History
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) is a community-based nonprofit organization in Alameda County that has served over 60,000 homeless individuals and families since 1971.
1970s
Our work began in a small room in Berkeley, extending street outreach to people with mental illness who had been released to the streets through the closure of state mental health facilities. From inception, the organization committed itself to direct service provision and social justice.
During its early years, the organization fought against the use of electroshock without consent. It began developing partnerships with local faith- based organizations and the university to help solve the problem of homelessness—the earliest research on the issue was done by then Board Members Steve Segal and Jim Bauhmohl, now renowned researchers in the field of mental health and homelessness. BOSS opened its first shelter in 1976—among the first shelters for the mentally ill in California.
1980s
During the 1980s, failed federal economic and housing policies led to the creation of mass homelessness from all walks of life—families, working people, veterans, seniors, survivors of domestic violence, and people with drug/alcohol problems. In response, BOSS reached out to new partners and surrounding cities, adding programs in Berkeley and Oakland to serve this increased need…
In 1986 BOSS was among the first to create specialized programs for the mentally ill homeless. BOSS created the first special needs transitional housing in Oakland, partnering with local adult schools to create adult literacy programs and with economic development organizations to create employment initiatives, including Demonstration Projects funded by the State Department of Education (Adult Education Program) and US Department of Labor (Jobs for the Homeless Consortium).
Also in the 1980s, staff and homeless participants took part in local, regional, state, and national Task Forces and Committees set up to understand homelessness and identify solutions. BOSS was a charter member in the California Homeless and Housing Coalition, Regional Steering Committee on Housing and Homelessness, and other forums. Many plans developed in these forums were implemented only partially or not at all, leaving the underlying causes of homelessness still in full force.
1990s
In the 1990s BOSS began using community building as a core strategy. Community building and leadership development were essential to give poor people a voice in public planning. BOSS partnered with Oakland Community Housing Inc., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Northern California Grantmakers to help homeless people newly placed in housing develop the skills and social connections needed to stay housed and stable.
BOSS created a unique street cleaning job training program in partnership with the City of Berkeley (Clean City Program) and operated a for-profit business designed to create jobs and raise revenue. The business provided jobs and higher skills to homeless workers while in operation.
During the 1990s, BOSS actively responded to local disasters, creating the Earthquake Support Center following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and adapting it to serve survivors of the 1991 Oakland Firestorm.
2000+
Most recently, BOSS has been developing Ursula Sherman Village—a Live, Work, Learn, and Heal environment with multiple levels of housing and program services serving ages 1 to 100. We are currently raising funds for the final phase, Ubuntu Center—more new housing and activity space for skill-building classes and computer labs for both adults and children. Once complete, the Village will provide a rich learning environment where families who are new to the program can be mentored and inspired by families who are further along in their progress.
We also deepened the service offerings at our 24-hour facilities, implementing the Wellness & Empowerment Curriculum across all programs—the culmination of BOSS’s 35 years of experience serving the homeless and mentally ill. The Curriculum is designed to create maximum wellness and self-sufficiency for people with mental illness and other disabilities. It focuses on skill-building workshops, peer support groups, and case management that values people’s survival expertise, building on those abilities to develop the new skills needed for living independently in housing. The highly respectful approach includes a Participatory Agreement signed by both participants and staff, with clear expectations for each.
We reached out to new populations affected by homelessness and poverty, including people being released from local jails. BOSS partnered with Santa Rita Jail and the City of Oakland to create programs that helped people prepare for release by seeking education, housing, jobs, and health care. We partnered with the Oakland Workforce Collaborative to provide employment and training services to homeless people and welfare recipients, enhancing the local economy. And we expanded our service approach to the severely mentally ill, working with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services Agency to help people exiting hospitals and other institutions successfully achieve independent living.
The Future
BOSS’s work is grounded in the goal of achieving self-sufficiency—defined within BOSS as someone successfully achieving the ‘maximum of their capacity’, which varies by individual.
BOSS is a model organization that has stayed true to its grassroots, its constituency, and its core belief that while housing, jobs, and good health are human rights, so is the right to change policies and to encourage the voice of the homeless in the debate about social change so they can speak for themselves.
With each year, BOSS becomes more knowledgeable and experienced. We will keep our voice strong in the halls of policy, urging policy makers to enable the building of affordable housing, the creation of jobs for people of all skill levels, the improvement of health care access for all in need, and the involvement of impacted groups in the development of solutions that affect their lives.
