Why Housing Navigation and Support Services?

Our Mission. The mission of Family Bridges’ Housing Navigation and Support Services (HNSS) is to restore hope and to help the houseless in Oakland Chinatown and the surrounding area secure and maintain stable housing.

Our Story. Family Bridges’ is deeply rooted in Oakland Chinatown and serves the most vulnerable in our community, including houseless individuals living in and around Chinatown. What started in March 2019 as a pilot outreach project with very limited resources and one volunteer developing trusting relationships and distributing 30 meals a week to the houseless, grew to a subcontract for three paid housing navigation staff at HNSS. A testament to effective outreach efforts, staff moved 20 individuals who were living at Madison Park and the streets of Chinatown to HNSS on opening day in January 2020; within weeks, HNSS was fully occupied with 38 residents. Due to COVID-19, daily operations adjusted and resources pivoted. By December 2020, Family Bridges contracted directly with the City of Oakland to fully operate HNSS with housing navigation services and 24/7 site management.

Our Future. We hope to secure funding to more fully develop our pilot workforce development program wherein HNSS residents contribute to Oakland Chinatown through community-oriented services while gaining skills and experience that can provide them a pathway to stable employment and housing.

Who does HNSS Serve?

We serve adult houseless in Oakland, particularly within the Oakland Chinatown and Jack London Square areas.

What services does HNSS provide?

Our services are built on the belief that the houseless are to be treated with dignity and respect wherever they are, and to have access to basic needs of food, shelter, and care. We also help with the following but not limited to:

• Obtaining essential documents, e.g. ID, birth certificate, social security card
• Enrolling in Medi-Cal and selecting a health plan and primary care provider
• Applying for benefits and services, e.g. GA, CalFresh, SSI/SSDI, etc.
• Providing housing navigation and support, e.g. application assistance, limited financial assistance
• Preparing for job readiness, e.g. application and resume assistance, connecting to employment and job development opportunities

Contact & Location

Family Bridges’ Housing Navigation and Support Services is located at 599 Oak Street, Oakland, California at the corner of Oak and 6th Streets.

For general questions or food/item donations contact: David Le at [email protected] or call (510) 250-2054

For monetary donations, please click the button below