Homelessness

If you are seeking shelter and housing assistance, please call 211 to get referred to a Housing Resource Center.

24-hour, toll-free crisis line: 1-866-A-WAY-OUT

“I don’t think homelessness can be solved. I know homelessness can be solved. This is our cause. This is our calling. Let us rise to the challenge and make California stand as an exemplar of what true courage and compassion can achieve.

—Governor Gavin Newsom

Building Futures Family Housing Resource Center, Family Front Door

Announcing the Family Resource Center! Building Futures’ latest service site is located in Oakland, Alameda County’s largest city. According to EveryOne Home’s 2022 point in time count, Oakland is home to over half the county’s residents experiencing homelessness.

The Family Resource Center dramatically expands Building Futures’ housing programs for Alameda County and Oakland-residents. The Center will house Building Futures’ family housing programs, with space for offices, three private meeting/therapy rooms, an employment resource and computer room, and a family lounge. Participants can access essential items like diapers, formula and clothing. Our Family Front Door program will bring seven years of success to this new location.

The Center will provide a range of services to help end family homelessness, creating a safer and more vibrant community:

The CalWorks Housing Support Program: rapid re-housing* support for families that are literally homeless (on the streets or in a shelter) or who have received a court-ordered eviction. Participants receive financial assistance and supportive services including but not limited to rental assistance, security deposits, utility payments, moving costs, landlord recruitment, case management, housing outreach and placement, legal services, and credit repair.
The Family Front Door, a Coordinated Entry hub for Oakland families. Building Futures prioritizes those with the greatest needs with intensive supports. The program provides families with access to family shelter; rapid re-housing* after homelessness, linkage to community and mainstream services, linkage to primary dental, medical and mental health services and childcare resources; and assistance with obtaining public benefits.

Building Futures is proud to partner at the Center with East Oakland Community Project, Elizabeth House, Diamond in the Rough, Salvation Army, and others. Through collaboration, we can help even more vulnerable Alameda County and Oakland-based families succeed!

Building Futures thanks funding partners City of Oakland, California Interagency Council on Homelessness, State of California, Oakland Housing Authority, Alameda County Social Services, Alameda County Housing and Community Development, and Alameda County Homeless Care and Coordination and ALL of our partners in the Family Resource Center—a true one-stop shop for families experiencing homelessness.

* Rapid re-housing provides short-term rental assistance and services. The goals are to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and stay housed. Rapid re-housing is a primary solution to ending homelessness. It has been demonstrated to be effective in getting people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing and keeping them there.

Source: The National Alliance to End Homelessness

San Leandro Shelter

Opened in 1986, the San Leandro Shelter is Building Futures’ first service site. Today, the San Leandro Shelter provides 30 beds to women with and without children. The San Leandro Shelter provides a warm and safe environment and support services designed to help residents address the obstacles they face to ending their homelessness. To access shelter space, call 211 to be connected to a Housing Resource Center. Shelter residents receive:

A clean, warm bed
Three daily meals
Shower and laundry facilities
Access to computers and telephone
Mail services
Access to clothing closet
Transportation assistance
Permanent supportive housing assistance
Direct referrals to Linkages Rapid Rehousing program for families that qualify
Linkage to community and mainstream services
Linkage to primary dental, medical, and mental health services
Financial literacy
Domestic Violence/Healthy Relationships groups, and personalized advocacy and assistance
Children’s programing
Linkage to San Leandro Unified School District’s McKinney Vento Act services

Midway Shelter

First founded in 1989 by the Alameda Homeless Network and the City of Alameda, Midway provides 25 beds and a range of services for homeless women and children. Building Futures was chosen to operate the shelter in 2001. The name “Midway” represents the shift in the lives of women and children served, where the cycle of homelessness and domestic violence falls away and a new future can be built. To access shelter space, call 211 to be connected to a Housing Resource Center. Shelter residents receive:

A clean, warm bed
Three daily meals
Shower and laundry facilities
Access to computers and telephone
Mail services
Access to clothing closet
Transportation assistance
Permanent supportive housing assistance
Direct referrals to Linkages Rapid Rehousing program for families that qualify.
Linkage to community and mainstream services
Linkage to primary dental, medical, and mental health services
Financial literacy
Domestic Violence/Healthy Relationships groups, and personalized advocacy and assistance
Children’s programing
Linkage to Alameda Unified School District’s McKinney Vento Act services

Street Outreach

Building Futures’ street outreach teams provide access to care which meets the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness. Services are through regularly scheduled outreach services—weekly laundry days, for example—for unsheltered people living in homeless encampments, vehicles, and RVs. Street Health teams build relationships that lead to long-term health through connections to primary care, social services, housing, and other resources. Street Outreach is an integral aspect of Alameda County’s Coordinated Entry System.

Mid County West Housing Resource Center

We have Housing Resource Centers (HRCs) in San Leandro and the city of Alameda.

San Leandro HRC is part of Alameda County’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) and the entry point for homeless services in San Leandro. CES is a county policy that incorporates standardization, prioritization and coordination practices across Alameda County’s homeless services system. To access the San Leandro Housing Resource Center, call 211 for a screening and referral. HRC outreach staff may also connect with people where they are, for example, in parks, encampments, cars and/or RVs.

In 2019, the Alameda HRC opened its doors to Alamedans experiencing homelessness. The Alameda HRC is the entry point for homeless services in the city of Alameda. The Alameda HRC is part of Alameda County’s Coordinated Entry System (CES). CES is a county policy that incorporates standardization, prioritization, and coordination practices across Alameda County’s homeless services system. To access the Alameda HRC, call 211 for a screening and referral. HRC outreach staff may also connect with people where they are, for example, in parks, encampments, cars and/or RVs.

HRC services include:

Homeless outreach
A safe space to access food, beverages, clothing, hygiene items, and transportation vouchers, use computers and phones, and receive mail
Access to shelter space
Housing assistance including permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing
Linkage to community and mainstream services
Linkage to medical, dental, and mental health services

In addition, people with high needs may be eligible for Housing Navigation services, which can include: