For Staff

The Basic Needs Center is committed to supporting our staff, visiting scholars and researchers, and postdoctoral community.

Community Resources

The resources below provide basic needs relief for Bay Area community members, but are not exhaustive.

General Assistance and Information

  • Alameda County 

    • AssistHub provides a personalized checklist of resources and programs that Alameda County residents may be eligible for. 

    • 211 Alameda County provides coordinated entry services for Alameda County residents at risk of becoming or experiencing homeless. Call 211 for assistance. 

  • Contra Costa County

  • City and County of San Francisco

    • 211 Bay Areaprovides program and resource information for San Francisco residents. Call 211 for assistance. 

Food

Housing

Child care

  • California Child Care Resource and Referral Networkprovides referrals to a child care resources and referral agency in your area. Call 1-800-543-7793 for assistance. 

  • Alameda County

    • 4Cs of Alameda County 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. 

    • BANANASoffers free referrals for child care in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville, Piedmont, and Alameda. Call 510-658-0381 for assistance. 

    • Hively offers free referrals for child care in Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Sunol. Call 925-417-8733 for assistance. 

  • Contra Costa County 

  • City and County of San Francisco

Mental Wellness

  • Be Well at Work - Employee Assistance 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

Legal Aid

  • Alameda County Family Justice Centeris 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. 

  • Bay Area Legal Aidprovides low-income clients with free civil legal assistance, including legal advice and council, effective referrals, and legal representation. 

    • For legal problems related to housing, public benefits, or consumer law, call 1-800-551-5554. 

    • For problems related to health care access and coverage, call 1-855-693-7285. 

  • California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.provides legal services for individuals across California. Call 800-337-0690 for assistance. 

  • Centro Legal de la Raza provides support in the areas of tenants’ rights, immigrants’ rights, workers’ rights, and other areas. Call 510-437-1554 for assistance. 

  • Child Care Law Center provides legal support and information for California residents. Submit the online request form or call 415-558-8005 ext 1 for assistance. 

  • East Bay Community Law Center 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 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

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.