Bridges Out of Homelessness: Vocations, Health and Housing
Welcome, Plenary Session & Luncheon Program
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Good morning: Get Ready to Learn and Enjoy! 7 A.M. - 9 A.M. - Continental breakfast with guitar serenade sponsored by Richmond Main Street Initiative, featuring grammy-nominated virtuoso Levi Seacer, who was bassist, songwriter, and producer with Prince and now is at work on his own album in his hometown of Richmond.
- Conference registration and exhibitor set-up
Welcome9 A.M. - 12 P.M.
- Welcome and opening remarks
- Dr. Jeff Ritterman, Vice Mayor of the City of Richmond and Co-Chair of
the Conference Planning Committee - John Gioia, Contra Costa County Supervisor, on increased homelessness, limited public and private funding, and the urgent need to get homeless adults back to work
Plenary Session
 Health and Housing for the Homeless: The Basics for Getting Back to Work
Larry Gottlieb, MSW, MPA, is the director of Adult Homeless and Outreach Services at Eliot Community Human Services in Lexington, Massachusetts, and co-chair of the Education Committee for the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council. Although a majority of homeless persons want jobs, poor health and lack of adequate housing can limit their ability to secure and maintain employment. Mr. Gottlieb will share some of the innovations witnessed and advocated for in MA and his experiences as the former Director of a Healthcare for the Homeless Program in Central MA and the current Director of the State-wide PATH Program. Housing is essential to improving the health of homeless individuals and can optimize the potential for job skills training and employment for homeless adults.
 Good Jobs: How the Homeless Can Succeed in the Bay Area Job Market
Steven Pitts, PhD, is a labor policy specialist with the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, whose research includes the impact of changes in the Bay Area economy on lower wage employment opportunities. Dr. Pitts examines ways in which structural elements of the current Bay Area job market impede employment and how homeless persons can overcome barriers to good jobs.
 Career-Based Employment Services for the Homeless in High-Rent Areas
Serena Powell, president and CEO of Community Work Services, Boston, Massachusetts, leads one of the nation’s most successful work development programs since its founding in 1877 and operates a proven service delivery model that provides workplace opportunities and support services for a community’s “struggling members.” Ms. Powell presents strategies and programs to give homeless persons the tools they need to increase their earnings and afford to live in high-rent areas like Contra Costa.
 What Works in Richmond: Private/Public Partnerships to Engage the Homeless
Sal Vaca, director of the City of Richmond’s Employment & Training Department and the Richmond Workforce Investment Board, oversees 15 employment and training programs including the nationally recognized Richmond BUILD pre-apprenticeship construction skills and solar installation training program. “Green jobs” and other skilled jobs pay well in Richmond. Mr. Vaca details how private/public partnerships can enable homeless adults to gain the necessary skills.
Luncheon Program 12:00 - 1:30 P.M.
Buffet Lunch with open table seating
“Lunch, Listen, Share” with master of ceremonies Jael Myrick, Saffron Strand Board Member and Field Representative for California Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, who welcomes conference participants to the buffet luncheon.
“Music to Build Bridges and Networks”
The Ben-Oni Orchestra of Richmond's Grace Lutheran Church, conducted by Dr. Curtis Shaw, sponsored by Richmond Main Street Initiative.  “Richmond Journey to Health and Wellness: Possibilities Unlimited”
Gayle McLaughlin is the Mayor of the City of Richmond and tireless booster of the extraordinary potential of local residents to change their communities for the better. Richmond residents have suffered high crime rates, extreme economic trouble, and severe challenges to public health and environmental safety. However, now other Bay Area cities can learn from Richmond’s green job training program, sustainable business initiatives, human rights empowerment, and public health efforts which encompass the homeless and benefit all Richmond's diverse residents.
 “The Homeless, Housing Justice, and You”
Reverend Phil Lawson of the East Bay Housing Organizations “connects the dots” surrounding homelessness, inspiring with experiences and insights from the long struggle for housing justice.
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