March 2024 E-Newsletter

Happy Women's History Month

Women's History Month celebrates women's contributions to history, culture, and society. It has been observed annually in March in the United States since 1987. It began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California.

The 2024 theme celebrates "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion." This theme recognizes women who understand the need to eliminate bias and discrimination from individuals' lives and institutions.

Girl & Grown-up Workshops for Grades 6, 7 & 8

Join Girls Leadership's family-based programs to explore the power of voice together and learn practical communication skills you can put into practice right away. Parents say these workshops help their girls and gender-expansive youth build confidence, and learn to address friendship drama and that their families become closer than ever! 

These workshops will take place in the North Oakland neighborhood of Temescal for four weeks—Wednesdays, April 10th, 17th, 24th, and May 1st—from 6 to 8 pm. Pay what you can. Families are welcome regardless of their ability to pay.

Free Tax Help

When are my taxes due? How do I access my W2? Where is my refund? If you have these questions and more, the United Way Bay Area has the answers you need.

Visit their website for more tax info.

211's National Impact Report

The United Way recently shared the 2023 Impact Report, which shows that our collective 211 network responded to more than 15.3 M requests for help.

You can read the report by clicking the attached picture and the button below. We are honored to be a part of the 211 community and continue to help those in need throughout Alameda County.

How can 211 help you?

Thanks to the city of San Leandro's communications team, we are thrilled to have new videos promoting 211 Alameda County's services. 211 is your one-stop for 24/7 access to housing, healthcare, disaster relief, and more. Our free and simple three-digit telephone number connects callers in Alameda County with a live Community Resource Specialist (CRS) to resources, including affordable housing, job training, childcare, legal assistance, emergency shelter, food, transportation, etc. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please share our video below with your networks. If you also know of an organization that may benefit from sharing 211 resources with its clients, please email edenir@edenir.org to share their contact information with us, and we can follow up by sending outreach materials.

Job & Volunteer Openings

Bilingual Community Resource Specialist (CRS): We are seeking a bilingual English and Spanish speaker to address clients' concerns over the phone and through text. Visit our job portal here to apply.

Project Manager, Business Systems (PM): Eden I&R is seeking a PM to manage our databases and phone system, support program process improvements, and provide staff training. Click here to learn more and apply.

Community Outreach

Save the Date: Kendra Gives Back Fundraising Event

Mark your calendars for a special event on April 27th from 3-5 pm with Walnut Creek Jeweler Kendra Scott. We are grateful to Kendra Scott's Kendra Gives Back program for partnering with us to host an event that supports our mission of linking people with resources. During the event, 20% of in-store or online purchases made at kendrascott.com using the custom code GIVEBACK-GCXLH will directly contribute to our mission.

You can help support us just by shopping for quality jewelry—it's a win-win. Stay tuned for additional details, and we hope you can join us!

A Bay Area Community Services social worker called 211 on behalf of an Oakland client who was fleeing a domestic violence situation. 211 staff provided five domestic violence/emergency shelter referrals.

Read more 211 call examples.

211 By the Numbers - February 2024

211 Alameda County:

5,480 conversations handled

12,722 referrals provided

Additional February & Year-To-Date 211 stats

Demographics:

72% female

26% single mothers with minor children

50% living with disabilities

Average Call Length:

7:32 minutes

Average Wait Time:

1:17 minutes

Services Database:

107 agency record updates

231 program record updates

Housing Database:

76 units added

2,130 records updated

Website page views:

38,474

Website Sessions/visitors:

13,028

AHIP (AIDS Housing Information Project)

AHIP (AIDS Housing Information Project) offers housing and human services resource referrals to People Living with HIV/AIDS via a designated phone line and through one-on-one, in-person assistance at clinics and AIDS Service Organizations.

Last month, AHIP provided 514 housing referrals and 190 referrals to services and completed 1 permanent housing placement. Year to date, AHIP has provided assistance to 328 unduplicated clients.

"211 staff were very helpful, very caring and very accommodating. This has been the best call I've ever had

with 211."

Partner Spotlight - The Center for Independent Living's (CIL) Emergency Preparedness and Resiliency Program

We are thrilled to honor this month's partner spotlight, CIL, and give a special shout-out to their Program Director, Emma Martin. CIL's Emergency Preparedness Program offers emergency readiness, response, and recovery by people with disabilities, for people with disabilities, and their services focus on areas often left out of traditional emergency management, like accessibility, assistive technology, mobility devices, disability hacks during disasters, and other critical community resources for disabled people and older adults. CIL is a Disability Disaster Access and Resources (DDAR) Center. Through this partnership, they are able to provide free portable backup batteries to people with disabilities and older adults living in high wildfire threat or PSPS areas. 

During CIL's work distributing portable backup batteries, they noticed a very high community need for these batteries; many people with disabilities they came into contact with did not qualify. To meet this unmet need, CIL leveraged funding through their Listos California partnership to purchase several additional backup batteries that could be given on long-term loans to those in our communities who are electricity-dependent and most systems-impacted–including low-income, Black and Indigenous disabled people and disabled people of color and people with disabilities. Thanks to CIL's and Emma's tireless work, they successfully provided 14 clients with Portable Backup Batteries. We thank them for going above and beyond to ensure everyone in our community feels safe and prepared.

CIL and Eden I&R will continue collaborating to support consumers and find creative solutions to community needs. Visit CIL's website to learn more about their work.

Emergency Preparedness Outreach and Training Coordinator, Henry Maeko, and Program Director, Emma Martin, pose in front of a blue banner with yellow and white “Listos California” logos during CalOES’s Listos Spring 2023 Communications Conference.

A CIL consumer smiles, sitting in front of his new Yeti Goal Zero 1500x backup portable battery. He wears a black t-shirt with white letters that say “Ready.”

A community member reads through a Listos Disaster Ready Guide at CIL’s Emergency Preparedness and Resilience Table at CIL’s Disability Pride event in July 2023.

CIL’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Sheela Gunn, and Emergency Preparedness Outreach and Training Coordinator, Henry Maeko, smile while sitting at CIL’s Emergency Preparedness table during Berkeley’s Fire Ready Festival. The table features a yellow tablecloth with “Listos California” written in blue letters, highlighting CIL’s partnership with the Listos California project.

Donor Spotlight - Safeway Foundation

Eden I&R is thankful to the Safeway Foundation for their recent generous grant to the agency. They focus on giving locally to organizations making an impact to strengthen our neighborhoods. The Foundation is dedicated to bettering the lives of people in its neighborhoods and plays an important role in nourishing neighbors in need.  

Learn more about the Safeway Foundation's work here. 

www.edenir.org