Economic Development Programs
Programs
BOSS provides a range of economic development programs to help people secure adequate income to care for themselves and their families.
Clean City Program
The BOSS Clean City Program is a partnership with the City of Berkeley Public Works Department. BOSS employs homeless people as temporary workers to provide street cleaning in several Berkeley districts through a contract with Public Works, including Downtown, 4th Street, and Telegraph Ave. The program is unique in its dual emphasis on providing training, hands-on work experience and income to workers, while also helping them seek permanent jobs elsewhere.
Clean City workers wear bright blue vests that identify them as BOSS workers—keep your eyes peeled next time you are in Berkeley!
The Workforce Collaborative (TWC)
BOSS is a founding member of The Workforce Collaborative. The Collaborative offices in downtown Oakland offer an array of employment and training resources to homeless and low-income people, including those on welfare, to help them secure living wage jobs.
As part of TWC, BOSS provides:
- Job preparation: assessments, training referrals, practice interviews, resumes
- Job development in coordination with local employers
- Job search and placements (including post-employment follow up support)
Contact: (510) 891-8773 ext. 324
Adult Education Program
The Adult Education Program is designed to help homeless job seekers build the literacy and workforce skills needed to secure living wage jobs. It also provides learning and social opportunities to improve the quality of life for homeless people with disabilities.
BOSS created the Adult Education Program over 15 years ago as part of a Department of Education Demonstration Project. Today the program provides basic literacy classes (reading, writing, math), computer instruction (hardware and software), and computer study labs to residents in BOSS programs.
Contact: (510) 207-5208
Representative Payee Program
Some of our participants are not able to manage the benefits they receive, so BOSS acts as their Representative Payee, receiving the benefits from Social Security and making sure that rents and bills are paid to keep people in housing and financially stable. BOSS also provides money management education and support in all residential programs.
Contact: (510) 649-1171
Benefits Advocacy
Participants in all BOSS programs are helped to apply for any public benefits for which they are eligible—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Security (Disability) Income (SSI or SSDI), Veterans Assistance (VA), General Assistance (GA), food stamps, and other resources. For some individuals, this is temporary support until they find living wage work. For those who are unable to work full-time, benefits are essential to helping them live independently.
