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 ❤