis, chair of the Alameda County, California Mental Health Advisory Board, for visiting with our staff & clients at Woodroe Place to share her expertise & experiences!
Lee is an inspiration, and we were honored to welcome her for the afternoon. She spent more than an hour sharing her knowledge with staff, and answering questions. Then, she met with our participants, and shared the message that it gets better. Thank you Lee!
Whatever It Takes Award
This month’s Employee of the Month is Kenneisha Wash, with the HEAT team!
Kenneisha says that BACS’ work matters because “Our agency helps to give humans another chance to grasp and redeem their lives back. We strategically build a life plan that formulates the power for each individual to succeed with the will to do so! We view our partners as delicate flowers that need a little extra TLC and with that they will bloom strong roots growing hope, independence and self sufficiency.”
Kenneish’s team and management nominated her for her fearlessness, her compassion, her advocacy, and her true belief in the “whatever it takes” motto.
BACS is hiring!
We have multiple job openings in throughout Alameda and Solano Counties. If you believe in doing whatever it takes to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness, then we want you to join our team!
Learn more & apply online. We pay 100% of employee health benefits and offer 30 PTO days a year, among other amazing benefits and perks. If you are an existing BACS employee, we offer an Employee Referral Bonus!
