Activism

New City, County Funding Will Save Car Park Program

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the Oakland City Council is scheduled to hear an item authored by Rebecca Kaplan, with co-authors Nikki Fortunato Bas, and Carroll Fife, to approve $450,000 to fund the Safe Car Park program.

Published

2 years ago

December 15, 2023

Oakland Post

Interfaith Council of Alameda County’s Safe Car Park Program. Courtesy of KTVU.

By Post Staff

The Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) is excited to bring both the City of Oakland and Alameda County together to serve the unhoused population in the East Bay, to provide emergency funding to prevent ICAC’s Safe Car Park Program from closing permanently.

The program, which began five years ago, provides a safe space to sleep overnight for individuals and families who live in their cars. The program will close temporarily on Dec. 29. But with the new funding, it will re-open in January 2024.

“(This) will help people experiencing homelessness to have a safe place to park overnight on church-owned sites, and to get support and connections to strengthen their futures,” said Councilmember Kaplan.

Currently, the program is housed at the ICAC Hub, the West Side Missionary Baptist Church in West Oakland. With additional funding, sites will expand to include an additional West Oakland location at Corinthians Baptist Church. Another site will be added in East Oakland at the Williams Chapel Baptist Church, serving the districts of Oakland Council President Bas and Councilmember Noel Gallo.

“Corinthians Baptist Church stands ready and willing to provide overnight parking to the community if the city and county funds are made available. For the need is great, and we stand ready to serve,” said Dr. Chauncey Mathews, pastor.

“Homelessness is one of the most pressing issues facing the City of Oakland, the State of California, and the entire Country, and the ICAC Safe Car Park Program is doing the very valuable work of providing space and resources to people experiencing homelessness to help them get off the streets and on track,” said Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.

Said Council President Bas, “”These low-barrier safe parking sites will provide vital resources to those living in their vehicles like access to showers and toilets for basic hygiene and health. This program also helps keep our neighborhoods cleaner and healthier by providing safe and accessible ways to dispose of black and gray water waste, and reduces vehicular fluid and other types of waste, especially in residential neighborhoods.”

Bas continued, “I’m excited to partner with Williams Chapel Baptist Church, which will open a site in central Oakland serving Districts 2 and 5,” said Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Added Dr. Kenneth Anderson, pastor: “I recognize that this is just a Band-Aid for much-needed affordable housing in Oakland, but our church is willing to continue to support the efforts of housing for all people.”

Pastor Jim Hopkins said, “These are hard times in the City of Oakland. For many, the safe car parks connected with the Interfaith Council of Alameda County are what keep difficulty from becoming despair.”

“We are grateful for the support from the mayor’s office through Deputy Mayor Kimberly Mayfield’s office. To learn more or to donate to the Safe Car Park program, visit interfaithAC.org. ‘Working Together Works,’” said Dr. Ken Chambers, ICAC president.

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Activism

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

1 week 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.