Yesterday, a 67 year old man passed away quietly in our largest homeless program. A program that houses 137 lives while we actively look for permanent housing for them. He was part of a short term respite program. Respite from the streets after a hospitalization. He died seemingly peacefully in his sleep. He died in doors. Not outside in the blistering cold that is mostly too cold for us Californians.
BACS Connections September 2016
Simply the Basics – Our Newest Partner!
Simply the Basics is partnering with BACS! Simply the Basics donated more than 150 hygiene kits, as well as feminine hygiene products and laundry detergent! These products are so critical to the homeless participants we serve who have no other alternative to basic hygiene care when surviving on the streets.
The mission of Simply the Basics is to provide for individuals, organizations, and communities their most basic needs with dignity so that they can focus on bigger goals.
This donation empowers BACS to focus on our bigger goal – ending homelessness, permanently. Every year, BACS provides services to hundreds of over 1,000 individuals experiencing homelessness. We provide interim housing and rehabilitation services, while our Short-Term Housing team locates permanent housing. In the meantime, we provide mental health support, independent living skills development, employment support, respite services, and more.
To learn more about our amazing partner Simply the Basics, visit their website!
In-Kind Donation Drop-Offs
Your donations change lives!
Our 2016 Drop Off Dates for in-kind donations are Wednesday, October 19 and Wednesday, December 14.
Donations will be accepted from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 559 16th Street in Oakland. If you have any questions, please email Nora Daly.
Everything you donate directly impacts our mission – to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes. Learn more about in-kind donations to BACS!
Our Programs Work Together to Change Lives
Daniel and Gina, 70 and 60 years old respectively, came to BACS in need of serious help. They were homeless, and did not have access to food, medications, or other services. Through the collective efforts of our dedicated teams in three programs, Daniel and Gina are no longer homeless and are receiving the services they need!
Read their full story, from homelessness to today, here.
Hope Intervention Program
BACS is pleased to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of BACS’ Hope Intervention Program (HIP).
BACS is the lead agency of a major pilot for Alameda County called TAY Triage and opened HIP, a prevention and early intervention program for youth, in 2014 to fill a crucial need in the community: mobile outreach and crisis intervention services to Transitional Aged Youth (TAY).
Our HIP team has made a huge impact on TAY in our community. Happy anniversary, and congratulations on all your hard work! Learn more about our Prevention & Early Intervention programs here.
Our team also just received a one year evaluation for the wonderful work we are doing. Some noteworthy statistics:
- HIP enrolled 211 participants, and exceeded the program goal for enrollment by 110%! This means BACS was able to use our resources to help even more people.
- 93% of our participants have been discharged from our program, often with a warm hand-off to other services. Of our discharged participants, 87% had no psychiatric hospital facility admissions within 90 days of discharge, exceeding our objective!
Thank you to our partners who made HIP possible including the State of California through Senate Bill 82, Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, Stars Inc. TAY Programs, and West Coast Children’s Clinic, as well as Alameda County’s Health Care Services Agency CAPE Unit who has conducted deep research on the program.
Employee of the Month
Bart Smid, Peer Counselor at Woodroe Place Crisis Residential, is our Employee of the Month for September!
Bart was nominated by his colleagues and leadership because of his commitment to the mission of BACS, and his daily demonstration and pursuit of the agency’s values. In particular, colleagues noted:
“Bart is the consummate professional. He engages residents at Woodroe with great integrity, welcoming approach and believes the best in people. He consistently encourages choice and fosters relationships with residents at Woodroe to build trust and encourage their growth. Bart has tremendous pride in the house and in his work. He is accountable and willing to share innovative ideas with his team.”
Bart says “the thing I like most about working at Woodroe Place is the support our team gives each other every moment of every shift, as well as the positive effect our program has on our residents mental health recovery. It feels great knowing that I play a partial role in our residents feeling better about themselves and their current situation.”
Congratulations, Bart!
Join Our Cause
Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes? The community has asked us to provide more services than ever, based on need. In 2016, help us make this possible!
Donate
Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612.
Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.
Work Here
BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities.
Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.
BACS Connections June 2016
North County Senior Homeless Program Celebrates 9 Years!
BACS is pleased to celebrate the 9 year anniversary of BACS’ North County Senior Homeless Program (NCSHP).
BACS opened NCSHP, a full service partnership program, in 2007 to fill a crucial need in the community: outreach, housing and financial support, mental health and case management, substance use, and primary care to individuals who are homeless and have mental health issues.
Our NCSHP team has made a difference for hundreds of people over the last 9 years. Learn more about our Full Service Partnerships here.
Supported Employment Success
Scot, a participant with BACS’ Supported Employment IPS program, has worked in customer service on and off for years, but due unstable housing he had not been able to maintain employment for longer than a few months. After expressing his interest in going back to work, he had his eyes set on working as a cart attendant. After entertaining several interviews, Scot received a call back from one of his top choices, Target.
Now, he is happily employed at his goal job – congratulations, Scot!
When asked what advice he could give a peer who is discouraged about looking for work, he answered:
“To keep looking for work and not feel discouraged. When I feel discouraged I turn to my higher power for strength and I always listen to other people’s encouragement to keep me going. I go to the Wellness Center when I feel discouraged and talk to my job coach and other staff. Don’t stumble, don’t fall down, just keep getting up like you were young!”
IPS In the News!
The Alameda County BHCS Vocational Program, in collaboration with Bay Area Community Services and other Community Organizations and supporters, recently hosted the Second Annual Northern California Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Learning Conference. The IPS Learning Conference goal was to raise awareness and interest around the IPS Evidenced Based Practice and how meaningful employment facilitates wellness and recovery, hope and self-efficacy, for individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness.
At the conference, over 130 Agency Leaders, Staff, Consumers, Family Members and Advocates, gathered to pose intriguing questions, explore diverse opinions and experiences, challenge assumptions and share successes and struggles – In essence, to learn from one another.
The IPS Conference offered BACS Valley Wellness Center Participant Jeff Y. to share his ‘Back to Work’ story with the audience, which included the support he receives from Valley Wellness Center Employment Coordinator Veronica Pacana. Shortly after, numerous small group dialogues around employment began. There were 11 thematic discussion groups; Our very own BACS Executive Director Jamie Almanza co-facilitated the discussion of “How to Get an IPS Program Started,” while BACS IPS Vocational Program Manager Chris Llorente and Valley Wellness Center Personal Service Coordinator Linda Nguyen facilitated the topic “The Role of IPS on Mental Health Teams.”
To learn more about the Individual Placement and Support model, please visit http://www.dartmouthips.org/. And come join the discussion!
Employee of the Month
Congratulations to our June Employee of the Month – Jimmy Mun, Support Counselor for the Care Management Program.
Jimmy is incredibly dedicated to his work, and always keeps a positive attitude. He improves staff morale across the agency, and in the community where he spends much of his time.
Jimmy is willing to go the distance and to take his team to the next level. Jimmy embodies compassion, professionalism, and a Whatever It Takes approach and that embodies all of the BACS values.
I recall when you first started the conversation we had about how challenging the Care Management work is and that it takes a very special person to see and create resources for the most vulnerable elders of our community out of thin air: and you excel at it!
Jimmy says “I really enjoy the ability to help people that have fallen on hard times and sometimes just need a little assistance to get back on tracks. It can be very rewarding.”
Congratulations, Jimmy, and thank you for all you have done and continue to do to make our agency and program so strong.
Join Our Cause
Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes? The community has asked us to provide more services than ever, based on need. In 2016, help us make this possible!
Donate
Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612.
Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.
Work Here
BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities.
Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.
BACS Connections May 2016
BACS Opens New Supported Independent Living Site in Oakland
BACS is delighted to announce our new Supported Independent Living site in East Oakland!
Our SIL sites provide stable and permanent housing, at very low cost, for individuals with complex needs. Each resident is paired with a care coordinator to help them attain independent living skills in a supportive environment, including job support and mental health support. Residents learn skills by sharing responsibilities for cleaning, paying bills, and running their household.
We opened this location in pursuit of our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes. We also, this month, celebrate the 43 year anniversary of BACS’ Supported Independent Living (SIL) sites!
BACS opened our first Supported Independent Living site in 1973 to fill a crucial need in the community. Our Supported Independent Living sites have made a difference for thousands of people over the last 47 years. Learn more about our SILs here.
Welcoming Porsche Gordon: New BACS Board Member
Porsche Gordon was raised in the Bay Area and graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland before moving across country to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. At Howard Porsche received her Bachelor of Arts in Management and later, her Master in Business Administration.
Porsche has since returned to the Bay Area to raise her two children and work as a development officer at Stanford University. Porsche has always had a sense of civic duty and is excited to continue her commitment to improve her community by joining the BACS Board of Directors. She brings with her over fourteen years of experience in non-profit fundraising and donor engagement.
Welcome, Porsche!
Making a Difference: Winter Shelter
As part of Oakland’s new model to address the homeless crisis, this winter BACS provided case management to the Winter Shelter (which runs from Nov 15th to April 15th) with a focus on targeting services to the most vulnerable and supporting individuals with accessing housing. Over the course of the winter we supported 15 individuals with securing permanent housing, a higher number than ever achieved in previous shelter models. In addition 25 moved in to our Housing Fast Support Network (HFSN) in downtown Oakland, to receive more robust support to achieve their housing goals.
Emily Harris from HFSN stepped in to lead this effort and did a tremendous job, working nightly to achieve these outcomes for our community!
5th Annual We Move for Health Event
BACS is excited to come out and celebrate the 5th annual We Move for Health event, hosted by 10×10 Wellness. The event is Friday, May 20, 2016 10:00am – 3:00pm at Lake Merrit Bandstand Oakland.
Come out and celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with us at the 5th Annual We Move for Health Event where we’ll be moving for healthy bodies and minds! This free event is open to all ages and will include a 1.5 mile walk around the beautiful Lake Merrit, Zumba, Chair Yoga, Line Dancing, a Kid’s Zone and many more activities to get our bodies moving.
For more information, visit Alameda County 10×10 Wellness Campaign’s website.
PEERS Partnership
Recently, the Valley Wellness Center Community partnered with PEERS (Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services) for a ‘Reflections and Expressions’ art workshop.
Reflections & Expressions is an art and writing exercise with the purpose of inspiring participants to explore different ways of creating self-empowering messages. The creative process involved in expressing one’s self artistically helps people understand and manage certain behaviors and feelings, reduce stress, improve self-esteem and awareness, and enhance overall wellness.
Thank you PEERS for bringing this wonderful and intentional workshop to the BACS Community. We look forward to continuing this awesome partnership with you!
Employee of the Month
Linda Ngyuen, Personal Services Coordinator at our Valley Wellness Co-Op, is our May Employee of the Month!
Linda was nominated by her co-workers because she always goes above and beyond in her work. She represents BACS’ mission and values in the community, and always does whatever it takes to help.
Linda goes out of her way to attend community events on the weekend, to spread information and help connect people to BACS resources. She is constantly working to improve her work and our services, and attends external trainings whenever she gets the opportunity. Linda does her job with enthusiasm and radiates the ‘whatever it takes’ philosophy.
Linda says, “The most important work I get to do at BACS is being able to connect with all the participants on case management and those coming into the wellness co-op and being able to provide the support and linkage to community services. Plus side is all the amazing and supportive BACS employees I get to interact with on a daily basis.”
Congratulations, Linda!
Welcome to Samuel Merritt College Occupational Therapists!
Occupational Therapists from Samuel Merritt College have worked with BACS at our Memory Care adult day programs in Oakland and Fremont for years. Now, they are starting for the first time at the South County Wellness Center. Thank you for joining us, and welcome!
Join Our Cause
Do you want to join BACS in our mission to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes? The community has asked us to provide more services than ever, based on need. In 2016, help us make this possible!
Donate
Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 629 Oakland Ave, Oakland, CA 94612.
Or, donate gently used blankets, canned goods, and other items to our housing programs. Email us to learn more.
Work Here
BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our job opportunities.
Learn more on our website or by calling 510.613.0330.
