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.
By investing in housing justice and behavioral health services, the St. Regis project is an important milestone in addressing the homelessness crisis and advancing equity in the community. Read our full announcement here.
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
Opportunity Village, a new transitional housing program in Antioch, was unveiled recently. The first of its kind in Antioch, BACS will provider wraparound services for chronically homeless community members. Opportunity Village will be located in a former motel and can house 45 residents at a time, up to 135 a year, who will stay there anywhere from 120 to 180 days.
The unveiling was a celebratory event led by Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, who has been a fierce advocate for Opportunity Village, with BACS staff, community advocates, and neighbors in attendance. Mayor Thorpe presented “keys to the city” to several residents.
“Housing is a right that we should all have, just like food and water,” Gary Tia, BACS Program Manager, told the crowd. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to work with you. I think the need is great, but the laborers are few. What we lack in numbers we will make up with effort and strength and true collaboration.”
See full coverage from the East Bay Times here.
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.
