Women’s Overnight Shelter (WOS)
2140 Dwight Way
510-649-4965
510-649-4966 (fax)

Hours of Operation: 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Opens at 4:00 p.m. for new intakes.

Services: WOS has single beds and two family rooms. Women must have a referral from BFHP’s Shelter Reservation Program and arrive between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. for intake. WOS provides breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Eligibility: Women must be 18 years or older with no male children older than 12. They must abide by rules and policies and be able to care for their own physical needs. WOS is wheelchair accessible.

Overview: WOS provides safe, clean short-term residential housing, meals, clothing, laundry and shower facilities to 32 women (and their children) nightly. Clients receive individualized case management, housing case management and access to employment counseling and life skills training. Beds are designated for women participating in daytime recovery programs or the Shelter Extensions Program (women who have an income and are close to resolving their homelessness).

Shelter Extensions Program and Housing Case Management Team: The Shelter Extensions Program provides an extended stay with an individual’s commitment to achieving permanent housing. Participants work with the Housing Case Management Team. The Team focuses on housing people quickly and permanently and utilizes the individual strengths of all BFHP case managers and programs. There are three basic steps in the Housing Case Management Plan: Assessment, Short-term Goals and Long-Term Goals. After assessing the client’s needs, the case manager may work on issues such as clearing one’s credit report, increasing one’s income and/or conducting a job search. After these short-term goals are achieved, the client works with another member of the Team who locates housing. Because the long-term goal is to ensure that the client retains permanent housing, ongoing case management (including home visits) takes place on a regular basis. This plan serves as a road map, pointing the way to achieving goals and recommendations and depends on a collaborative effort between the Housing Case Management Team and the client.

Health Care Services: There are a variety of health care services available on-site at BFHP’s Dwight Way facility, available to our clients in Women’s Overnight Shelter, Women’s Resource Center, and Transitional Services, as well as to any other homeless women in the community.

LifeLong Medical Care hosts a drop-in clinic for adult women at Dwight Way on Mondays from 9am-1pm. Dr. Sue Ferguson provides physical exams, blood pressure screenings, weight screenings, vaccinations, breast exams, referrals for mammograms and pelvic exams, screening and management of chronic conditions like diabetes and HIV/AIDS, treatment of eye and ear infections, and basic dermatology services.

The Suitcase Clinic, a UC-Berkeley student organization, comes to the Women’s Shelter every Monday from 7:30-9pm. They provide medical consultations, chiropractic services, massage, foot washing, nail painting, arts and crafts for children, blood pressure screenings, legal advice, and referrals.

Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless Mobile Van visits Dwight Way, usually on the second Tuesday of the month, from 11am-3:30pm. This mobile clinic provides primary medical care, limited dental care, eye care, TB testing, support services, and alcohol and drug services.