Resources for Community Development

Resources for Community Development (RCD) is a non–profit housing development corporation which creates and preserves affordable housing in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Founded by East Bay community members in 1984, RCD currently has a portfolio of 628 affordable housing units and emergency shelter beds it has developed or owns. RCD’s developments serve very low income households and special needs groups, including people with mental health and/or substance abuse disabilities, homeless veterans, homeless women with children, survivors of domestic violence, the frail elderly and people living with HIV/AIDS. RCD owns and operates the majority of its housing developments and contracts with local firms to provide day–to–day property management services. RCD works closely with local governments, tenant associations, neighborhood groups, and other community–based non–profit organizations to ensure that its properties contribute to the stability and safety of their neighborhoods.

Legal Assistance for Seniors

With the help of several community–based and governmental partners LifeLong Medical Care and Legal Assistance for Seniors (LAS) created the Healthy Seniors project, a massive community–wide campaign that is beginning to change the way seniors are informed about their health insurance benefits and to make sure seniors are not left out of entitlement programs in Alameda County.

Healthy Seniors’ primary goal is to provide health insurance and eligibility counseling, health education, and follow–up assistance to low–income seniors that may otherwise sacrifice their savings on health services they can receive for free. In Alameda County alone there are over 20,000 seniors and disabled persons who qualify for Medi–Cal and/or Medicare Savings Programs but are not enrolled because either they do not know they are eligible or because they don’t know how to apply.

Center for Elders’ Independence

Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI), a non–profit organization, provides Northern Alameda County frail older adults an opportunity to live at home and avoid institutionalization. CEI operates three centers–the San Pablo, located at 20th Street and San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, the Highland Hospital site in Oakland, and the Berkeley site at the Over 60 Building. It will open a new site at the Eastmont Town Center in East Oakland later this year. CEI has operated as a PACE (Program of All–Inclusive Care for the Elderly) since 1992. This model provides enrollees with a wide variety of long–term care services that allow them to maintain a higher quality of life in their own communities. CEI provides frail elders the chance to live independently in the community, postponing or avoiding nursing home admission. CEI does this in partnership with an elder’s family, providing lifetime comprehensive social and medical services which include a day health center, primary care, and transportation.