BACS STAIR Interim Housing
Temporary Relocation Request
Project Summary
Berkeley STAIR has been in operation since 2018. Since this time, it has provided a warm and welcoming space for the Berkeley community that supports unhoused community members with housing services. Berkeley STAIR is more than a shelter, it’s a coed interim housing program that provides services 24/7 to North County unhoused residents. Participants are able to have a safe place to stay throughout the day while they work on goals for their housing journey. The primary goals of Berkeley STAIR are to provide immediate, safe space for adults in need of support and then to work with each participant to identify and remove barriers to housing and independence. Supportive services include assistance identifying and applying for affordable housing opportunities, securing employment and benefits (disability, Social Security, CalFresh, etc.), accessing physical and mental health care, and care coordination to work through any other unique barriers. This program is funded through the City of Berkeley. At full capacity, Berkeley STAIR can provide short-term interim housing and supportive services for 45 adults at a time.
Organization Summary
In 1953, a group of Oakland churches and advocates came together to create the first organization of its kind in the Bay Area, founded to respond to the growing needs of elders and people with mental health issues. As the agency grew in size and expertise, we focused on the connections between mental health and lack of available affordable housing. By 1965, BACS was targeting rising homelessness around our community. For decades, BACS has steadily grown throughout Northern California to meet the rising needs of communities. As an historical agency with comprehensive expertise in behavioral health & housing solutions, it is our founding commitment to do "whatever it takes" to meet the needs of our community. We are determined to growing ethically, hiring locally & hiring people with lived experience, and bringing person-centered care to every community where we work. We are helping people experiencing mental health needs or housing crises, while balancing other complications like health needs, substance use, generational trauma, incarceration, poverty, and more.
BACS does "whatever it takes" to create programs that meet community needs, integrating nearly seven decades of behavioral health expertise with our housing First philosophy. Our services include:
We have 24/7 residential programs across the Bay Area, addressing mental health and housing crises with expertise and compassion. We coordinate care for the "whole you" – breaking down the systems that separate health, mental health, housing, benefits, and other services – to help participants take their next steps in life. We are helping people experiencing mental health needs or housing crises, Attachment 1
while balancing other complications like health needs, substance use, generational trauma, incarceration, poverty, and more. We fight against stigma and work tirelessly to uplift each individual we serve. BACS knows that nobody wants to be homeless. We work to prevent homelessness before it starts. For people who are already homeless or unstably housed, we use direct outreach to find people where they are at, whether it is on the street, in encampments, or more. Then, we do whatever it takes to find them permanent, sustainable housing. We offer interim housing, benefits assistance, job support, food support, housing application fees, and more. BACS is an expert in Housing First, strengths-based, flexible services that are from the community and for the community, providing services to more than 100,000 people experiencing serious mental illness, justice involvement, recent psychiatric hospitalization, and/or housing insecurity or homelessness since 1953. BACS is an expert in comprehensive, integrated, and effective approaches to housing & health for complex populations.
More than 50% of BACS staff are "peers" with lived experience of mental health challenges, homelessness or housing insecurity, and/or incarceration. Many are in direct services roles, but there are people with lived experience in administrative, accounting, and senior leadership positions as well.
This means that across the agency, anywhere a client comes into contact with staff, they are going to encounter team members who can build trust and establish effective communication from this mutual understanding.
Impact and Demographics
In the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year, Berkeley STAIR served 102 adults; 34% of participants served were 62 or older, 75% are person of color, 65% have experienced extended periods of homelessness and 45% of participants have a physical disability. BACS Berkeley staff has supported 301 North County residents participants with moving into their new home since the program launched. Our primary goal is to provide participants with a safe place to stay while focusing on supporting them with securing permanent sustainable housing. All participants receive support with vital document assistance, housing navigation, employment services, mental health, and physical health referral connections.
Proposed Building Operations and Supervision
The program will operate the location starting October 2024 for four months during the construction of Berkeley STAIR’s property. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2025. Once the construction on 2nd Street is completed, we will close this proposed temporary location.
Existing interim housing beds are insufficient to meet the needs of homeless individuals in the North County region. As a result, over 800 individuals sleep on North County streets each night. This emergency shelter will provide safety and stability for up to 45 adults experiencing homelessness at one time, along with the resources and services to permanently end their homelessness. Berkeley STAIR will provide support and housing services including shelter, meals, and care coordination to support finding and securing permanent housing.
The building will be used to provide shelter and resources for up to 45 individuals at any time. The site will be operated by BACS, a well-established social services agency in Northern California that has provided mental health and homeless services to Northern California residents since 1953.
The program will remain open to participants during the day. Daytime staffing will also include on-site housing navigation (care coordination). BACS will maintain the established layout as designed by Insight. A large room inside the shelter will be designated as a community space for shelter participants. There is also ample outdoor space in the rear of the building, shielded from the street and neighboring buildings by a fence. A second large room inside the shelter will function as a living room/ dining room/ meeting room. A microwave and refrigerator will be provided for individuals on-site, and full meals will be prepared off-site and delivered to the shelter each day. The shelter will also have storage bins for residents to keep their belongings organized within their assigned sleeping areas. The shelter will meet all applicable federal, state, and life safety regulations that pertain to an emergency shelter. Trash, recycling, and composting services will be in place. Bins will be covered and kept locked on the 43rd Street side of the property for pickup. A shower trailer will remain on the premises, the trailer includes three shower stalls that will remain installed on the eastern side of the building.
BACS partners with Alameda County’s Coordinated Entry System for assessments and placement into the shelter. Persons needing a shelter bed can be assessed at one of the County’s Housing Resource Centers or by calling 211. BACS staff will complete shelter intakes on-site for same-day placements.
Enrollments are completed during intake hours, which prevents any need for people to line up or wait outside the facility. With the shelter being open 24 hours, 7 days a week there are no lines or people in que waiting to enter the facility.
The program employs ten full-time staff, including a full-time program manager. Staff is on-site 24 hours, seven days a week to interact with program participants and to ensure the safety of the participants, the building and the neighborhood.
Estimated parking demand for the site staff varies by shift:
Day Shift (8:00AM – 4:30PM) – 6 Staff parking spots;
Afternoon/Evening Shift (4:30PM-12:00AM) – 2 Staff parking spots; Overnight Shift (12:00AM – 8:00AM) – 2 Staff parking spots; Many staff and participants will also make use of public transportation (BART, Emeryville Go-Round, Bus), and BACS staff will assist participants with transit passes whenever possible. There will be daily deliveries of meals for participants once per day and weekly deliveries of supplies. Deliveries will occur from the 43rd Street entrance, with a specified delivery zone.
Given the temporary nature of this property use and the potential limited frequency of such deliveries, there is no need for special signage.
Community Meeting Process
We propose the following for a Community Engagement process:
• Send Notice with a Scheduled Meeting Date, points of communication • Organize and prep for Meeting
• Meeting and Meeting debrief, with notes
• Incorporate feedback into any Application modifications or updates Draft Notice for Community Meeting
We want to inform you of a temporary use of an existing property to serve our neighbors better and to assist people from getting off the street camping in public places – improve their health and future selfreliance.
Berkeley STAIRS property on 2nd ST will undergo a four-month construction period to improve North County's unsheltered community members' facilities. During construction, to continue offering sheltering options to adults in the North County region, we need access to a temporary space during the construction work on our site in Berkeley, which should be completed by the Winter of 2025.
Meeting Date:
Within one week of City Approval
Meeting Agenda: