Homeless and Rental Assistance Program

Homeless Assistance Program

Are you or someone you know currently homeless or having a housing crisis and in danger of being evicted from their apartment or home? Or perhaps, you have already been evicted and are currently homeless and do not know where to go for help. If so, maybe we can help. Our Homeless Assistance Program (HAP) helps to assure that homelessness can be avoided, people who are homeless can find refuge and care where homeless and near homeless clients are assisted in moving toward self-sufficiency.
Please complete our “Quality of Life” online application. This application is for all of the A&MW assistance programs.  We will use the information you provide to connect you to the best program for your needs, so please be honest, give details and answer all of the questions.
A&MWF Ten Year Plan to Help End Homelessness

The A&MWF is embarking on an End Homelessness Alliance developed to end homelessness in 20 years. A&MWF has taken a lead role in the Homeless Alliance and in the 20 Year Plan activities.
One major goal contained in the plan, as well as a part of our own strategic plan, is to engage those affected on a one-on-one basis. Our Supportive Outreach Team employs a multi-dimensional approach to delivery of service to provide the maximum opportunity for individuals who are homeless to obtain the necessary entitlements, resources, support and life skills needed to achieve and maintain independent living. The outreach team seeks out and initiates contact at various sites (including, but not limited to, streets, shelters, treatment facilities, housing programs) to connect individuals with housing, employment, behavioral health treatment, education, food, clothing, physical health services, supportive counseling and follow-up.
The Supportive Outreach Team consists of:
“Hand Up” is a peer based outreach effort supported by caring community members and various Social Services Programs. Outreach teams consisting of formerly homeless individuals, service providers and community members engage individuals living on the streets and provide emotional support as well as food, clothing, toiletry items and service referrals.
“Family Hand Up” is a supportive housing program for homeless, single, disabled, parents and their children. The goal of this program is to move families to self-sufficiency. The Families United team will assist the family with identifying and addressing needs that include but are not limited to housing, vocation, financial stability, employment, increasing life skills, locating resources, and maintaining sobriety/ mental health stability through the use of available supports. The program provides access to ongoing rental assistance, intensive case management and household supports.
“Home Now” is a supportive services program provides housing location assistance, access to assistance for rental subsidy and ongoing case management for individuals who are homeless. This program is designed to be the final step in our homelessness continuum.
Where You Can Get Help
The Oakland Shelter Contact List will provide you with the name and phone number of organizations in the county that you need to contact to request help with your housing situation.
www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/homeless/shelter.html
Homeless Assistance Program Services Available:
Case Management: This service is designed to assist you in identifying your needs and the reasons why you became homeless or near homeless. The focus of Case Management is to provide you with the tools and skills that you need to prevent you from ever being in a homeless situation again. The many services include budgeting, life skills, job preparation, home management and referral to drug and alcohol services, if necessary.
Rental Assistance: If you are in danger of being evicted from your apartment or home, your county may be able to assist you with payments for rent, mortgage, security deposits and utilities. Your county HAP provider will work hard with your landlord to maximize your chances for staying in your apartment or home, or work with you to find a more affordable apartment. HAP can also be used to move you out of shelter into an affordable apartment.
Bridge Housing: This is “The Bridge” that will move you from being homeless into permanent housing. This is usually the next step up from an emergency shelter. This service will allow you to stay in a shared facility or apartment, usually for up to 18 months, for a small co-pay depending on your income and you will continue to receive case management services to assist you with your goal in living in your own home or apartment.
Emergency Shelter: If you are currently homeless and have no permanent residence or are a victim of domestic violence, the Emergency Shelter component provides you with shelter, for a short period of time. During that time, you will be provided with case management services to assist you with securing more permanent housing.
Innovative Supportive Housing Service: This component enables the service provider to design a supportive housing service for homeless and near homeless persons that is outside the scope of existing HAP components and addresses unique county needs.
Other Resources:
Security Deposit Loans & Rental Assistance
Security Deposit Loans: If you are low-income, you may be eligible for a loan to help you pay your security deposit. Move-in funds are not available if you have already moved into your new place. Eligibility criteria and application processes vary. Contact the agencies below for more information.
Rental Assistance & Eviction Prevention: If you are behind in your rent you may be eligible for a loan to help you pay your back rent. These agencies will only give eviction prevention funds if you are one month behind on your rent and can prove that after this one time you will be able to pay your monthly rent. Call the programs listed below for eligibility information.

Rental Assistance Program
ECHO Housing
1305 Franklin St # 305
Oakland, CA 94612-3222
(510) 836-4826
www.echofairhousing.org

ECHO is a full service housing counseling organization providing services to very low and moderate income clients. The Rental Assistance Program assists individuals and families with move-in deposits and delinquent rent and also administers the Revolving Loan Fund. This program assists Alameda County CalWORKs families with move-in deposit loans for moves within the County. Current service programs include Fair Housing Services serving unincorporated Alameda County, and the Cities of Alameda, Cupertino, Hayward, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Leandro, Stanford, and Union City; Tenant/Landlord Counseling Programs serving unincorporated Alameda County, and the Cities of Alameda, Hayward, San Leandro, and Union City; the Home Equity Conversion Counseling Program serving the Cities of Berkeley, Fremont, Livermore, Oakland, and Pleasanton; the Shared Housing Counseling Program serving the Cities of Livermore and Pleasanton; the HUD Mortgage Default & Delinquency Program serving all of Southern Alameda County; the HUD Homeownership Program serving Southern Alameda County; the Rental Assistance Program serving unincorporated Alameda County, the Cities of Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton, and San Leandro; and the Rent/Deposit Grant Program serving Alameda County.
If you are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and you need a security deposit loan you may contact OHA’s Housing Search Coordinator at (510) 874-1530 to submit an application to ECHO. To be eligible, you must not have received assistance from ECHO in the past and your unit must have passed the HQS inspection.
Travelers’ Aid (510) 444-6834
Catholic Charities (510) 768-3100 
http://www.cceb.org/main/
East Oakland Switchboard (510) 569-6369
Oakland Independent Support Center (OISC) 
(510) 281-7710
(For people with disabilities who are OISC clients)
More Affordable Housing Programs
CHAIN Referral Line.
 Referrals to agencies/ developments taking applications
 (510) 537-2552  
www.edenir.org
Affordable Housing Projects in Oakland www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/projects/index.html
Allied Housing, Inc.
(Housing Scholarships & Linkages), 
22245 Main Street, #204, 
Hayward, CA 94541 
(510) 881-7310  
www.alliedhousing.org

HUD – U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development www.hud.gov

Utility Assistance Programs
Low-income families and individuals may be eligible for assistance with their utility and phone bills.

Gas & Electricity Service
PG&E financial assistance programs for low-income customers  http://www.pge.com/res/financial_assistance/index.html
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)
 (800) 743-5000 
http://www.pge.com/

Water & Sewer Service
EBMUD Customer Assistance Program (CAP) for low-income customers  
http://www.ebmud.com
East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)
(510) 287-1380  http://www.ebmud.com

Telephone Service
SBC Lifeline low-income phone service
  http://www02.sbc.com/Products_Services/Residential/1,,68,00.html
SBC (800) 310-2355  
http://www.sbc.com

If you are a victim of Domestic Violence, contact A Safe Place or any of the county Domestic Violence services organizations. The Web site will provide you with the name and phone number of the domestic violence service provider, by county. A Safe Place – domestic violence shelter
, 510.986.8600, 
510.536.7233 (536.SAFE) – 24-Hour Hotline  http://www.asafeplacedvs.org/
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize the nonprofit, public and private sectors of society in an alliance to end homelessness. This site has an extensive selection of referral links to help you if you are homeless and puts you in touch with providers who can assist you. http://www.endhomelessness.org/
The National Coalition for the Homeless is one of America’s top 100 charities and has a section on their Web site that gives you step-by-step instructions on what to do if you are facing homelessness. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has many programs to assist the homeless and has specific information for obtaining help in your area if you are homeless. http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm

Intervention Programs

ONE-TIME RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Currently, there are a number of small programs that administer one-time rental assistance programs. However, they are mostly focused at getting families and individuals back into housing as opposed to preventing them from becoming homeless. With the exception of the state funded Aid to Families With Dependent Children Homeless Assistance Program, all “rental assistance” programs in the county require that consumers demonstrate ability to stabilize. Those who do not have adequate income in comparison to their expenses, and/or would need on-going assistance would not be eligible, but should be referred to on-going rental assistance. The recommendations here attempt to change guidelines so that programs are “prevention” focused.

Community Based Organization Rental Assistance Programs

These include Northern California Grantmakers Rental Guarantee Program (RGP), Discretionary Housing Assistance Programs administered by Community Action Life Line (CALL) Primrose, Peninsula Family Resource Center, St. Vincent de Paul, Samaritan House, and Community Action Agency, Season of Sharing funds and Apartment Industry Foundation funds. (Please see Program Inventory).

Community Housing Services
The City of Oakland’s Hunger and Homeless Programs Unit works to establish a foundation and seek innovative solutions to eliminate hunger and homelessness by leading the Oakland community with regional partners to develop a seamless continuum of housing and service delivery, track and address the changing needs of homeless and at-risk populations, enhance and strengthen the capacity of Oakland’s network of service providers, and build a consensus for the continued provision of “safety net” services.
Oakland’s Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Strategy provides a roadmap for ending homelessness in the City over the next fifteen years. PATH is a companion to EveryOne Home, Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan. The overarching strategy articulated in PATH and EveryOne Home is to shift the approach to the homelessness problem away from managing it and towards solving it. The key element of this shift is to transition from emergency shelter and services towards the acquisition, development and operation of permanent affordable and supportive housing.
The Oakland PATH (Permanent Access to Housing) strategy focuses on a Housing First model for the rapid re-housing of individuals and families currently on the street and without permanent housing.
•    Approximately 7,000 units of affordable and supportive housing will be needed to end homelessness within Oakland’s borders over the next fifteen years.
•    Three sources of funding will be required:  capital dollars, service dollars and operations dollars.
•    Oakland will need to leverage its own local dollars with County, State, Federal and private dollars to develop the 7,000 units needed, and will require political and business leadership to reach the goal.
The Oakland PATH (Permanent Access to Housing) strategy

Oakland’s Homeless Program

This program(s) provides housing and services to people in Oakland who are homeless, hungry, HIV/AIDS positive, or living on extremely low incomes. Services include: Emergency Housing Program, Winter Relief Program, Emergency Winter Shelter, Homeless Mobile Outreach Program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and more.

Community Housing Services recognizes the tremendous need for services specific to the homeless population. Through the administration of contracts, we partner with non-profit organizations to assist the homeless and near-homeless community with temporary shelter, hotel/motel vouchers, rental assistance, eviction prevention, transitional, supportive and special needs housing. Also provided are a continuum of other support services to the homeless such as food, employment, physical and mental health, drug abuse and domestic violence programs. Community Housing Services can provide information and referrals concerning any of the following:
•    Homeless Prevention – Programs that provide one-time rental assistance or move-in assistance help to people with a temporary financial crisis to prevent them from becoming homeless.
•    Emergency Housing – Homeless shelters, as well as hotel/motel vouchers, are included in this program to provide temporary lodging for homeless persons.
•    Transitional Housing – Several transitional housing programs provide housing with case management and support services to families for up to 24 months. Transitional housing programs are designed to assist those families who are experiencing episodes of homelessness to sustain themselves and to bring about stability in the family unit and eventually to transition to independent living in permanent housing through services provided.
•    Special Needs/AIDS/ – Housing facilities and services for special needs populations, particularly those with HIV/AIDS and their families, are provided through supportive housing programs and Housing Opportunities for Persons Living with AIDS (HOPWA) throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
•    Homeless Mobile Outreach Program – While committed to mitigating the public health and blight associated with homeless encampments, the City recognizes that homeless persons sleeping outside are in need of assistance in accessing homeless services and housing resources. In order to assist persons living in homeless encampments, the City of Oakland has established a Homeless Mobile Outreach Program (HMOP). The HMOP provides humanitarian and survival assistance and encourages people in encampments to seek case management, income, health and housing assistance referrals with a goal of becoming permanently housed members of our community.

Housing and Homelessness Service Providers
For a directory of emergency shelter services, see our shelter page under homelessness and hunger.
A Safe Place – domestic violence shelter 
510.986.8600, 
510.536.7233, (536.SAFE) – 24-Hour Hotline, http://www.asafeplacedvs.org/
AARP American Association of Retired Persons  http://www.aarp.org/
•    Mortage program info
ACORN Housing Corp 510.436.6532  http://www.acornhousing.org/
AIDS Project of the East Bay – eviction prevention, services for persons living with HIV/AIDS, 
1755 Broadway, 5th Floor
, Oakland, CA, 94612
  510.663.7979  http://www.apeb.org/
Alameda County Housing Authority, 
22941 Atherton St., Hayward, CA 94541-6633,  
510.538.8876 (main number), 
510.886.1964 (fax), 
510.727.8551 (TDD)  http://www.haca.net/
The Housing Authority of Alameda County serves the following jurisdictions:
Albany, Castro Valley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Pleasanton, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Union City.
Alameda County Housing and Community Development Program,
 Administers Alameda County HOPWA HIV/AIDS program, s
224 West Winton Ave., Room 108
, Hayward, CA 94544,  
510.670.6378, http://www.acgov.org/cda/hcd/
Allied Fellowship – Homeless Shelter 
510.534.1986
Amara House – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
1631 Cypress
, Richmond, CA
The Ark of Refuge – Walker House – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing and Services
, 9702 International Blvd.
, Oakland, CA 94603
,  510.635.8422,  http://arkofrefuge.org/
Aspen Court – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
121 Aspen Drive, 
Pacheco, CA
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS)
  510.843.3700
,  510.649.0627 fax, http://www.self-sufficiency.org/
BOSS Community Organizing Team (BOSS-COT) 
The newest component of Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. Works with homeless families to collectively address their needs and concerns. Goal is to facilitate community building and empowerment through collective action.
 510.540.7791
BOSS HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing and Services Locations:
•    Hale Laulima,  
396 Fairmont Avenue
, Oakland, CA
•    Rosa Parks , 521, West Grand Avenue, 
Oakland, CA
California Reinvestment Coalition,  http://www.calreinvest.org/
Casa Vincentia – Homeless Shelter 
510.729.0316,  Casa Vincentia
Centro Legal de la Raza 510.437.1554,  http://www.centrolegal.org/
City Team – Homeless Shelter
, 722 Washington St., 
Oakland, CA 94607  
510.452.3758,  http://www.cityteam.org/oakland
Consumer Credit Counseling Services of the East Bay 510.729.6966 , http://www.cccsebay.org/
Center for Independent Living (CIL) 
510.763.9999, 
(CIL) East Oakland / Berkeley Satellite Office 
510.635.4920,  http://www.cilberkeley.org/

Catholic Charities of the East Bay http://www.cceb.org/

Concord House, 
20373 Concord Avenue, 
Hayward, CA
Contra Costa County Community Development, 
Administers Contra Costa County HOPWA HIV/AIDS programs, 
651 Pine Street, 4th Floor, North Wing, 
Martinez, CA 94553
  925.335.1253,  http://www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/
Covenant House Shelter and services for youth age 18-24,  
2781 Telegraph Ave.
, Oakland, CA 94612  
510.625.7800,  http://www.covdove.org/
East Bay Community Law Center, 
2921 Adeline Street,  
Berkeley, CA,  94703
,  510.548.4040, 
510.548.2566 (fax),  http://www.ebclc.org/
East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO), 
538 – 9th Street, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94607,  
510.663.3830
East Oakland Community Project – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Services, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing
, 5725 International Blvd., 
Oakland, CA, 94621, 
510.532.3211,  http://www.eocp.net/
ECHO Housing, 
1305 Franklin Street #305, 
Oakland, CA  94703,  
510.836.4826,

East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO), 
538 – 9th Street, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94607, 
510.663.3830 http://www.ebho.org/
•    Rental Assistance 510.836.4826
•    Home Equity Conversion – 510.271.7931
Eden I & R, Inc. , 570 B Street,  
Hayward, CA 94541
•    General Administration 510.537.2710
•    Housing Information/Referrals 510.727.9565
Emergency Services Network , P.O. Box 12004
, Oakland, CA 94621, 
510.747.1090
Eviction Defense Center, 
1611 Telegraph Ave., Oak, 
510.452.4541
Families In Transition – Transitional Housing
Provided through East Oakland Community Project
Family Services of the East Bay, 
510.247.6032  
Services: Housing referral,  http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/resources/index.html#eocp
Family Violence Law Center ,  P.O. Box 22009
, Oakland, CA, 94623 
510.540.5370, http://fvlc.org/
Harrison Hotel – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing and Services, 
1415 Harrison Street, 
Oakland, CA
Health Care for the Homeless / Homeless Families Program – Homeless Client Intake and Services, 
1900 Fruitvale Ave., Suite 3E, 
Oakland, CA 94601,  
510.533.4663, 
510.532.0962
Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center – Supportive Housing, Drop-In Center
 With services provided by Phoenix Programs, Inc. ,  559 16th St. 
Oakland, CA 94612, 
510.419.1010
Homeless Action Center, 
2272 San Pablo Ave., 
Oakland, CA 94612  
(510) 836-3260,  http://homelessactioncenter.org/
Homeless Families Support Network , Housing Sited at Henry Robinson Multi-Service Center 
With services provided by Phoenix Programs, Inc.
Homeless Mobile Outreach Program – Emergency food, survival items 
With services provided by Operation Dignity

Homeless Youth Collaborative http://www.fredfinch.org/homeless_youth.htm
Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), 
PO Box 29435
, Oakland, CA 94604 
510.271.8443, 
510.868.4521 fax  http://www.heraca.org/
Housing Rights, Inc. 510.548.8776,  http://www.housingrights.org/
Idaho Apartments – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
10203 San Pablo Avenue
, El Cerrito, CA
Jubilee Restoration/Missionary Recovery Center – Substance Abuse Treatment 
510.849.9072
The Landings – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing,  
811 East Street, 
Pittsburg, CA
Lao Family Multilingual Homeownership Center (MHC), 
1551 23rd Avenue
,  Oakland, CA 
510.533.8850
, FAX: 510.533.1516,  http://www.laofamilynet.org/
Legal Aid Society of Alameda (see listing under Social Services Providers for Bay Area Legal Aid)
Legal Assistance for Seniors, 
510.832.3040
Miramar Housing – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
101-111 Corpus Chisti & 100-110 Pensacola
, Alameda, CA
Matilda Cleveland Transitional Housing Program , Provided through East Oakland Community Project http://www.oaklandnet.com/government/hcd/resources/index.html#eocp
Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), 
3801 Broadway, 
Oakland, CA 94611,  
510.652.6622, 
Fax 510.652.6636, http://www.naca.com/
NID Housing Counseling Agency, 
1301 85th Avenue
, Oakland, CA 94621,  
510.569.6573, http://www.nidonline.org/
North County Women’s Transitional Housing – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
2140 Dwight Way
, Berkeley, CA
Oakland Tenant’s Union,  
510.704.5276,  http://www.oaklandtenantsunion.org/
Oaks Hotel – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 587-15th Street, 
Oakland, CA
Oakland Community Organization, 
510.639.1444
Operation Dignity, 
1504 Franklin, Suite 102
, Oakland, CA 94612
, 510.287.8465,  http://www.operationdignity.org/
Operation HOPE, 
3060 East 9th Street, Suite #C
Oakland, CA 94601
, 510.535.6700,  http://www.operationhope.org/
Peter Babcock House – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing
, 2350 Woosley Street
, Oakland, CA
Phase III – Substance abuse rehabilitation and shelter
, 1014 21st St., 
Oakland, CA ,94601, 
510.763.5713,  
510.836.5411 Men’s Facility, 
510.835.4876 Women’s Facility
Phoenix Programs, Inc. – Supportive Housing, Drop-In Center, Winter Shelter, 
1875 Willow Pass Road, #300
, Concord, CA 94520,  
925.825.4700,  http://phoenixprograms.org/
Project Outreach , P.O. Box 43387, 
Oakland, CA 94624, 
510.382.1360
Providence House, 
540 23rd St.
, Oakland, CA 94612
Rental Housing Association of Northern Alameda County, 
510.893.9873
Resources for Community Development (RCD) 
HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing and Services, provided at:
 Bay Bridge Apartments
, 1134-36th Street
, Oakland, CA
Salvation Army, 
510.437.9437, 
510.437.9876
Shelter, Inc. – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
935 East Street, 
Pittsburg, CA
Spirit of Hope 1 & 2 – HOPWA (HIV/AIDS) Housing, 
Alameda, CA
St. Mary’s Center – Services for homeless seniors aged 55 and over, 
510.893.4723, 
510.893.0119 fax
St. Vincent de Paul, 
510.451-7676 (free dining room for homeless/low-income men, women and children) 
510.444-3790 (Visitation Center, drop-in center for homeless women and children) 
510.444-0263 (Champion Guidance Center, for homeless men) http://www.svdp-alameda.org/Services.htm
Travelers Aid Society – Client Intake and Services, 
520-16th Street, 
Oakland CA 94612 
510. 588.5900, 
510.444.6834, 
510.268.1599 fax
The Unity Council/Homeownership Center , 3411 East 12th St, Suite 200
, Oakland, CA 94601 
510.535.6943, 
510.532.5983 fax,  http://www.unitycouncil.org/