General Assistance and Information
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Alameda County
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AssistHub(link is external) provides a personalized checklist of resources and programs that Alameda County residents may be eligible for.
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211 Alameda County(link is external) provides coordinated entry services for Alameda County residents at risk of becoming or experiencing homeless. Call 211 for assistance.
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Contra Costa County
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Contra Costa Crisis Center(link is external) provides support to Contra Costa County residents. Call 211 or 800-833-2900 for assistance
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City and County of San Francisco
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211 Bay Area(link is external)provides program and resource information for San Francisco residents. Call 211 for assistance.
Food
- Berkeley Food Network Pantry & their Public Mobile Pantries(link is external) provide food to anyone who lives, studies or works in Berkeley or Albany.
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Basic Needs Center Food Pantry provides emergency food relief supply offering nonperishable foods, fresh produce, and more; available to anyone with a Cal1 ID.
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Alameda County Community Food Bank(link is external)operates food distribution sites within Alameda County. For assistance, call 510-635-3663.
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Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano(link is external)operates drive-through food distribution sites across Contra Costa and Solano counties. For assistance with CalFresh, call 1-855-309-3663.
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San Francisco Marin Food Bank(link is external)operates food pantries and provides CalFresh application assistance for San Francisco and Marin County residents.
Housing
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Alameda County
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Alameda County Housing Portal(link is external)is a tool to search and applyfor affordable housing
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Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board(link is external) provides resources and support for Berkeley tenants and landlords. Call 510-981-7368 for assistance.
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Catholic Charities East Bay(link is external)provides rental and housing assistance resources for Alameda and Contra Costa County residents.
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ECHO Housing(link is external)provides housing support services for Alameda, Contra Costa, and Monterey County residents. Call 510-581-9380 for assistance.
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Eviction Defense Center(link is external)provides free and low cost legal services to tenants facing eviction in Alameda County and the City of Richmond. Call 510-452-4541 for assistance.
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Oakland Rent Adjustment Program(link is external)provides resources and information for Oakland tenants and landlords.
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Contra Costa County
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Contra Costa Affordable Housing(link is external) is a tool to search and applyfor affordable housing
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ECHO Housing(link is external) (see above)
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City and County of San Francisco
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Eviction Defense Collaborative(link is external)helps low income tenants respond to eviction lawsuits.
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San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing(link is external)provides services including temporary shelter, housing assistance and other resources. Find more information here(link is external)
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San Francisco Housing Portal (link is external)is a tool to search and applyfor affordable housing
Child care
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California Child Care Resource and Referral Network(link is external)provides referrals to a child care resources and referral agency in your area. Call 1-800-543-7793 for assistance.
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Alameda County
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4Cs of Alameda County(link is external) offers free referrals for child care in Southern Alameda County (San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City, Newark, Fremont, and unincorporated Alameda County). Call 510-244-0506 for assistance.
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BANANAS(link is external)offers free referrals for child care in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont, and Alameda. Call 510-658-0381 for assistance.
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Hively(link is external) offers free referrals for child care in Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Sunol. Call 925-417-8733 for assistance.
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Contra Costa County
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Coco Kids(link is external) offers free child care and preschool referrals in Contra Costa County. Call 866-262-6543 for assistance.
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Quality Child Care Matters(link is external) maintains a list of quality-rated child care programs(link is external) in Contra Costa County.
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City and County of San Francisco
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Children’s Council San Francisco(link is external) offers free referrals for child care. Visit the website or call 415-343-3300 for assistance.
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Wu Yee Children’s Services(link is external) offers free referrals for child care. Call 844-644-4300 for assistance.
Mental Wellness
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Be Well at Work - Employee Assistance(link is external) provides no cost confidential counseling and referral for UC Berkeley faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and postdocs. It is also the employee assistance program for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. To schedule an appointment with an Employee Assistance counselor, please contact us at (510) 643-7754 or email employeeassistance@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)
Legal Aid
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Alameda County Family Justice Center(link is external)is made up of over 30 onsite and over 50 offsite agencies and programs that provide services and support to individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault and exploitation, child abuse, elder and dependent adult abuse, and stalking. Call 510-267-8800 to connect with a navigator.
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Bay Area Legal Aid(link is external)provides low-income clients with free civil legal assistance, including legal advice and council, effective referrals, and legal representation.
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For legal problems related to housing, public benefits, or consumer law, call 1-800-551-5554.
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For problems related to health care access and coverage, call 1-855-693-7285.
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California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.(link is external)provides legal services for individuals across California. Call 800-337-0690 for assistance.
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Centro Legal de la Raza (link is external)provides support in the areas of tenants’ rights, immigrants’ rights, workers’ rights, and other areas. Call 510-437-1554 for assistance.
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Child Care Law Center(link is external) provides legal support and information for California residents. Submit the online request form (link is external)or call 415-558-8005 ext 1 for assistance.
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East Bay Community Law Center(link is external) provides legal services for the needs of low-income communities. Call 510-548-4040 for referrals.
More support through Be Well at Work
Be Well at Work Faculty/Staff Health Programs(link is external) improve employee health and well-being, leading to a more engaged and productive workforce.
To schedule an appointment with an Employee Assistance counselor, please contact us at (510) 643-7754 or email employeeassistance@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)
About the Staff Basic Needs Working Group
Founded in fall 2018, the Staff Basic Needs Working Group (SBNWG) is a volunteer committee made up of staff from Basic Needs, Be Well @ Work, Facilities, RSSP Social Justice Action group, and several other departments on campus such as the Nutritional Science Dept.
This group advocates for food, housing, and economic resources for UC Berkeley’s staff, postdocs, and visiting researchers. We work to make the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center programming accessible to all employees, and provide targeted outreach and services for Berkeley’s most vulnerable staff populations. We also research, innovate, advocate, and engage in coalition building to lead systemic changes to improve the basic needs security of the University’s employees.