Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS)

09/04/2026

You don't have to carry this alone.

BOSS's Victim Financial Assistance Program provides short-term financial support to people affected by gun violence — help with rent, utilities, transportation, medical costs, and other essential needs so families can stay safe and stable.

Eligible participants can also join our Healing Circle, held every Wednesday from 1:00–3:30 PM at BOSS' The WERC. It's a space to connect with others who understand, meet one-on-one with a clinician, and share a meal together, family style. A $50 gift card is available to participants who complete their one-on-one session.

To qualify, you must have experienced a gun violence incident on or after January 1, 2026, in Alameda County, and be a direct victim or immediate family member of a minor or homicide victim.

Learn more and apply: https://www.self-sufficiency.org/victim-finanical-support

📍 BOSS' The WERC, 7200 Bancroft Ave. #275, Oakland, CA 94605

09/02/2026

Summer Should Still Feel Like Summer

This weekend, we wrapped up our summer events series with the children staying at our shelter, and they had a BLAST.

There were yard games, plenty of good food, and one very popular water slide. The kids climbed up, zoomed down, made a huge splash, and went right back around to do it again.

As summer comes to an end, every child also received a new backpack filled with school supplies to help them head into the school year ready.

For children experiencing homelessness with their families, life can hold a lot of uncertainty. That's why these moments matter. Alongside the difficult memories of this chapter, there can also be memories of summer afternoons spent playing outside, laughing with friends, getting soaked on a water slide, and picking out a new backpack for school.

Our program managers, volunteers, mentors, housing navigators, and shelter teams help create that consistency every day. They make room for children to simply be children while their families work toward what comes next.

Help us keep creating spaces where children and families can feel supported, celebrated, and at home—even before they have a permanent home of their own.

Support the work: self-sufficiency.org/donate

09/01/2026

A safe place to sleep is only the beginning.

Women at WCRC work toward goals that many people take for granted: obtaining identification, opening a bank account, finding employment, regaining custody of their children, securing permanent housing, and learning how to navigate life independently.

These aren't small milestones. They're the foundation for long-term stability.

Every step forward is built with determination, support, and a community willing to invest in second chances.

Help create more opportunities for families to move forward.

Join the work:

At BOSS’s Women and Children’s Reentry Campus, women rebuilding after incarceration receive housing, clinical support, workforce training, and reunification services while living alongside their children. This is what reentry looks like when families are supported together.

08/29/2026

BOSS Talks: 25 Black August Books You Must Read Before You Die w/C-Note

08/27/2026

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE MAIN STAGE.

All day long, something is happening. The first 100 guests receive a commemorative tote!

We begin with intention—a sacred opening grounded in libation, remembrance and the WHY behind Black August.

Then our MC and DJ take us through a day filled with poets, singers, musicians, dancers, speakers, political education, featured artists, and voices from our community.

And don't wander too far...

We're stopping throughout the day for GIVEAWAYS, including gift cards, gift baskets, a tablet, noise-cancelling headphones and more.

The Main Stage is where ART, CULTURE and POLITICAL EDUCATION meet—and where we get to celebrate, reflect, move, sing and experience liberation together.

Come early for the opening.
Find your favorite performer.
Discover somebody new.
Listen to the poets.
Hear from the community.
Watch all the dancers.
Catch the giveaways.
Stay for the whole Arc.

And remember—the stage is only one part of the experience. Between performances, explore the Black Market, Artists' Corner, Kid Zone, live painting, career opportunities, housing, health and wellness resources, free food, ice cream and more.

BLACK AUGUST: ARC OF LIBERATION COMMEMORATION

Saturday, August 29
11 AM–3 PM
Oakland City Hall

FREE. ALL AGES. EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

08/26/2026

Help Shape Oakland’s Waterfront Future

The Port of Oakland wants to hear from the people who live, work, and spend time in our communities.

As the Port plans for sea level rise, flooding, and long-term sustainability across the Seaport, Airport, and Jack London Square, community voices need to be part of the conversation. A short survey is now open to gather input about flooding impacts, community priorities, and what a more resilient future should look like.

The survey takes less than five minutes, is available in multiple languages, including Spanish and Chinese, and participants will be entered for a chance to win one of five $100 gift cards.

Responses are open through the end of September.

BOSS encourages our community to participate and make sure Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods are represented in the decisions that will shape our shared future.

Take the survey. Share it with your neighbors. Make your voice part of the plan.

Take the Port of Oakland Community Survey: https://form.fillout.com/t/xeobhd654yus

Made with Fillout, the best way to make forms, surveys and quizzes your audience will answer.

08/26/2026

YES, YOU CAN GET FRESH & FED AT BLACK AUGUST ARC OF LIBERATION COMMEMORATION.

We're bringing barbers, braiders, grooming services, bbq, fish, ice cream and more into the celebration because community care is part of community wellness.

Featuring:

East Oakland California
Fiani Johnson rolocutz try_thisbaby
Misters BBQ

Come for the cut. Grab you food, ice cream and giveaway tickets. Stay for the music, food, Black Market, resources, giveaways, political education and community.

And know WHY we gather.

Black August grew from the resistance of incarcerated Black people and political prisoners. Today, BOSS continues to honor those still inside, embrace those returning home and support pathways to stability and self-sufficiency.

Our commemoration brings that purpose to life through:

ART. CULTURE. POLITICAL EDUCATION. ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.

Saturday, August 29
11 AM–3 PM
Oakland City Hall

Free. For the community. All day.

bit.ly/bossblackaugust

08/25/2026

One afternoon can become a turning point for someone else.

An hour spent helping with a workshop can lead to a new skill. A morning organizing donations can help furnish an apartment. An evening celebrating a child's birthday can create a memory that lasts far beyond the day itself.

Volunteering isn't measured only by hours. It's measured by the opportunities those hours help create.

Whether you can give once a year or once a month, your time has value here.

Become a Community Builder.

self-sufficiency.org/volunteer

08/20/2026

Most of us can name someone who helped shape our journey.

A teacher who encouraged us. A coach who believed in us. A neighbor who offered support when we needed it most. Someone who shared their time without expecting anything in return.

Volunteerism often begins with remembering those moments.

Every day at BOSS, community members create those same opportunities for others—helping families rebuild, supporting children, welcoming new residents, and reminding people they are not alone.

Now it's our turn to continue that tradition.

Become a Community Builder.

self-sufficiency.org/volunteer

08/18/2026

When a mother has stability, her children feel it too.

A consistent routine. A safe place to sleep. Someone cheering her on. A home where healing has room to grow.

At WCRC, we support mothers and children together because rebuilding a family means strengthening everyone within it.

The impact of that work reaches far beyond today.

It shapes tomorrow.

Invest in stronger families and stronger communities.

Learn more:

At BOSS’s Women and Children’s Reentry Campus, women rebuilding after incarceration receive housing, clinical support, workforce training, and reunification services while living alongside their children. This is what reentry looks like when families are supported together.