PRESS: Step Up Housing Program celebrates new low-income residences

Step Up Housing Program, a permanent, supportive housing project for houseless Berkeley residents, celebrated its grand opening June 13. 

The Step Up Housing Program contains 38 units in addition to on-site case management, peer support and wellness resources for residents.

The Step Up Housing Program is a part of Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, or BOSS, an organization that combats “root causes of poverty and homelessness” and offers services for low-income families in Alameda County. The property, located at 1367 University Ave., contains 38 units in addition to on-site case management, peer support and wellness resources for residents, according to BOSS.

Well, the primary issue, above all, is that we’re helping people get housing. Our unhoused neighbors now have housing, so that’s 38 less people that are living on the street — and that’s what our most proud moment is. Donald Frazier, BOSS' CEO

Nikki Fortunato Bas, Supervisor, Alameda County District 5, and Donald Frazier, BOSS CEO

The Step Up Housing Program offers an opportunity for unhoused community members to have a private residence, according to Kobick. He added that Step Up should be seen as an “interim solution” to achieving affordable housing instead of long-term housing.

The name of it is really appropriate — Step Up Housing — because it’s really meant to be a one to five year interim solution between getting off the streets and getting into affordable housing. It’s just a nice contribution to the conversation about housing in California. Tyler Kobick, Design Draw Build CEO

READ FULL STORY HERE | LIAM DEW FOR THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN

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BOSS has been doing this work since 1971. We’ve expanded from shelter services to a full spectrum of trauma-informed care: housing, reentry support, behavioral health, and economic empowerment. Step Up is a continuation of that legacy—a forward-thinking development made possible through public-private partnerships, vision, and a shared commitment to community care.

What we’re building at Step Up is a place where residents can access opportunity, engage in healing, and participate fully in the life of their community. Housing like this reaffirms that every person’s humanity is worth investing in.

And in these times—as the housing crisis deepens, as funding landscapes shift, and as more of our neighbors face uncertainty—there is no better moment to support the people and initiatives BOSS serves every single day.

Your presence matters. Your partnership matters.