Class project turns into special donation for BOSS housing! “As part of the “Global Startup” class at UC Berkeley, taught by Ken Singer, students had a week to trade items (with strangers) and the team who ended with the most … Continued
Under the leadership of Desmond Iman, the new Teacher at the Children’s Learning Center (CLC), the homeless children who participate in BOSS’s after-school program on-site at Ursula Sherman Village have been taking part in exciting STEM activities this summer, in … Continued
Visionaries Documentary – Nearly There! BOSS has raised approximately $35,000 for the production budget for a documentary that will be aired nationally on PBS as part of the PBS documentary series, The Visionaries — we are talking with the filmmakers right now … Continued
BERKELEY, CA – On a warm evening in downtown Berkeley, with the strains of jazz played by Berkeley High School musicians coming from the Crystal Ballroom at Hotel Shattuck Plaza, BOSS gathered with sponsors and supporters, elected officials, volunteers and … Continued
BOSS is watching a series of important bills that affect the individuals and families we serve. Please read through and let your elected officials know if you support them! — The Veterans and Affordable Housing Act (SB 3) will go before … Continued
BOSS staff are active participants in local, regional and state forums that are seeking solutions to homelessness, poverty, and reentry challenges. Some of our recent or upcoming participation includes: Homelessness Solutions Summit 2018 The next 10 years in Alameda County, job growth is expected … Continued
The BOSS Board of Directors is having a weekly auction of one special item up for bid each week – all funds raised will benefit the BOSS Visionaries documentary film project, to help share BOSS’s work fighting mass homelessness, mass incarceration, … Continued
Sacramento, CA – On Monday March 19, 2018, BOSS staff members Gwen Austin and Sonja Fitz, along with UC Berkeley intern Kira Shea and BOSS participant (Casa Maria resident) Tenille Spruell, loaded into a van and headed for the state … Continued
Darnell Oliver is a 57 year old who had been sleeping in his car on the streets of Oakland, his home community, since 2016. In 2017 when he was staying in the winter shelter at St. Vincent de Paul, he … Continued
Hayward, CA – Despite a one week postponement due to rain, a group of high energy, hard working, good spirited volunteers from the co-ed service fraternity at Cal State East Bay, Alpha Phi Omega – Omicron Zeta Chapter, came out … Continued
The Administration recently released their proposed 2019 budget (despite still not having a 2018 budget). This proposed budget will deny Section 8 Housing Vouchers, already a barely-available resource, with 5+ year wait lists, to a quarter of a million current recipients. Most … Continued
This Valentine’s Day, the day meant more in BOSS than just flowers, candy, and dinner out with a significant other – several people in our community decided it could and should be a day to show love and kinship with … Continued
We are a country divided. We have extreme polarized views on everything from vaccines to gun control. We also have extremes in lifestyle: from individuals so rich they incorporate themselves for protection, to people who must make the horrible choice … Continued
Food insecurity is real. It is far more prevalent than many people think. It impacts individuals, families, and entire communities. That is why it is so important to be involved in the food security movement. To this end, BOSS has … Continued
Living without housing leads to a whole host of health issues. The Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless program knows this all too well. That is why they began their Mobile Health program! This program meets people where they’re … Continued
According to many analysts, the new federal budget could create more homelessness. This news comes on the heels of the fact that wages for women, individuals of color, and especially the people who live at the intersection of both, are still … Continued
“I’ve always been intimidated by computers of any kind,” says BOSS former IPS participant Arthur Brooks. “I just couldn’t understand how to use them, but this time, I really wanted to work for the holidays, so I decided to give … Continued
This last spring BOSS, in collaboration with the Mayor of Berkeley, GRID Alternatives, Rising Sun Energy Center, and the BOSS CTEC Program installed solar panels on our flagship facility, Ursula Sherman Village. And what a difference! This is a new and … Continued
It is getting cold out there. The leaves are turning and falling. There is talk of rain and people are pulling out their coats, sweaters, scarves, and gloves. For many of us our minds automatically turn to Thanksgiving and we … Continued
On October 14th, California Governor, Jerry Brown, Signed into Law a whole host of Housing Bills aimed at making housing more affordable, and getting more of our most at-risk neighbors housed. One such bill was AB 74, the Housing for a … Continued