Bay Area

Alameda County Allocates $1.5 Million Investment In Outreach Funding For Census 2020

Published

6 years ago

November 27, 2019

Clifford L. Williams

Clifford L. Williams

The U.S. Census Bureau’s task of conducting a complete count of the homeless, the disenfranchised and the hard-to-reach population, which constantly relocates, has become a challenge for the Bureau with its goal of an accurate count during the Census 2020.

That task in Alameda County is receiving some assistance from the County Board of Supervisors, who in 2018, established a Complete Count Committee (CCC) and recently awarded $1.5 million for Census Outreach Grants.

“Due to the significant reduction in federal resources for the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct this decennial count of every person living in the United States, the County deemed this local investment imperative in order to attain a complete and accurate count,” said Casey Farmer, executive director of the CCC.

“The Alameda CCC will invest in ‘trusted messengers’ of hard-to-count communities to convey the importance of completing the Census with grants to 115 agencies. These agencies include community-based organizations, health clinics, educational institutions, and houses of worship.”

The CCC is a regional, cross-sector stakeholder working to maximize participation in Census 2020. It will communicate to the public the importance of the Census and provide community partners with information, data, training, materials, and technical assistance for their direct outreach.

“As required by the Constitution, the Census’ objective is to count every single person in the country,” Farmer said. “The Census Bureau will conduct major enumerations operations at shelters and soup kitchens as well as encampments. Alameda County will provide the Bureau with a list of homeless advocates to support the outreach encampment, using messengers from these encampments to assist in the count.”

The CCC convened an Unhoused Subcommittee of key stakeholders including the East Oakland Collective, EveryOne Home, and Saint Mary’s Center, who are collectively advocating that the U.S Census Bureau’s outreach be comprehensive and ensure dignity and sensitivity towards this vulnerable population.

“We also have a number of immigrant communities that feel attacked by the Trump administration and we want to galvanize support from those communities through outreach led by nonprofits and churches,” said Farmer. “Our outreach efforts will include multi-lingual educational workshops, Questionnaire Assistance Centers at all public libraries, Census Weeks at schools, colleges, and more.”

Ultimately, the Census data will be used to allocate approximately $800 billion dollar

s in federal funding as well as to determine each State’s representation in Congress. The 2020 Census can be completed online, by phone, and via a paper form.

To learn more about the CCC, please visit: http://acgov.org/census2020/ or contact Casey Farmer, Executive Director, Alameda County Complete Count Committee at casey.farmer@acgov.org.

Clifford L. Williams

Posts by Clifford L. Williams

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

6 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.