Computer Technologies Program

Take the Bay Bridge
Take I80 towards Sacramento and Berkeley
Take University Avenue exit
Go Approximately 2 miles toward the hills
Continue on until Milvia Street and make a right on Milvia
Go 1 block until Addison Street
CTP is on the corner of Addison and Milvia,
on the second floor, Suite 201. There is a call box at the street entrance. Please dial 064 to call CTP and we will buzz you into the
building. Then take the elevator to the second floor.

From Hayward

Take I880 north through Oakland
Take the new by-pass toward San Francisco
and then take the I80 exit (marked Sacramento/Berkeley)
Then follow above directions at University Avenue exit

From the North Bay

Take 101 South the 580 to San Rafael/Richmond Bridge Continue on 580 to I80 toward Berkeley Exit at University Avenue Then follow above directions at University Avenue exit

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Housing Assistance Programs

Building Opportunities for Self- Sufficiency
2065 Kittredge Street, Suite E
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-649-1930
510-649-0627 Fax
E-mail: bossmail@self-sufficiency.org
Web: http://www.self-sufficiency.org

Homeless Action Center
2500 Martin Luther Kinging Way, Suite #1
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-540-0878
510-540-0403 Fax
Web: http://homelessactioncenter.org

Housing Rights, Inc.
P.O. Box 12895
Berkeley, CA 94712
Street Address:
1966 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA
510-548-8776
510-548-5805 Fax
E-mail: hri@housingrights.com
Web: http://housingrights.com

Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa
3133 Estudillo Street
Martinez, California 94533
925-372-7400
925-372-0236 Fax
E-Mail: contactus@contracostahousing.org
Web: http://www.contracostahousing.org

ECHO Housing
1305 Franklin Street, #305
Oakland, CA 94612
510-271-7931
Shared Housing Program
510-845-9030
Rental Assistance Program
510-836-4826
Home Conversion Counseling Program
510-271-7931

Oakland Housing Authority
1619 Harrison Street
Oakland, CA 94612
510-874-1500
510-874-1674 Fax
Web: http://www.oakha.org
San Francisco Housing Authority
440 Turk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-554-1200
Web: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfha

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Independent Living Centers

Center for Independent Living - Berkeley
2539 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-841-4776
510-848-3101 TDD
510-841-6168 Fax
E-Mail: Webmaster@cilberkeley.org
Web: http://www.cilberkeley.org

Independent Living Resources of Contra Costa County
3200 Clayton Road
Concord, CA 94519
925-363-7293 Voice
925-363-7293 TTY
925-363-7296
Web: http://www.ilrccc.org/

Independent Living Resources of Contra Costa County
Branch Office
1545 Webster Street, Suite C
Fairfield, CA 94533
707-435-8174 Voice/TTY
Web: http://www.ilrccc.org/

Community Resources for Independent Living
439 A Street
Hayward, CA 94541
510-881-5743 Voice
510-881-0218 TTY
510-881-1593 Fax
E-Mail: info@cril-online.org
Web: http://www.cril-online.org

Center for Independent Living - Oakland
610 16th St. 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
510-763-9999
510-444-1837 TDD
510-763-4910 Fax
E-Mail: Webmaster@cilberkeley.org
Web: http://www.cilberkeley.org

Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco
649 Mission Street
3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-543-6222 English
415-543-6698 TTY
415-543-6743 Spanish
415-543-6768 Chinese
415-543-6318 Fax
E-Mail: info@ilrcsf.org
Web: http://www.ilrcsf.org

National Directory of Independent Living Centers
Web: http://www.ilru.org
Click On: ILRU Directory

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Legal Rights Organizations

Disability Rights Educ. & Defense Fund
2212 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-644-2555
510-841-8645 Fax
E-Mail: dredf@dredf.org
Web: http://www.dredf.org

East Bay Community Law Center
3130 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705-1823
510-548-4040
510-548-2566 Fax
E-Mail: info@ebclc.org
Web: http://www.ebclc.org

Bay Area Legal Aid
Alameda County
405 14th Street, 11th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
800-551-5554 Toll Free
510-663-4744
510-663-4710 Fax
E-Mail: Info@baylegal.org
Web: http://www.baylegal.org

Disability Rights Advocates
449 15th Street, Suite 303
Oakland, CA 94612
510-451-8644
510-451-8716 TDD
510-451-8511 Fax
E-mail:general@dralegal.org
Web: http://www.dralegal.org

HICAP - Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program
Alameda County - 510-839-0393
Contra Costa:
West County - 510-374-3943;
Central County - 510-313-1720;
East County - 510-706-4853

Protection & Advocacy, Inc.
San Francisco Bay Area Branch
433 Hegenberger Rd., Suite 220
Oakland, CA 94621
800-776-5746
800-254-5166 Office of Patients' Rights
800-390-7032 Office of Clients' Rights
Advocacy
Web: http://www.pai-ca.org

Bay Area Legal Aid
Contra Costa County
1017 Macdonald Avenue
Richmond, CA 94801
800-551-5554 Toll Free
510-233-9954
510-236-6846 Fax
E-Mail:Info@baylegal.org
Web: http://www.baylegal.org/

Bay Area Legal Aid
San Francisco County
50 Fell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
800-551-5554 Toll Free
415-982-1300
415-982-4243 Fax
E-Mail: Info@baylegal.org
Web: http://www.baylegal.org/

Swords to Plowshares
1063 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-252-4788
415-252-4790 Fax
E-mail: swordsmail@swords-to-plowshares.org
Web: http://www.swords-to-plowshares.org

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Searching for Housing in the Bay Area
(Updated June 20, 2003)

Prepare Yourself

Know what type of housing you're looking for
Write a housing ad and distribute it to friends, co-workers, family,
church/temple members and casual acquaintances
Write a housing resume
Know your credit history/status
dentify your resources - How much savings do you have? How much can you afford each month
Make a housing search schedule
Have a housing back-up plan if you're at risk of becoming homeless

Your Credit History

Credit Reporting Agencies:

FreeCreditReport.com
http://freecreditreport.com

You may order your credit report online free. They will offer you ongoing credit checks for a fee

Equifax Credit Information Services,Inc
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111
http://www.equifax.com/

You may order your credit report online, by phone or through the US mail. Cost starts: $9.00

TransUnion - True Credit
800-493-2392
https://www.truecredit.com

You may order your credit report online.

How to Write Your Housing Ad

Your ad will be more interesting and effective if you write accurately about who you are, in detail, and in your own style. Be personable.
Below you will find a list of things you might write about yourself. These are guidelines. Be creative, and use your humor. Some of the more personal items may only be appropriate for a shared housing ad.

Describe yourself:
Name, gender, age,spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, hobbies, interests, occupation, parent status...

Describe your living habits:
Do you smoke/drink? What are your housekeeping standards? Are you a vegetarian/omnivore? Do you get up/go to bed early/late? Do you have pets? Do you play loud music/instruments/TV? Do you
have lots of visitors/overnight guests?

Describe your housing needs:
Where do you want to live? Do you want to live alone/with others? Do you havechildren.
Full-time? Part-time? Are you willing to live with children? How much canyou afford? Do you need parking/to be near public
transportation? Do you need to be downstairs/need wheelchair access? Are you allergic to any animals? Do you/Don't you want carpet? Do you want to share/have separate food? Do you wanta quiet house?

Provide reliable contact information:
Offer a good phone number that has an answering machine or voice mail. Provide an e-mail address if you have one. Work number?

How to Write Your Housing Resume

A housing resume is a list of the places you've lived before. It should include dates and contact information so potential landlords or housemates can speak with people who have lived with or rented to you
before. A housing resume might look like this:

Jane Doe

1234 Average St.
Big City, CA 90000
510-987-6543
me@email.com

March 2001 - Present
1234 Average St.
Big City, CA 90000
Owner: Jeffrey Jones (510-567-5678)

January 1999 - February 2001
4321 Old Ave.
Little Town, CA 90000
Property Manager: Smith Huts, Inc.(408-777-7777)

August 1997 - December 1998
UC Dormitory
Santa Cruz, CA 90000
Roommate: Anita Student (408-321-4321)

You might also include the name of your employer and the amount of your gross monthly income.

See this online example:
http://www.homefinderslist.com/ Sample_Tenants_Resume.htm

Where to Look for Housing in the Bay Area

Your Address Book - Call or e-mail everyone you know. Let them know what you're looking for or send them your housing ad. As is true with job hunting, a lot of it is whom you know.

On-Line Community Bulletin Boards -
The Bay Area is very computer savvy. There are many on-line resources. Post your ad, respond to other people's ads, and respond
to phone calls and e-mails quickly. When you're talking with someone, be prepared to schedule an interview immediately. Housing
goes fast! - Try http://www.craigslist.com

Newspapers - There are many free weekly newspapers and well as low-cost daily papers.

Public & Non-Profit Services

Contra Costa County Homeless Program Emergency Shelter Program for Families
597 Center Avenue, #355
Martinez, CA 94553
Main office telephone: (925) 313-6145
Homeless Hotline: 800-808-6444.

The Emergency Shelter Program for Families located in Concord and Martinez is designed to meet the immediate shelter needs of parents and their children over a 120-day period. Both 25-bed shelters offer year-round, 24- hour support services that include housing search assistance, budgeting and life skills training, case management, health screenings by Health Care for the Homeless, information and referrals to mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and vocational training or job placement

Rubicon Programs Incorporated
2500 Bissell Avenue
Richmond, California, 94804
(510) 235-1516

Rubicon Programs Incorporated operates transitional housing, which is linked to Rubicon's Integrated Services, as well as permanent housing sites for people with disabilities, low-income families, and those with special needs. Permanent Housing: Four of Rubicon's permanent residences provide housing for people with disabilities. Two additional sites house low-income families and offer six units for people with special needs

Pittsburg Family Center
510-439-8559

SHELTER, Inc. of Contra Costa County
1815 Arnold Drive
Martinez, CA 94553
Phone: (925) 335-0698

The mission of SHELTER, Inc. is to help homeless and low-income Contra Costans obtain economic self- sufficiency, to sustain permanent housing, to promote innovative homeless prevention programs and to enhance human dignity

BOSS program participants are 100% poor, 70% homeless, 30% housed. They are all races, ages, backgrounds, and life experiences. They have multiple barriers to self-sufficiency: 50% have mental disabilities or dual diagnosis (mental disability plus drug or alcohol addiction), 5-10% have HIV/AIDS and a larger percentage are at high risk, 80% have drug or alcohol problems, 25% have below a High School education, 70% are unemployed. Approximately 40% are families with children

Eden I& R
(510) 537-2552
http://www.edenir.org

Eden I& R (Information & Referral) is a 501(c)(3) non profit agency committed to serving as a link between Alameda County families and individuals, and the full range of community resources
available to them. Eden I& R is well known as THE source of information on, and referral to, low-cost housing, emergency shelter, and over 1,270 social service agencies for Alameda
County Residents

Homeless Action Center
2500 Martin Luther King Way, Suite #1
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-540-0878
510-540-0403 Fax
Web: http://homelessactioncenter.org

Homeless Action Center has been providing legal services to homeless and low-income residents of Alameda County since 1990. HAC's primary service is Supplemental Security Income (SSI) advocacy for mentally disabled members of our community who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, described below. HAC also provides free legal advice and referral at off-site legal clinics open to low-income or homeless individuals

Housing Rights, Inc.
P.O. Box 12895
Berkeley, CA 94712
Street Address:
1966 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA
510-548-8776
510-548-5805 Fax
E-mail: hri@housingrights.com
Web: http://housingrights.com

Our Goals , with your help, are to eliminate discrimination in housing, prevent evictions and encourage diversity in our communities. We do this by assisting tenants and landlord to understand their rights and responsibilities and resolve problems, so that EVERYONE will have a real opportunity to live in decent, affordable housing wherever it may be located

Rental Listings:
http://www.contracostahousing.org/ RentalReferralListing.htm

ECHO Housing
1305 Franklin Street, #305
Oakland, CA 94612
510-271-7931
Shared Housing Program
510-845-9030
Rental Assistance Program
510-836-4826
Home Conversion Counseling Program
510-271-7931

Emeryville Affordable Housing Resource List
http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/admin/ housing-affordable.html

Oakland Housing Authority
1619 Harrison Street
Oakland, CA 94612
510-874-1500
510-874-1674 Fax
Web: http://www.oakha.org

San Francisco Housing Authority
440 Turk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-554-1200
Web: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfha

Private & For Profit Service

Homefinders
http://www.homefindersbulletin.com/

Homefinders receives new leads from East Bay landlords throughout the day, every day. You may retrieve your new listings in our office, by phone, fax, email or via the web (which includes online mapping and some photos). Maps, computer use for applications and resumes, and free local phone use are available in our lobby. Most of our customers find a rental in the first couple weeks to a month. If you need more time, we offer free extensions. If you do not find a place through our service we offer a partial money back guarantee on the Regular and Super Search Subscriptions listed below. All subscriptions are active for 60 days,
with the option to renew for an additional 30 consecutive days at no extra charge. Cost: $75

MetroRent
http://www.metrorent.com

MetroRent is the Bay Area and Los Angeles' premier rental and roommate listing service. For over 20 years, we've saved hundreds of thousands of tenants and landlords time and money in their search for quality housing and tenants. Free preview of Premium
Listings. $35 - $50 - receive complete address and contact information for ALL matching listings

eHousing
http://www.ehousing.com

eHousing is the SF East Bay's premier rental service providing you with over 2500 available places to choose from. People who use eHousing generally save $50-$100 each month on their rent because of the enormous selection of apartments, houses and rooms available through us. We have new listings hourly and are open 7 days a week. You can preview all vacancies for free with a free search. eHousing does all the research and legwork for you, saving you countless hours of driving around in circles. We organize your lists of availabilities so all you have to do is to call the places that you are interested in. You can pick up printouts or receive INSTANT email updates. Using your custom search criteria, you can also receive new listings through your account on our website. Rental Search, $75. Room Search, $35

InsideBayArea.com
http://homes.insidebayarea.com

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Assistive Technology Resources

Center for Accessible Technology

We provide access to assistive technology that gives people with disabilities access to computers; provide art programs to provide access to artistic expression; and offer ongoing consultation and support to assist people with disabilities in maintaining and
enhancing access.

Contact Information:

Mailing Address:
Center for Accessible Technology
2547 8th Street, 12-A
Berkeley, California 94710

Site Address:
CforAT Computer Lab
2525 8th Street, 12-A
Berkeley, California 94710

Telephone:
(510) 841-3224 – VOICE
(510) 841-5621 – TTY
(510) 841-7956 – FAX

Email
info1@cforat.org

Website
http://www.cforat.org

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Sensory Access Foundation

Sensory Access Foundation is a private nonprofit which is dedicated to providing opportunities to people who are blind or visually impaired, through the use of access technology.

Contact Information:

Main Office
1142 West Evelyn Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94086
Phone: 408.245.7330
Fax: 408.245.3762

San Francisco Office
Rose Resnick LightHouse
214 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, California 94102
Phone: 415.431.1481
Ext. 268 or 216

Santa Rosa Office
Earle Baum Center
4538 Occidental Road
Santa Rosa, California 94931
Phone 707.636.0577
Fax: 707.636.0576

Website
http://www.sensoryaccess.com

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ABLEDATA

ABLEDATA is a federally funded project whose primary mission is to provide information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources to
consumers, organizations, professionals, and caregivers within the United States.

Contact Information:
ABLEDATA
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 930
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 800/227-0216
Fax: 301/608-8958
TTY:301/608-8912

Website
http://www.abledata.com

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