Alameda County and Oakland Society of St. Vincent De Paul assistance programs.
Low income families and the homeless in Alameda County can look into assistance programs offered by St. Vincent De Paul (SVDP). Resources offered include, but are not limited to, food pantries, computer and job training, health clinics, and other programs for the working poor and low income in Oakland and across the region.
Employment and job training is offered by the St. Vincent De Paul Community Center. Services can help people overcome challenges that may seem insurmountable on their own. With individuals across Alameda County and the country having been out of work for years, many people lack basic skills and are in need of updated job training.
Another struggle is the fact that a number of St. Vincent De Paul clients have little idea how to develop a resume or approach employers. Job training programs from SVDP were developed to help low income, unemployed and struggling people overcome hurdles, help them find living-wage employment opportunities, and will ideally reconnect them to the workplace.
One of the main services provided is known as Champion Work Force. This will provide hands-on training to the unemployed. It also provides workforce readiness classes to help individuals across Oakland California and the county move forward and improve their lives.
Participants of Champion Work Force will be able to meet with a work force coordinator for an assessment, interview, and a thorough inventory of their situation. This will also include a comprehensive assessment of their current job skills. Many services are offered by volunteers, and people who work at the St. Vincent Community Center can get the experience to help them build a basic resume and also gain workplace skills.
Participants of these programs will then be able to choose one of several positions/employment opportunities that may be offered throughout the SVdP organization, which includes Social Enterprises or the Community Center. They can then sign up for interviews for the positions. They will need to apply, and interviews for these part-time training opportunities are just like any position that is offered in the real world. Participants must demonstrate that they are ready to do their best for an employer in order to be chosen for the job.
As they proceed through their part-time employment training, participants of Champion Work Force will also be able to attend weekly Job Club sessions. These sessions focus primarily on offering workplace readiness. The workshops, sessions and classes offered range from building resumes, reviewing workplace basics, practicing interviews and providing customer service.
Society of St. Vincent De Paul Alameda County runs health clinics and medical services. Assistance is usually only offered a few times per month at the drop-in health clinics, which are located in the Community Center.
Some examples of the health and medical care offered is as follows. Receive confidential primary care services including flu shots, basic checkups and general health education, blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, prescription medication review, cold and virus treatment, wound and infection treatment and referrals to hospitals for more in-depth treatment. The health care teams at the St. Vincent De Paul clinics also provide ongoing case management and referral to support services across Oakland.
The clinic is available in partnership with the Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless Program. The county will provide nurses and doctors to help staff the on-site clinic. In addition, Health Care for the Homeless also parks its mobile medical clinic outside the St. Vincent Free Dining Room twice a month to offer additional free clinic services to the needy.
Referrals are provided by SVdP. Low income families, the unemployed, and people faced with poverty often have wide-ranging needs and require a significant amount of support. The Alameda County Community Center serves as a resource for them. Individuals can get referrals and information on other non-profit organizations, public aid, and financial assistance programs.
Housing and rent help – It is well known that affordable housing and emergency rental assistance is a critical need for many St. Vincent De Paul Community Center clients. The organization therefore has linkages with several agencies and organizations that are focused on preventing evictions and homelessness. Most of the housing programs operate throughout the city of Oakland and Alameda County region.
Free Dining Room is available. The Saint Vincent location has provided the needy and homeless with a hot daily meal. Hundreds of hungry and homeless individuals across Northern California and Alameda County use the free dining room, and it operates five days per week. The center is located at the edge of Downtown and West Oakland.
In addition to the food and meals offered at the dining room, those in need can use the retail and thrift store vouchers in order to buy clothing and furniture.
Case management is offered from a service known as Standing Strong. St. Vincent de Paul offers services and advice in order to help people stabilize their lives and get back on their feet.
Specific programs offered by St. Vincent De Paul as part of Standing Strong include clothing assistance, overnight shelter vouchers, housing referral, primary care clinic services, on-site professional counseling and more.
St. Vincent centers are located at the following:
- 9235 San Leandro Street, Oakland, California (510) 636-4240
- 2260 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland CA, dial (510) 832-3600
- 2315 Lincoln Avenue, Alameda, CA. Phone (510) 865-1109
- 1817 2nd Street, Livermore, (925) 455-1104
- 3777 Decoto Road, Fremont, California, phone number is (510) 792-3711
- 22824 2nd Street, Hayward, California, (510) 582-7228
- 1086 8th Street, Oakland, CA, (510) 832-8324
- 43148 Mission Boulevard, Fremont, California, (510) 661-9572
- 750 Sequoia Drive, Milpitas, (408) 262-8100
- 2406 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA, call (650) 366-6367
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