Who do we help?
Featured below are just a few of our success stories. We are honored to have shared in the lives of these amazing people:
Leola
Leola, a mother of 6, had difficulty holding down a job because she was needed at home to care for her disabled husband. Through BOSS, Leola learned about community resources that offered support and was able to go back into education, earning her GED and a certificate in Customer Service Training. She is now employed as an Agency Associate at Nordstrom and plans on going back to school for Spanish lessons to expand her career choices.
Joseph
Joseph suffered from deep depression and mental illness, and was drinking heavily. Because of his problems he could no longer hold down his job as a full-time counselor. After several admissions to John George Hospital, Joseph was accepted into the South County Homeless Project.
Working with a case manager, Joseph implemented a treatment program that helped him regain his footing. He now has an apartment and is on the way to earning his GED at Berkeley Adult School.
Shaun
Shaun faced problems of homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, and harmful relationships throughout his life. Eventually, he earned a place at the South County Homeless Project. While there, Shaun enrolled at Hayward’s Property Management Training Institute and graduated top of his class. He now holds a job as a property manager and shares a condo in Castro Valley.
Aleta
Aleta and her four children became homeless after the death of her grandfather and the sale of the house they had shared. She found her way to Harrison House, now part of Ursula Sherman Village, where she worked hard to learn the skills to turn her life around. She was determined to find housing for her family, and her persistence paid off when the Fresno Housing Authority offered her a house.
Aleta is proud of her ability to take care of her family and says of her time with BOSS, …If you are willing to help yourself, then BOSS staff is willing to help you change your life.
Brenda
The Child Protection Service took Brenda’s children into foster care when her addiction to drugs left her unable to care for her babies. Brenda found her way to BOSS, and with support, has now been clean and sober for more than two years and has completed training with the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD). Her boys were returned to her and they all now share a house with another BOSS family.
Bruce
Bruce struggled for a long time with drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and the effects of injuries he received in two car accidents. When he became homeless he was referred to the South County Homeless Project by the John George Medical Center.
While with BOSS, Bruce learned skills he needed to stay clean and sober and to stabilize his health; he now works part time at the post office. He is awaiting surgeries which should allow him to pass the physical and move into full time employment.
Lisa
Lisa was admitted to John George Hospital three times before she accepted that she was suffering from mental illness and started to take the steps toward health. At one point, Lisa was living in her ailing mother’s garage when she received an eviction notice. A therapist helped to get her into Pacheco Court, BOSS’s Hayward transitional housing program for people with disabilities, where a case manager worked with her to find purpose and direction.
Lisa successfully moved into permanent housing, and will shortly obtain a B.S. in Biology after which she plans to work as a teacher.
Patricia
Patricia lived for 11 years at the Lake Merritt Lodge in Oakland, until rents were raised and she could not afford to pay. She spent the next 7 years sleeping outside and eking out income by recycling and selling Street Spirit.
With help from staff at the MASC, BOSS’s daytime drop-in center, Patricia was approved for Social Security Income and accepted into the BMH COACH program (? I will check) . She now lives in a one bedroom apartment in Berkeley, a place where her 3 year old granddaughter can come visit, and aims to take classes in drafting and photography.
Rasheedah
Rasheedah had struggled with mental illness for nearly 20 years, and become estranged from her children. She came to the Bay Area from San Diego to look for them but quickly realized that they could not cope with her illness and did not want to be found. Rasheedah entered the Oakland Homeless Project where she saved for her own apartment and attended empowerment classes. She is a poet, and has graced many BOSS events with her words of inspiration.
Now renting a room in Oakland, Rasheedah has managed to see her children and has plans to move into an apartment and take classes in physics and music.
Daiza
Daiza is a fifth-grader living with her family at the Ursula Sherman Village. Daiza’s father, Alex, lost his job as an insurance agent after succumbing to drug addiction and the family lost their home. Daiza’s mother brought Daiza and her sisters to the Bay Area and found her way to BOSS.
Alex rejoined the family at the Ursula Sherman Village and sought help for his addiction. Both parents are now working and Alex is back in school. Daiza is a straight A student at Berkeley Arts Magnet.
Regina and Theodore
For five years, Regina, Theodore, and their three children struggled with poverty and drug and alcohol abuse, moving from one shelter to another. They came to Sankofa House, BOSS’s transitional housing program at Ursula Sherman Village, and began to make the changes they needed to break the cycle of homelessness. Today, both parents are employed and the family rents an apartment in Oakland.
Jordy
Jordy lived on the streets for ten years, using drugs and alcohol. He often landed in jail after run-ins with the police. Finally, he accepted the help that MASC had to offer and staff referred him to the Options Recovery Program, a drug/alcohol recovery center.
His hard work and perseverance paid off, and after twelve months he was hired at MASC as a part-time janitor. He also plans and facilitates 12-step and recovery meetings and is enrolled in Berkeley Adult School.
Iris
Iris is 11 years old and a straight A student. Her mother fled war in Liberia and made it safely to America where Iris and her sister Angel were born. When landlord raised the rent on their apartment, Iris’s mom found herself unable to pay the new rent, despite working a full-time job at Sears. Soon the family was evicted.
They reached Harrison House emergency shelter and were shortly transferred into Sankofa Transitional House, both now part of the Ursula Sherman Village. Iris has blossomed in the stable environment and teachers working in the on-site Children’s Learning Center say she has become a leader and a role model for other children at the Village.
Jimmy
When Jimmy was homeless, depressed, and so desperate that he attempted suicide, he was admitted to John George Hospital and eventually placed at the South County Homeless Project. While there, BOSS staff helped him get the income benefits to which he was entitled, along with psychiatric help and counseling.
With this help, Jimmy was able to move into independent housing, manage his finances, and make friends. He is going to school and works as a group facilitator for the Second Chance organization.
Amanda
Amanda is a single parent with a young son who suffers from attention and self-control problems. Laid off from her job, she found temp jobs and got MediCal to cover medical bills but repeated surgery left her unable to work and bills went unpaid. Soon Amanda was evicted, and she and her son moved from shelter to shelter, finally landing at Harrison House.
Staff at Harrison House helped the pair to move into transitional housing and secured help for Amanda in dealing with depression and her physical health issues. Today Amanda has her own apartment and credits support from BOSS staff in helping her to achieve a settled life.
Kathryn
Kathryn spent many years unable to hold down a job and struggling with addiction. After becoming homeless, she attempted suicide and was taken into John George Hospital, where she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
After leaving John George, Kathryn spent seven months at the South County Homeless Project where she attended outpatient recovery programs as well as group meetings at the shelter. Moving into transitional housing, Kathryn was supported by her case manager as she learned the skills she needed to live alone successfully.
People Needing Help Today and Tomorrow
Our next success story could be male or female, young or old—a person struggling alone or trying to keep a family together. Like the people above, our next success story will overcome tremendous obstacles and difficulties to achieve the healthy and stable life we take for granted.
Be part of that future success story by volunteering or contributing. Your help can make a difference to people.
