Bay Area

A Summer of Reckoning for the Unhoused: The Work Before Us in Oakland

The summer of 2024 promises to be a season of reckoning for both the City of Oakland and Alameda County. The ever-present threat of gun violence, high rates of burglary, robbery and car break-ins, the lack of accessible mental health care, the scourge of sex trafficking, and the imperative need for affordable housing needs to be reckoned with. The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) is committed to working with the faith community, service providers, advocates, businesses, and city and county officials to address the reckoning before us.

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Pastor Kenneth Chambers

OPINION

By Pastor Kenneth Chambers

Special to The Post

The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) is committed to working with the faith community, service providers, advocates, businesses, and city and county officials to address the reckoning before us.

The need for emergency housing is apparent. The number of unhoused people in our city and county is both staggering and heartbreaking with a 9% increase in Oakland’s unhoused community since 2022, according to a recent report from EveryOne Home.

ICAC provides emergency housing in Oakland with a safe car park and tiny homes for people living in their cars. ICAC is also planning to develop a transitional housing village at West Side Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland with 25 trailers available to house individuals and families that are currently unhoused.

West Side MBC, at 732 Willow Street in West Oakland, is looking to partner with other congregations across Alameda County that are interested in developing transitional housing with trailers on their properties.

“There is a need for more action and funding from the state, and city and county officials to provide solutions to the homelessness crisis in Alameda County,” said Rev. Ken Chambers, Sr., pastor of West Side MBC and president of ICAC. “We want to provide unhoused people with stable, transitional housing where they can feel safe and give them some hope. But we can’t do it alone. Working together works.”

“How much more can we take?” asks Dr. Kenneth Anderson, pastor of Williams Chapel Baptist Church. “Public safety is my No. 1 focus and the need for more affordable housing for all people in Oakland. Too many people are homeless, sleeping in their cars and deserve a safe place to sleep.”

Tree of Life Empowerment Pastor Phyllis Scott also supports the proposed collaboration. “As the president of the Oakland community chaplain program, we stand in agreement and in total support of the mission. And the great reckoning that needs to take place and the belief that ICAC is the organization that can see that happen. All for the shalom of the city,” she says.

On Thursday, July 11 from 1:00-2:30 p.m., community members are invited to join ICAC at Williams Chapel Baptist Church, 1410 10^th Ave. in Oakland, to reckon with the unfolding crises before us. We believe having “all hands on deck” can move our communities in the necessary direction towards solutions.

For more information or questions, visit www.interfaithac.org.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.