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BACS Connections October 2018

October 29, 2018

Keep Oakland Housed

Keep Oakland Housed logo

This month, BACS launched a historic new program to address the housing crisis in Oakland – by preventing homelessness before it starts. Keep Oakland Housed (KOH) will prevent Oaklanders from losing their housing through emergency financial assistance, supportive services, and legal representation.

At BACS, we receive a thousand or more calls each month from people who are on the brink of losing their housing. KOH means that BACS can answer these calls and say YES, we can help you.

KOH is a partnership between BACS, EBCLC, and Catholic Charities of the East Bay, funded by The San Francisco Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, in partnership with the City of Oakland.

If you need help, visit us online here. If you want to sustain this initiative, make a donation today!

Honoring Patrick, Peer Lead at Towne House

Towne House

BACS’ Towne House Wellness Center team wants to celebrate Patrick, Peer Lead at the wellness center. Patrick is often the first person a visitor or member to Towne House sees.

His Towne House team says “Patrick is a pure pleasure to work with. Patrick’s calm and warm demeanor is always welcomed by staff and participants a like. Any task that he is asked to complete, or assist with is done with a positive attitude and smile. We here at Towne House truly appreciate you Patrick, and we just want to say thank you!”

Start a Career with BACS

BACS services are always expanding, and we are currently recruiting! Check out our career opportunities on our website, and learn more about what makes BACS special.

BACS welcomes people of all backgrounds and expertise to apply. Even if you have never worked in the mental health or homeless solutions fields, but you are inspired to make a change, reach out to BACS – we have many training and entry-level positions.

BACS provides benefits and perks like: fully covered medical/dental/vision/life insurance, tuition reimbursement for loans and tuition, clinical supervision hours towards licensure, internal growth opportunities, and more! BACS also works with a wide variety of populations, and has many opportunities for learning and advancement.

Oakland ADC Program Anniversary

BACS is delighted to celebrate the anniversary of our Oakland Adult Day Center! This Memory Care program started in 1987 in Oakland, and for 21 years has been a space where elders with memory disorders can connect with others, socialize, and participate in guided activities. Our services offer respite for caregivers and families.

Thank you to everyone who makes our programs special — caregivers, staff, and the participants who come every day!

Invest in Your Community

Micah square

Our work has profound individual and community impacts. Every person that comes to BACS for help can achieve stability, move off of the streets, get a job, live safely with their mental health issue, or stay out of jail. And for each of those success stories, our community gets better. We see fewer people living on the streets or in poverty. We spend less on emergency medical services. We see less of our tax money going to prisons. Your investment in BACS, and in the people we help, transforms our community.

Donate to BACS online by clicking here, or via mail to 390 40th Street, Oakland, CA 94609. Make an ongoing impact by donating monthly.

Tagged With: city of oakland, housing, keep oakland housed, libby schaaf, mayor schaaf, towne house, Wellness Center

Thomas J. Long Foundation

February 28, 2018

BACS is delighted to announce an historic grant from the Thomas J. Long Foundation, which awarded BACS $750,000 to support our senior services.

This year, BACS celebrates our 65th anniversary of providing crucial social services in the Bay Area. This foundation partnership supports our work, our sustainability, and our mission.

BACS’ Executive Director Jamie Almanza says “We are honored to receive this unprecedented grant from the Thomas J. Long Foundation. This foundation, and Thomas J. Long’s legacy, have been an integral part of the fabric of the Bay Area for decades. The Thomas J. Long Foundation has a true vision to nimbly make a difference by supporting what non-profits need.”

[Read more…]

Tagged With: caregiver respite, caregiver support, charity, donation, long foundation, nonprofit, safety net, senior services, towne house, Wellness Center

BACS Connections March 2016

March 23, 2016

BACS Opens Criminal Justice Programs

Criminal Justice Progras

BACS is delighted to announce our new Criminal Justice programs!

BACS Criminal Justice programs serve adults age 18+ who are involved in the criminal justice system. Services assist individuals in all three phases of detention (in custody, re-entry planning, and post-release case management).

Our Criminal Justice programs make sure nobody falls through the cracks, and help prevent recidivism by connecting individuals with their community. Individuals struggle when exiting prison or jail if they lack a support system or experience poverty and/or mental health issues. BACS prevents recidivism by targeting all these issues. Our staff focus on rehabilitation through competitive employment programs, life skills development, behavioral health services, and more. We work to make sure that individuals succeed in re-entering the community, instead of re-entering the criminal justice system.

Happy Anniversary to Case Management!

jeff-quote-portrait

BACS is pleased to celebrate the 23 year anniversary of BACS’ Intensive Care Coordination / Case Management Program.

BACS opened our Case Management program in 1993 to fill a crucial need in the community: providing psychiatric services and care coordination for people with severe behavioral health issues and trauma.

Our Intensive Care Coordination programs have made a difference for hundreds of people over the last 23 years. Learn more about our Intensive Care Coordination programs here.

Thank you to everyone who makes our Intensive Care Coordination program special!

Participant Success in Wellness Co-Ops

Mitchell W
For more of Mitchell’s story, visit our Facebook page!

In 2015, Mitchell W. saw a flier for the Wellness Co-Ops at a local mental health clinic, and visited Valley WC. He quickly became an active member of our community.

Mitchell started coming to get out of the house, but after a few visits, he had an epiphany. “It occurred to me then that I needed money and I wanted a job.” Mitchell thought about the support and services available to him at the Wellness Center.  With support from Valley staff, Mitchell got a job!

“My advice to someone that’s looking for work is even if they put in applications and get turned down, don’t get discouraged.  Just keep trying.  Put in more applications!”

Congratulations, Mitchell, and thank you for sharing your story!

 Happenings at Towne House

Towne House

Towne House has been a hive of activity recently! In addition to our partners at the Lakehurst, our Peer Counselor, Engret Moore, has been getting out into Oakland to assist people from various local residences.

With more people are able to refine our groups and program offerings to accommodate the people participating, and there are many new peer-led activities. Towne House is a vibrant community of people supporting each other, whether over food, art, movies, housing and employment, or fulfilling our mission.

We have developed a partnership with FERC, Family Education and Resource Center, and are offering monthly support meetings for people whose loved ones are living with challenges associated with mental illness. This group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 6:30-8 PM, all are welcome to attend.

We have also begun to support participants by providing employment support in the form of collaborative discussions with one of our Employment Specialists, Jason Ortega. Jason will be facilitating check-ins with people, supporting them to strategize ways to find sustainable, competitive employment.

Towne House is partnering with City Slicker Farms to develop and expand our garden. In the coming year, you can expect the vegetable, herb and flower garden to grow, strengthening our nutrition program and teaching us all about plants and healthy eating habits.

Hope Intervention Program Success

shaun

Shaun Orrante, of BACS’ Hope Intervention Program, was recently honored by family members of one of our participants.

This individual struggled with mental health issues, and came to HIP because he wanted to recover and develop independent living skills. The entire HIP team worked together collaboratively, and Shaun went further by providing psychoeducation and referral to FERC for the parents. Ultimately this participant became connected to ongoing treatment team, psychiatry, and an independent living skills program.

Shaun says “I really enjoy working as a member of HIP. Many participants we work with, in addition to their mental health symptoms also struggle with self-esteem, independent living skills, and family relationships. One of my favorite things about HIP is that I am able to work directly with participant’s and their families in order to support them through difficult transitions. This aspect of my role was particularly significant in the work with this family.”

Great job, Shaun!

Employee of the Month

Kelly-Johnson-EOTM

Kelly Johnson, Quality Assurance Coordinator is our Employee of the Month for March!

Kelley was nominated by her colleagues and the leadership. Many people noted her accountability to the mission and values of the organization. Her integrity for the daily operations of our vast QA system is what allows all of the thousands of services that we provide per month to get billed and for the agency to get reimbursed! Additionally, Kelly took on a major role in our recent headquarters move, and has played an integral role with grace, dedication, and a stability that allows BACS to continue its mission.

Congratulations, Kelly!

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 today!

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.

Tagged With: criminal justice, employee satisfaction, employment, non-profit, thunder road, towne house

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