Last year, ������Ƶ partnered with Alameda County to launch as part of the California Department of Social Services’ Project Roomkey/Housing and Homelessness COVID Response. From the very beginning, the heart and dedication of staff serving during a time of desperate need enabled us to start up this program in an incredibly short period of time. In late March, ������Ƶ received confirmation from Alameda County that Operation Comfort will be closing on April 25, 2021. Even though this program was always meant to be temporary, we are still sad that the time has come to close the doors.

As part of the county’s emergency response plan, staff stepped up to serve people with extraordinarily complex needs: those who were facing homelessness, mental illness, substance use issues, and COVID-19. They provided life-saving services during the height of the COVID-19 surge, taking on the challenge of serving in a COVID-positive environment during a time of great risk. Because of their outstanding work, many people were able to move on to other treatments and continue their recovery journeys.

When the program started in October of 2020, staff were aware the program was temporary – but so many stuck with it, through challenges and extensions. We greatly appreciate the steadfastness and dedication of every staff that contributed – and Alameda County has expressed their enthusiastic appreciation for your services as well.

“It has been a uniquely valuable resource for some of the county’s most challenged populations. The ������Ƶ program was particularly successful in supporting residents from Board and Cares that serve individuals with serious mental illness. This resulted in improved containment of COVID outbreaks in the B&C setting, where residents are at very high risk for poor outcomes associated with COVID. In addition, ������Ƶ supported many dual diagnosis residents who would otherwise have had widespread community exposure.”

— Alameda County

From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank and acknowledge the work of our tremendous staff and our collaborative partners. We could not have run this program without their knowledge, skills, and tenacity.