How FirstPres Church has helped neighbors in need of food and shelter
In December 2016, someone come by the FirstPres office on a rainy afternoon asking if we could help them. With thankfulness, this “Neighbor in Need” received a blanket that we had and went on their way. But we could not shake the feeling that we had to do better. There were …
As number of families lacking permanent housing increases, Castro Valley Unified builds out a support network
It takes a village to support students and families. In line with our goal of meeting the academic and social emotional needs of all our students, Castro Valley Unified School District’s (CVUSD) effort to serve all students and families was expanded last year to better serve the growing number of …
Church plans “Tiny Homes” for homeless in parking lot
First Presbyterian Church of Hayward (First Pres) wants to build and install six mobile housing units, or “tiny homes,” in its parking lot to help homeless individuals transition from homeless to housed. At last week’s Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting, Lead Pastor Jake Medcalf and Community Development Director Chizu Buckalew told …
SF Homeless Project: Castro Valley Creek homeless community, my neighbors
Castro Valley Matters is participating in the SF Homeless Project, an effort by over 70 Bay Area organizations to tell stories of homelessness in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The Castro Valley Creek is a sudden burst of natural beauty sandwiched between suburban strip malls, an office park, a small …
SF Homeless Project: Telling the story in Castro Valley
Some 4,000 people in Alameda County are homeless. They are the elderly, families, men, women and children. Many view homelessness as an urban problem, left to our cities to resolve. In fact, most of the visible homeless in Alameda County are estimated to be in Oakland and Berkeley, according to a …
SF Homeless Project: Letter to the City
To the city and people of San Francisco: Like you, we are frustrated, confused and dismayed by the seemingly intractable problem of homelessness in our city. Like you, we want answers — and change. We see the misery around us – the 6,600 or more people who live on the …