BACS Celebrates 70 Years

Happy 70th birthday to Bay Area Community Services (BACS)! We kicked off 70th anniversary celebrations with a staff + community appreciation event at our major new St. Regis site.

This event celebrated the past, present, and future of BACS. To bring all these threads together, we buried a time capsule filled with tokens of appreciation, mementos from major moments in BACS’ history, predictions for the future, and aspirations for the world in 2053 when the capsule gets opened.

Thank you to event sponsors TMG Partners, The Steinfirst Group, PC Pro, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente Thrive, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis Law Firm, and Crankstart – making not only the special event possible, but supporting BACS to do Whatever It Takes for the next 70 years!  We were so honored to celebrate with everyone who came 💙🧡

Visit us in Sacramento: CORE Wellness Center Grand Opening

Join us for the grand opening of the Willow Wellness Center – come see why BACS is being called the “most vibrant and inspirational” Wellness Center!

Mario’s journey from homelessness to permanent housing has ended! Mario recently moved into a BACS Project Reclamation home, and is thrilled to have a beautiful place to call home.

Mario first got connected with BACS two years ago. He was facing imminent homelessness in Oakland and decided to move to Sacramento to be closer to family; a disagreement with a relative led to a quick return to homelessness. Determined to regain his footing, Mario returned to Oakland, but his housing fell through again. He wandered the streets at night and slept on the bus to keep himself safe. He came to visit Towne House, where we helped him quickly move in to our Housing Fast program in Oakland. Within two months, Mario moved into a BACS Project Reclamation home! Mario still visits the Housing Fast program to catch up with friends he made during his stay.

Mario says he cherishes the fact that he now has his own private room and access to a communal kitchen, where he loves cooking simple, healthy meals. These small comforts are significant steps toward regaining independence and stability in his life. When asked about what could further enhance his journey toward success, Mario mentioned a simple yet vital need—a bicycle. This will not only help him with his daily necessities but also to access other opportunities in the future. Mario expressed his deep appreciation to BACS for providing him with housing and creating an environment where he has felt supported and empowered.

Mario’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact that BACS supporters can have on the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness! If you are inspired by his journey and want to contribute to BACS’ mission please visit our website here. If you’d like to make a specific donation, such as providing a bike for Mario or other BACS participants, please email us. Your generosity can help neighbors like Mario access housing, means to greater independence and mobility, further enhancing their path to success.

Uplifting Mothers and Children Experiencing Homelessness at Anna’s House

BACS is doing “whatever it takes” to address all parts of the housing crisis – and we are excited to share progress on our first targeted initiative for mothers and children experiencing homelessness in Oakland. Anna’s House is named after Anna, a mother, sister, daughter and friend, who lost her life tragically after many years struggling with trauma.

Anna’s House recognizes that many factors contribute to housing instability, including prior experiences with assault or domestic violence. Anna’s House will offer a safe community for mothers who are working to overcome past trauma and striving to provide a loving, nurturing home for their children. BACS made the down payment for Anna’s House using funds donated in Anna’s memory. Now we are actively fundraising to renovate and furnish the home so that we can move moms and children into stable housing as soon as possible.

We have already raised more than $300,000 toward the purchase of the house and started renovations, including replacing the roof and installing a new (donated) HVAC system. Every dollar helps us get closer to our goal. We will be moving families into Anna’s House this fall, and hope to raise an additional $50,000 by October 31. Learn more in our Case for Support, or join the team working to make Anna’s House a reality by donating today!

Transforming Lives with Contingency Management and Medically Assisted Treatment

In August, BACS opened the first Contingency Management (CM) and Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs in Alameda County working out of our Housing Fast at the Henry Robinson Center. This pilot program is working to reduce substance use for community members experiencing other complexities and co-morbidities – like mental health challenges, homelessness, physical health conditions, and more. BACS is doing “whatever it takes” to uplift the people we serve, no matter their unique challenges.

Contingency Management incentivizes and motivates recovery for people who are using stimulants. This evidence-based treatment promotes positive behavior with affirmations, support, and financial incentives for achieving and maintaining specific goals (like negative drug tests). CM is the only treatment that has proven and meaningful outcomes for individuals living with stimulant use disorder, including reduction or cessation of drug use and longer retention in treatment.

MAT is a treatment for opioid use disorder combining the use of medications (like methadone and Suboxone) with counseling and behavioral treatments. MAT is used to decrease withdrawal symptoms and cravings, to reduce the chances of relapse, and help people stay in a treatment program. If relapse does happen, people on buprenorphine MAT have lower rates of fatal overdose.

Throughout the pilot of these two innovative evidence-based Harm-Reduction interventions, BACS will be collecting data and reporting to a learning collaborative to hone best practices and eventually replicating the program. This important program is provided in partnership with Health Care Services Agency (HCSA), Healthcare for the Homeless, Cardea Health, and the Bridge Clinic at Highland Hospital, with funding from the Centers for Health Care Strategies grant.

A Day of Community and Wellness

Big Impacts: BACS 2022 Annual Report

BACS is excited to unveil our 2022 Annual Report, highlighting powerful outcomes.  This year, BACS provided services to 19,320 people, breaking our previous record. We are grateful to the community for reaching out to BACS when there is a challenge, whether it is an individual in crisis or a city leader with a new idea for how to help.

BACS’ solutions work – and every single person reading this report is part of those solutions. The #WhateverItTakes community of staff, funders, donors, volunteers, board members, community partners, advocates, partnering landlords makes BACS’ work possible.

Make Your Voice Heard: Strategic Planning 2023

BACS is embarking on our next strategic planning process, and we invite our community supporters, advocates, donors, partner organizations, funders, volunteers, and the people we serve to make their voices heard. Weigh in on what is most important, where you think BACS should grow or change, and what our community needs help with in the next three years. Share your thoughts online here. 

Our current Strategic Plan, ending this year, is available here. We appreciate everyone’s feedback and look forward to reading, learning, and making a plan that addresses all the needs of our community!

Open Letter from a BACS Participant

Award-winning author Carol D. Mitchell never thought she would be homeless, and when she lost her housing, she struggled with guilt, anger, fright, loneliness, and finding new housing. She got a spot at BACS’ Housing Fast at the Holland program in Oakland, which helped her to find permanent housing while turning some of her personal challenges into growth opportunities. “I was homeless off and on for five years, until BACS did not give up on me and helped me twice. I have been very comfortable in my new apartment for a record-breaking 5 months… Now, as I am enjoying my new place, I deserve to rest and enjoy the rest of my life, I can say that now. Many thanks to your excellent staff and you. BACS you are right up there with St. Vincent DePaul with me.” In 2023, BACS nominated Carol for the Resilience and Determination (RAD) Hero Award, presented by The Alameda County Community Consumer Advisory Board. Read her full letter here!

Turner Construction

Turner Construction turned out for one of our biggest Home in a Basket donations all year!

The Turner team collected beautiful new donations of important household items – things like laundry baskets, cookware, dining sets, and bedding – that can be impossible to hold onto while experiencing homelessness, but are so necessary to make new housing feel like home. Turner staff went above and beyond making 32 thoughtful and packed baskets to be “welcome home” gifts for the people BACS helps find permanent housing.

Recipients Capucine and Gary both moved into new housing and were so surprised by their Home in a Basket. Thank you Turner! 

Keep Oakland Housed Impact Report

Keep Oakland Housed was launched in 2018 with the wisdom that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. The BACS-powered collaborative recognizes that our community needs to stop homelessness before it starts — to prevent individuals and families from getting pushed out of their homes, to prevent people from having an eviction on their record, and to prevent the toll that homelessness takes on the people and communities experiencing it.

Keep Oakland Housed started with a big vision (prevent homelessness) and tangible goals (help 1,700+ households per year). After almost five years, we know what works. Our dream has stayed the same, but the goal has gotten bigger – and so has the impact. BACS is proud to lead the movement to Keep People Housed and continue expanding its services. Read the full impact report here. 

Uplifting Our Families

The BACS family grows again! Whenever our BACS family members welcome a new baby into the world, we make sure they know “BACS loves me” in their onesies. Congratulations to our team member Ryan on the newest member of his family ❤

BACS Aims to Transform Systems of Care: Announcing Major New Site

BACS is thrilled to announce that we have acquired the St. Regis, a 4.13-acre former retirement facility in Hayward, California. Our goal is to transform it into a comprehensive residential and community campus that will offer behavioral health and homelessness services.

In Alameda County, like in many other communities, the needs for help with behavioral health challenges, homelessness, and substance use far exceed the available resources. Existing resources are at capacity, and community members instead end up getting disjointed, expensive care at the jail, emergency department, psychiatric care facility, or inpatient hospital. That’s why we are determined to address these urgent gaps with the St. Regis project, which will break down barriers between the behavioral health and homelessness systems of care to interrupt these cycles.

BACS Featured in Tipping Point Report

BACS is very excited to amplify Tipping Point Community’s 2022 Impact Report! Tipping Point Community is an important funder of BACS’ most innovative solutions to the housing crisis, and it is our honor to be noted in their report. Check out the “Innovative Solutions to Promote Housing Stability” section to see our Shallow Subsidy program highlighted, and read about the fellowship of People of Color-led organizations that our CEO Jamie Almanza was an inaugural member of in the “Investing in Organizations Led by People of Color” section.

BACS’ Impact: A Client Letter

BACS recently helped Ms. Mitchell get out of homelessness. The night before she moved into her new home, Ms. Mitchell sent our team this letter:

This is my last night here before I move into the studio apartment that my incredible Housing Counselor found for me. Seeing this all calibrate quickly, into what at first appeared to be an impossible dream, made me very grateful for everyone’s input into making this all happen.

For all the hard work that went into this – one can’t just ride into the sunset off the backs of those professionals who worked hard together to make this all happen. I came here November 29, 2022, homeless off and on for five-years – ready to give up. I had been sleeping in my car, and was ready to die, until BACS re-housing program fulfilled its’ goals to house me, while I was still on a path to self-destruct.

To see [BACS] growing – means others like me don’t have to wait to die. Together we got through the pain of being homeless. Today, I am a woman who is guided by principal and by the determination to stay housed. Whether good or bad I call things the way I see them. However, I could not leave here without writing this thank you letter to you and your staff. So long to you all and thank you for everything.

Sincerely, Ms. Mitchell

This is the true impact of BACS’ work, and of the thousands of people who are involved in making success possible – our incredible team doing “whatever it takes,” the donors, foundations, and government partners who provide critical funding, the landlords who work with us to create new housing opportunities, and the people we serve, who never give up in pursuing their dreams. Congratulations on your new home, Ms. Mitchell!

Breaking Barriers in Antioch, CA

Transparency and Excellence: Quality Improvement Results

BACS takes quality improvement seriously, and embraces using data to drive program design, treatment options, and review the effectiveness of what we do. Like other providers, BACS routinely welcomes auditors to independently review our work, and we are proud to transparently release these audit findings publicly.

This was the fourth and final audit of our Alameda County Mental Health programs by an outside auditor, which showed that our error rate on assessments was just 0.01%, and our error rate on progress notes was 0.03%.  These rates are exceptionally low and far below industry standard, and we are so proud of our program staff and leadership for their tireless work in supporting our partners while maintaining documentation standards. The audit also noted that quality of care was evident in all cases reviewed, showed that BACS has a 100% success rate in creating safety plans, and demonstrated that BACS is meeting the changing documentation standards related to the CalAIM implementation.

366 People, Permanently Housed

This former Motel 6 is now Delta Landing, a BACS interim housing program serving unhoused neighbors in Contra Costa County. It started in 2020 as a Project Roomkey site as a spot to shelter-in-place during COVID for those without homes. In June of that year, Governor Newsom visited the site to announce Project Homekey, which three months later included this site itself as one of the first round awardees.

Fast forward to January 2023 — the 172-room site, which provides wraparound, health care, and rehousing services has permanently housed 366 people. We have served nearly 500 people, and counting, and over 80% of all exits have been to permanent homes.

We are grateful to Contra Costa Health for their partnership, vision, and determination to leverage statewide resources to invest in ending homelessness. BACS knows what works to end homelessness. The key to making it happen is unlocking resources to do what we know works.

Early Results from the Oakland Shallow Subsidy Pilot

BACS is constantly trying new things to end homelessness, and last year launched the Oakland Shallow Subsidy Pilot in partnership with the City of Oakland. The first cohort of recipients just completed their pilot period, and early data shows homelessness was prevented for 100% of households. Here is what a few of them had to say:

“This program has helped out a lot – without Shallow Subsidy, I probably would be homeless.” 

“I am so thankful for this program. It’s gotten me to a place where I can cover rent with my income and have some savings.” 

“I have appreciated the help and additional resources that the program had to offer. The staff was amazing to work with, they never looked down on you because of your situation.

186 people are still receiving Shallow Subsidies to prevent their homelessness and displacement. UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative is partnering with BACS to collect and evaluate the data, and will share a deep look at its impact once the pilot concludes.

Success Story: Product of Grace

Jessica Robblee’s story is one of perseverance and hope, despite the odds that were stacked against her.

Jessica struggled with drug use, homelessness, family disconnection, and too many encounters with law enforcement for 10 years. BACS got connected to Jessica after she was arrested in 2017, with her case manager Brandy focusing on helping Jessica on her sobriety journey and locating safe housing. Jessica herself acknowledges she was not always easy to help. “I have been around people who pushed me too much, but Brandy was super patient with me and did not push past what I could handle,” said Jessica. “I’m grateful to BACS and especially Brandy for sticking by me these past five years.” BACS kept working with Jessica and advocating for her to reach her goals.

Today, we are so proud and honored to share Jessica’s major achievement: she has purchased and opened her very own transitional sober living home, called “Product of Grace.” Jessica shared that her successes are a product of the grace extended to her by those around her during her years of challenges and recovery, and she wants to extend that grace to others by providing housing designed to help women who are on a similar journey.

Short-Term Program with Long-Term Results

When COVID-19 hit and “shelter in place” orders went into effect, BACS was on the front lines – in encampments, keeping emergency mental health centers open, and trying to address the compounding crisis. The tragedy of homelessness was exacerbated when people with nowhere to go were told to “shelter in place,” and encampment sweeps kept people on the move, exposing themselves to further risk. BACS worked with leaders across the Bay Area to do whatever it took to help our unhoused neighbors.

The City of Hayward responded quickly, and helped BACS open an extension to our Hayward Navigation Center – The Annex. The Hayward Annex was open for just over two years, and we are excited to share the impact: 102 people permanently housed. 

The Annex served approximately 30 people at a time, providing interim housing, housing navigation services, benefits advocacy, employment support, and independent living skills development. If you live in Hayward and want to see more results like this, donate to BACS today and help your neighbors.

The High Value of BACS Staff

What makes BACS special – so that more neighbors have housing instead of living on the streets, so that more people get the mental health care they need – is our incredible team. The 430+ people who leave their homes and show up to work everyday to do ‘whatever it takes’ for the community we serve.

“Every day, our staff come into work ready for anything – and they are working against massive odds with community members who are too often ignored. BACS team members are untold first responders, in hospitals and encampments and anywhere else there is a complex crisis. It is my sincere privilege to compensate the team as highly as we value them.” – Jamie Almanza, CEO

It is because of this that BACS took a major leap – and created a new “BACS minimum wage” – a living wage that complements our extremely comprehensive benefits package.  The new wage significantly raises all current staff dramatically – in most cases by 30%.

BACS is from the community and for the community. If you are looking for employment and want to be part of the “whatever it takes” movement – with pay and benefits that match your dedication and expertise – check out our open positions.

Grand Opening of Cedar Wellness Center

On December 2^nd, BACS launched our first Wellness Center in Sacramento County. Graced by dignitaries such as Supervisor Patrick Kennedy and Health Services Director Timothy Lutz, as well as our leadership team, staff and clients, we committed this space to healing and support for the community. The Cedar Wellness Center, located at 4600 47th Ave, Suite 111, Sacramento, is currently open Monday-Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Check out January’s activity calendar or check our website to plan a visit.

BACS Launches NET Growth Movement

The NET Growth Movement is helping former foster youth transition into adulthood with the financial stability, personal strength, and community backing they need to thrive. Designed and founded by adults with experience in Alameda County foster care, powered by BACS, the NET Growth Movement provides a guaranteed income pilot ($1,000 per month for up to 24 months), a plethora of supports, and community-resource building. This is the first program of its kind in Alameda County, and the initial cohort is expected to start this month.

Dig into why this program is so important in our full launch announcement.

Santa Visits Homeless Families at the SHARE Center

Christmas magic came to the SHARE Center in Salinas this year when Santa visited and brought gifts for every one of the more than 100 residents working to get out of homelessness. This beautiful event, held for the first time in 2021, is thanks to Supervisor Luis Alejo and Mayor Kimbley Craig, donors and volunteers from Comcast, PepsiCo, the County of Monterey, and countless individuals who came together to make the holidays bright for families struggling with housing access.

Since the SHARE Center launched in 2021, 128 individuals/families have moved in to permanent housing. BACS is proud to be part of the Salinas community and do “whatever it takes” to end homelessness for each family we serve. It is our honor to share joy and celebrate holidays with our temporary residents while we build towards the dream of future holidays at home.

Need Help? Get Help Faster

We strive to ensure that every door is the right door when you come to BACS – including our website. Whether someone needs assistance with housing, employment, behavioral health, food, healthcare, community-building, or many other needs, BACS will do “whatever it takes” to get them the help they need.

The Get Help page on our website now has all our neighborhood hubs – expanded recently to include new sites in Sacramento – where anybody in need is welcomed and will find the support they need. Please help spread the word of this resource, and we look forward to seeing you in our neighborhood.

Once A Townie

Since Towne House was founded in 1969, the “Townie” community has grown large and deep roots in our community. So many of the people who come to Towne House find a new sense of belonging, as people are welcomed regardless of their behavioral health challenges or homelessness status, and encouraged and supported to live their best life. This year, Towne House lost one of the longest-term members, Beferia Thomas. Beferia was a true Townie, giving and receiving support across her lifetime. She volunteered as a receptionist, greeter, lunch preparer, and took many other opportunities to stretch her talents to support her community. She was instrumental in helping Towne House find its permanent home, and got BACS support to find her own apartment and permanent home. Milly Alvarez, Friend of Towne House and former Towne House Director, gathered with others who Beferia impacted throughout the years in our Memorial Garden.