Big serve day's housing booth 4/20/24
Incredible Church Housing Navigation Summary
This new church has been hosting a monthly block party at an encampment in West Oakland once a month for the past 4 months and will continue through June 2024. They offer free showers, laundry, barbers, hair braiders, food, art, music and now housing opportunities.
Overview
We set up our very first housing booth at a Big Serve Day at The Wood Street Commons in West Oakland, California. Our goal was to sign 10 people up to affordable housing waitlists during this event. We supported 7 people pick housing to apply for and fill out applications. We collected all of their contact info and later emailed them the waitlist directories, Alameda County’s Section 8 opportunity, checked their progress and will stay in touch with them until they are all housed. Our goal will be to at least check in with them monthly to offer continued support.
Preparation
Annmarie printed and stapled:
1 San Francisco waitlist directory
2 Bay Area waitlist directories
2 Alameda County waitlist directories.
2 senior housing applications for Bishop Roy C Nicohls’ Senior home
1 for Sister Thea Bowman because STB is a great option for people who aren’t old enough to be seniors, but have a physical disability. They can apply so long as they make less than $30 per year
3 blank SRO application packets for The San Pablo Hotel (62+) and Madrone hotel (18+)
Annmarie brought a container of different pens, highlighters, laptop, phone, and blank paper to write notes on. She never let her backpack out of her sight.
Promotion
Asha and her team went to Wood Street a week in advance of the BSD to promote the event and pass out flyers to residents who lived nearby
Annmarie went to Wood Street the day before the event, gave 90 flyers to John J to pass out in the Boss Cabins to the roughly 100 people living there. She gave him 2 full page and 87 1/4 size pages.
Team
There should always be at least two people working at a housing navigation booth. Two is necessary so they can support one another if needed with breaks and potential questions. Our current model is set up to have one Housing Lead and one Housing Helper. A mentor and apprentice model will allow us to train new people to better support people who are seeking housing. With enough practice, the helpers can one day lead, training the next group of helpers.
Housing Lead
Annmarie has 4 years of housing navigation experience, 2 of them working directly with individuals in encampments, 1 of them supporting clients in crisis residential treatment program and 1 in a formal navigation center using HMIS, the Homeless Management Information System, Prop 47's rental assistance and Alameda County’s Home Stretch programs.
Dan has at 4 years of experience supporting unhoused people, low income artists, and neighbors gain access to the resources and services available to them.
Metrics
The team helped 7 people in 2 hours with 1 Housing Lead (Annmarie) and 1 Helper (Dan)
They got all of the participants contact info apart from 1 person
1 application for Sister Thea Bowman completed apart from the participant writing in their social security number (for privacy), and mailing the application
1 family picked 6 options for affordable housing they can apply for
1 family wants to live in Berkeley so they can be near the son’s hospital
1 application for The Madrone Hotel SRO filled out
Following the event digital affordable housing waitlist directories and other housing, so didn’t find anywhere they would like to live at this time
Additional housing opportunities were sent out to everyone
Alameda County’s Section 8 lottery will open up again on May 6th from 8am-8pm and the team informed everyone of this and sent them this link