CARE Program
Parents & FamiliesCARE
Are you a family experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity in Alameda County? BANANAS currently collaborates with Alameda County Social Services Agency, First 5 Alameda County Social Services Agency, First 5 Alameda County, and Family Front Door on the CARE program, assisting families experiencing homelessness with navigating the child care system. We are here to assist if your family is experiencing homelessness or are housing insecure by connecting you to subsidized child care programs. Families who need immediate child care services may receive a voucher that helps pay for child care.
CARE Family Resource Navigators are here to help:
CARE BLOGS
Part 3: Doubling Up & Couch Surfing: The Hidden Homeless
Couch-surfing is often referred to as a “hidden” form of homelessness. A common form of housing among low-income families in the Bay Area, couch surfers temporarily stay with friends or family on a couch, or any extra space in the home where they can spend the night....
Part 2: From Domestic Violence to Homelessness: Motherhood Survival
Sandra left in the middle of the night because she knew it was what she had to do. Again. Her husband was very intoxicated this time, having attended a holiday party, now snoring heavily and would not wake easily. She gathered the children swiftly - her 4-year-old son...
Part 1: The Many Faces of Homelessness: Mothers & Children
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in your car parenting your children, day in and day out because you have nowhere else to live? This is a devastating reality for many families in the Bay Area due to their homelessness or housing insecurity. Here at...
CARE Family Resource Navigators are here to help:
Tina Fleeton
Family Resource Navigator
tina@bananasbunch.org
510.658.7353 x151
Monica Gonzalez
Family Resource Navigator
monica@bananasbunch.org
510.658.7353 x198
What do Family Resource Navigators do?
- Help families navigate the early childhood system by assisting with their child care needs, connections to caregivers and early childhood programs, and access to subsidies. Below is an overview of Child Care Options https://bananasbunch.org/child-care-options/
- Provide concrete supports that address immediate needs such as vouchers for food, clothing, diapers, supplies and temporary hotel accommodations
- Connect parents with other service providers and stakeholders in community in support of families who are housing insecure. BANANAS focus is on access to child care – and we are not housing navigators – but we can provide some information about local housing resources
- Create an outlet for parents to connect with each other in a safe, supportive environment through parent support or discussion groups that engage and uplift
- Understand the challenges the family is going through and connect to additional supports the family may need including housing agencies, and social service community resources
What is our definition of homelessness?
- Parents and their young children who are based out of Alameda County and who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence (living in a car or a shelter).
- This also includes families who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship or other reasons, also referred to as “couch surfing” or “doubling-up.”
