How Safe Shelters Support Vulnerable Populations
- bossbayarea
- Aug 18
- 2 min read
For 50 years BOSS has operated shelters that stabilize families, support healing, and serve people displaced by poverty, incarceration, violence, and mental illness. Safe shelters are often the first step in rebuilding lives.
BOSS shelters are staffed with people trained to support those navigating trauma, instability, and systems that don’t always work in their favor. At our emergency and interim housing programs, we provide:
Safe beds for adults and families
Access to warm meals, hygiene supplies, and transportation passes
On-site case managers and support staff
Mental health support and clinical partnerships
Peer support and reentry assistance for those coming home
Our shelters are active, structured, and rooted in care. People arrive with a story and we do our best to support them in writing the next chapter.
Why This Matters Now
Across the region, housing costs remain high, resources are limited, and people continue to fall through the cracks. Alameda County has thousands of individuals who qualify for supportive housing but have nowhere to turn. Our shelter network is one of the few options available. But demand grows every day. This is not sustainable without deeper investment.
BOSS shelters serve communities too often pushed to the margins: Black and Brown residents, LGBTQ+ youth, families escaping violence, elders on fixed incomes, returning citizens, and people navigating mental illness.
When someone enters a BOSS shelter, they are connected to a network of support. We help them apply for benefits, complete job applications, attend court hearings, and find permanent housing. We connect people to therapists, GED prep, DMV vouchers, and work gear.
Shelter is the first door. Our job is to keep opening more.
Your Support Powers the Work
Every safe night, every fresh start, every second chance made possible at BOSS begins with community. We don’t do this alone, and we can’t continue without you. Invest in the work. and help us expand what’s possible for people rebuilding their lives.
Every dollar you give helps us:
Prevent someone from sleeping outside
Feed families rebuilding stability
Fund housing applications, birth certificates, and ID cards
Pay peer mentors, trauma-trained staff, and night managers
Keep our sites safe, clean, and dignified
Donate now HERE📩
Want to fundraise, volunteer, or sponsor a drive? Email Sonja Fitz at sfitz@self-sufficiency.org.
Join the People Keeping Doors Open
Our shelters operate with community support. Local businesses, schools, faith leaders, and neighbors show up with meals, hygiene kits, donations, and time. We invite you to do the same.
Host a fundraiser. Lead a shelter beautification. Sponsor a holiday meal. Fund a month of toiletries. Bring your team or class. It starts with one idea.
BOSS Will Keep Showing Up
We are not waiting for systems to fix themselves. We are building the support our community needs now. With your help, we can keep every BOSS shelter running—and keep every participant moving forward.
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