Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST)

The City of Oakland Human Services Department (HSD) is currently in the fifth and final year of implementing the Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The purpose of this program is to assist highly stressed youth and families to receive community-driven trauma and resilience support to improve their behavioral and mental health, thus creating more resilient communities and reducing incidents of violence and trauma. 

As part of this final year, the Oakland ReCAST program partnered with Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) and members of the Oakland ReCAST Community Advisory Board (CAB) to expand our mini grant process. Over the course of 5 weeks, ReCAST worked with 12 community members, ranging from Youth to Senior Adults, to design a community-led funding process. CAB members worked collaboratively to develop the criteria and approach for distributing up to $200,000 in funding to Oakland-based projects.

ReCAST Overall Goals include: 

• Building a foundation to promote well-being, resiliency, and community healing through community-based participatory approaches
• Strengthening the integration of behavioral and mental health services and other community systems to address the social determinants of health
• Creating more equitable access to trauma-informed community behavioral health resources
• Ensuring that program services are culturally specific and developmentally appropriate
• Increasing opportunities for community-driven resilience and healing among and between community members most affected by violence and trauma.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 

Oakland ReCAST partnered with IKE Kiosks that are located around the City Of Oakland to share a moment of mindful reflection and mental wellness. 

Oakland ReCAST is pleased to announce the following awards

REST Funding Category Awards

• Lotus Bloom- The Wellness Healing Program is a holistic, whole-person restoration initiative featuring four core components: a judgment-free respite room, monthly trauma-informed yoga, therapeutic massage, and nature-based group wellness activities. Together, these offerings help reduce stress, rebuild safety, release tension, and foster community connection among participants and staff. Grounded in the belief that rest is productive and connection is medicine, this program meets each individual with dignity and car 
• First Place For Youth- First Place’s Summer Bridge Program provides wellness activities and community care through outdoor experiences, nature‐based mindfulness practices, and peer community‐building designed to support emotional regulation and resilience. Youth participants will participate in weekly  wellbeing exercises, build valuable healthy living skills, and attend a Redwood Wellness Immersion trip. Grounded in a whole‐person approach, the program affirms young people’s relationships with nature, community, and their own wellbeing as foundational to growth. 
• Frontline Catalysts- Frontline Catalysts is committed to sustaining the work of our staff and key partners who dedicate themselves year-round to the well-being and development of Oakland youth. To honor this commitment, as well as address the deep emotional labor tied to this work, we will partner with Carla M. Perez of Healing Justice Lineages to host a 3-day, 2-night healing and restoration retreat. This retreat will center the wellness of those who directly engage with youth in spaces of leadership development, and violence and substance use prevention. Our work demands continuous presence, empathy, and resilience, often without space to process or respond to this emotional demand. To disrupt the cycles of burnout so often associated with community engagement, this offering creates intentional time to reflect and restore. Rooted in healing justice traditions, we’ll engage in guided somatic sessions and nature-based restoration, including a full-day immersion facilitated by Carla Perez and a guest somatic practitioner
• Centro Legal de la Raza- The Youth Law Academy (YLA) is an innovative pipeline program that takes a holistic, long-term approach to youth development, supporting students from their sophomore year of high school through college and beyond. This project will strengthen YLA’s focus on mental health and wellness by partnering with local BIPOC-led healing practitioners and culturally grounded mental health organizations to provide trauma-informed resources and support for both youth and staff. Through these partnerships, YLA will expand professional development for staff grounded in healing-centered practices and offer a structured series of workshops and activities for youth focused on mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Building on a successful pilot wellness series addressing self-care, identity, and community healing, this project will formalize and scale these offerings to ensure consistent access to supportive programming. By integrating wellness into all aspects of YLA, the program will strengthen participants’ capacity to thrive academically, personally, and as future community leaders.
• EastSide Arts Alliance- EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA), in partnership with Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA), will offer a six-week community healing arts workshop series for affordable housing residents in Oakland's San Antonio neighborhood, responding directly to resident requests for dedicated healing spaces. Led by ESAA staff and community artists, each workshop draws from a distinct modality — visual arts, movement, music, and writing — providing a structured, culturally grounded environment where participants can process displacement, economic stress, and neighborhood change through creative expression.
• Community Works / Project WHAT!- PW Youth Advocates in Oakland with opportunities for rest and reflection. Recognizing that rest is vital for recharging and continuing community work, our project focuses on expanding the horizons of youth who have often been unable to access local landmarks despite living in the area. Our project is made of a series of restorative outings to the Oakland Zoo, the Oakland Museum, and Escape Oakland. Additionally, PW Adult Allies (staff) will facilitate a structured wellness workshop series focusing on key self-care topics such as healthy sleep schedules, hygiene, setting boundaries, and maintaining healthy relationships.
• HiiiWAV and Kalmy Tomali- The Kalmy Tomali Summer Jam Sessions create youth-led musical spaces where young people from Oakland gather to play, create, and heal together. Last summer, we held three sessions serving 150+ participants ages 14–29 at the community space, HiiiWAV, exceeding every goal we set. This year, we’re back. We’re building on that momentum to deepen the impact, expand our reach, and continue nurturing Oakland’s next generation of cultural leaders and musical legacy. 
• Oakland Kids First- Oakland Kids First (OKF) will integrate wellness and rest-centered practices into monthly staff meetings and three retreats over the grant period, building staff capacity to sustain the demanding work of supporting Oakland school communities. Topics will align with ReCAST goals, focusing on well-being, resiliency, trauma-informed approaches, and community healing, while also incorporating training in positive youth development, culturally responsive programming, and restorative justice. By intentionally creating moments of rest and restoration for their team, OKF strengthens the foundation needed to deliver equitable, community-driven healing and resilience-building for the youth they serve.
• Sacred Cycles Laundry Initiative- Sacred Cycles Laundry Initiative is a community-rooted pilot program that provides accessible laundry support while integrating trauma-informed wellness and youth development. The program will host scheduled pop-up laundry days in partnership with a local laundromat, providing free or subsidized wash and dry services for families. During these activations, participants will have access to short, trauma-informed sound healing sessions designed to promote relaxation and emotional regulation. Youth participants will support outreach, assist with program setup and operations, and provide peer engagement, gaining hands- on leadership and work-based learning experience.  

REPAIR Funding Category Awards

• Soccer Without Borders + UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Pediatric Residency Program- To address the growing mental health crisis among newcomer youth, who suffer from increased rates of trauma compared to their peers, we will develop a mental health curriculum to be delivered by Soccer Without Borders program coordinators (coaches) and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland (BCHO) pediatric residents to OUSD newcomer students, as well as hold a Referral Networks Field Day where local services providers can share resources and build relationships in order to strengthen the referral networker for immigrant youth in Oakland.
• Refugee & Immigrant Transitions- Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT) is a nonprofit agency launched in 1982 and present in Oakland since 1999. All RIT services are free and specifically designed for low-income immigrants and refugees who are English learners. Our clients have come to the U.S. after having experienced violence, war, and economic dispossession in their homelands. Many have survived trauma and are significantly affected by the hostile immigration system, political climate, and financial insecurity. 
  RIT welcomes immigrants and supports long-term adjustment to their new lives in the U.S. We honor the myriad strengths that immigrant communities bring, such as multilingualism, multiculturalism, and community leadership. We leverage these strengths in all our programs that include education (adult classes, youth academic and leadership programs), case management, and wellness. 
• Community Health and Wellness Inc (Meaddi Senior Support group)- The We Heal each Other (WHO) project will offer a support group with tools and activities to East Oakland residents who are dealing with grief from violence. The support group will meet twice per month at 81st Avenue library for three to four months. The target audience for the group is African Americans because African Americans are disproportionately impacted by violence in Oakland. All community members impacted by violence can be served. Groups will be held in English and the foundational principles will be based on African American traditions and cultural practices. This group can serve 10-15 participants at each session. (The Meaddi Club, contact Ofra Paz at 510-834-8314)
• Dads Evoking Change- Dads Evoking Change (DEC) proposes Repairing Family Trust, a trauma-informed co-parenting support project for Oakland fathers and co-parents experiencing family conflict, court-related stress, and trauma. Building on DEC’s existing co-parenting counseling and father support services, this project will provide a structured space for participants to strengthen communication, reduce conflict, and develop healthier co-parenting practices that support family stability. DEC offer an additional 8-week co-parenting support cohort serving up to 20 family members, including mothers and fathers. The cohort will combine guided discussion, peer support, and practical tools for stress management, conflict de-escalation, trust-building, and healthy communication. Sessions will be led by DEC with support from a culturally responsive facilitator who understands the lived experiences of Black fathers and families in Oakland. 
• 1951 Coffee Company- 1951 Coffee Company is a nonprofit social enterprise serving refugees and immigrants who arrived in the United States with hope to rebuild their lives and create a more stable future. Each year, we train at least 65 students—25 youth and 40 adults—through a free, one-week (20-hour) Specialty Barista Training Program at our East Oakland training lab. Participants gain hands-on skills in coffee preparation, latte art, customer service, POS systems, and U.S. workplace culture. The program concludes with an Open House where trainees demonstrate teamwork and proudly serve coffee to their families and the Oakland community, celebrating growth, resilience, and confidence-building through mock interviews and community engagement.
• Hoover Foster Resident Action Council- The Hoover Foster Resident Action Council proposes to host the Hoover Foster Healing and Resource Fair, a day-long, resident-led block party event on Brockhurst Street between Market Street and San Pablo Ave in late August 2026. Though open to all Oakland residents, the event is specifically designed to respond to the needs of West Oakland communities that have been uniquely impacted by stigma, community violence, grief, and historical disinvestment. 
  The fair will bring together at least 200 residents for a healing-centered day of community connection, remembrance, self-care, wellness support, and access to trusted resources. It is intended especially for residents affected by community violence, including gun violence, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking, as well as the isolation, loss, and distrust that often follow those experiences.
• Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY)- FLY has 25 years of experience providing leadership training and mentoring to youth and 10+ years of experience in Oakland. Through this project, FLY’s Leadership Training Program (LTP) will center its annual wilderness retreat as a trauma-informed healing and leadership experience for program participants. The two-day retreat will provide a structured environment for youth to build trust and belonging, strengthen relationships with staff and peers, and develop leadership through guided reflection, team-building, restorative circles, and wellness activities. Youth will strengthen social awareness skills such as active listening and empathy, deepen self-awareness by reflecting on identity and lived experience, and co-create community agreements grounded in shared values. To ensure the retreat is safe and responsive to youth needs, FLY staff will complete Mental Health First Aid training to strengthen their ability to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately, and de-escalate mental health crises. In the months leading up to and during the retreat, the peer leaders will co-facilitate mental health and wellness workshops alongside staff. Retreat outcomes will inform and prepare LTP youth to participate in the inaugural Youth Mental Health Summit and engage in an FY27 service learning project in partnership with Alameda County Behavioral Health and the Office of Ethnic Services.
• Health and Human Resource Education Center- HHREC proposes the Downtown TAY Healing & Peer Leadership Initiative, a trauma-informed project designed to repair community trust and restore wellness for Transitional Age Youth (16–25) of the African Diaspora in Oakland. Recognizing that traditional systems have often failed our youth, this project utilizes Peer Support Specialists, individuals with shared lived experience, to serve as credible messengers who bridge the gap between youth and mental health resources.
  By integrating culturally responsive mentorship with mental health support, we provide a safe sanctuary where youth can process stress and build resilience. This initiative centers on repairing broken relationships with social systems through peer-led navigation of housing, employment, and healthcare. Our approach is rooted in the belief that healing must be intergenerational; we combine the wisdom of elders with the energy of our youth to cultivate a community-centered restorative practice. Through this project, HHREC will increase the capacity of Downtown TAY to provide specialized trauma-informed facilitation, ensuring that Oakland’s TAY population feels empowered, seen, and connected to their cultural heritage as a primary tool for mental wellness. 
• Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth- Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) proposes to implement The Reset Week, a one-week, trauma-informed wellness program designed to support Oakland community members impacted by violence, incarceration, and chronic stress. The program will offer five consecutive days of two-hour healing sessions, each focused on a different modality that promotes mental wellness, emotional regulation, and long-term stability. 
  Daily sessions will include:
  • Yoga and movement-based healing
  • Sound healing and guided meditation
  • Therapeutic massage and somatic care
  • Financial literacy for stress reduction and stability
  • Life planning and goal-setting for personal empowerment 
• The Center for ArtEsteem- The Center for ArtEsteem is a nonprofit arts education organization in West Oakland’s historic Hoover-Foster neighborhood. We serve 3,000-4,000 children and youth each year in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by violence and trauma. nable us to create an organization-wide mental health plan to integrate trauma-informed, culturally-grounded, and liberation-oriented mental health principles and practices into our existing ArtEsteem program. Youth with lived experience and mental health professionals will provide guidance, and our staff will develop systems to implement and evaluate its outcomes. The plan will incorporate somatic (body-based) awareness, creative expression, and reflective practices; approaches for individual and collective healing; and will emphasize community and interdependence.

REBUILD Funding Category Awards

• Youth Alive!- Youth Alive! seeks to strengthen the role of our violence interrupter team as a trauma-informed coordination hub across six core programs: Caught in the Crossfire, Pathways, Teens on Target, Advocacy for Change, Counseling, and the Khadafy Washington Project. Violence interrupters already operate across these programs, conducting hospital safety assessments, supporting school-based work, responding to incidents, and making warm introductions when trust is critical. These functions are currently carried out on an informal basis, which can limit consistency in communication, early risk identification, and coordinated response. This project will pilot a structured coordination model that embeds violence interrupters more intentionally across teams. Key strategies include developing clear assignment protocols, holding regular cross-team coordination meetings, implementing shared risk mapping to track emerging conflict and individuals at risk, and providing coaching to strengthen staff leadership. By strengthening how information is shared and acted on, Youth Alive! will improve early identification of conflict, expand mediation, and deliver more coordinated trauma-informed support to youth and families across hospital, school, and community settings.
• Oakland Communities United for Equity and Justice- JUSTtouch is a community-rooted health model delivered through weekly pop-ups at Driver Plaza, providing trauma-informed chair massage therapy, stress relief, movement meditation, and sound-based healing. Over five years, the program has served more than 550 participants and built consistent engagement through ongoing presence. Driver Plaza is our North Oakland site anchored by the Self Help Hunger Project and members of the Black Panther Alumni Legacy Network, where food distribution and community care already take place. This creates a natural point of access, allowing participants to engage at their own pace.

   

Funding Amounts

This year, ReCAST CAB members are funding the following amounts for the three categories:

Funding Categories

Funding opportunities are divided into 3 categories, REST, REPAIR, and REBUILD. Each category is intended to support community-driven initiatives that help reduce trauma, strengthen mental health and wellness, and build community-centered approaches to care and healing across Oakland.

REST

Rest is an important part of the work we do in Oakland. Rest is needed to take a pause and engage in reflection. We aim to fund organizations or projects that do not have enough resources to provide wellness activities or supplies to promote wellness or self-care/community care activities for staff and/or participants. This funding aims to provide opportunities to recharge to continue to move forward with community work.

Project examples include, but are not exclusive to:

• Somatic therapy, opportunities to practice breathing
• Acupuncture
• Wellness space/room for staff and community 
• Wellness space/room at work/school
• Hosting wellness workshops
• Meditation, regroup, self-care activities for victims of violence
• Nature and wellness activities
• Mindfulness/Mental Health retreats/practice
• Eco therapy, mindful reflections
• Training for mental health providers 

REPAIR

Repair is about providing opportunities to reduce trauma in Oakland. We aim to fund organizations or projects that contribute to restoring trust, community relationships, and/or increase the capacity of organizations to lead trauma-informed services or learning and training. This funding aims to provide coaching, facilitation opportunities, and training capacity building for organizations.

Project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Mentorship with a mental health component
• Community-centered, restorative justice practices
• Repairing broken services for repairing trust / orienting to the community 
• Team building/community events with a mental wellness component
• Group therapy, support groups - Supporting families and victims of violent crime  
• Training for mental health providers 
• Violence prevention programs 
• Access to sport/arts/ music classes/curriculum with a mental wellness component
• Somatic care activities/ programming that uplift mental wellness 
• Mental health programming for community members impacted by the incarceration system 
• Mental health support and healing 
• Trauma-Informed Learning and Training
• Professional development for staff to increase trauma-informed facilitation

REBUILD

Rebuilding trauma-informed services is vital to Oakland. We aim to fund organizations or projects that need initial or additional resources to grow, expand, scale or strengthen trauma-informed community activities or programs. This funding aims to provide resources to address gaps in services and significantly rebuild systems, protocols, and workflows to enhance trauma-informed programming.

Project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Gap in Mental health and trauma-informed services and programming, with a need to rebuild the system/protocols/workflow surrounding
• Improving upon or expanding a beneficial aspect of mental health support, trauma-informed services, and healing. This could include expanding a program into a new territory or site 
• Soft skills related to trauma-informed training, mental health learning, and support
• Peer Mentor programs with a curriculum centered on trauma reduction, mental health, and mental wellness 
• Access to counselors trained in trauma reduction, restorative justice, mental health, and mental wellness 
• Hands-on rebuilding the community safety, connection, belonging and joy using a trauma-informed and mental health lens. 

Funding Criteria

• All applicants must be from an Oakland-based organization or group, and projects must be implemented in the City of Oakland. Priority will be given to projects in West, East, and Downtown Oakland. 
• Only one application per organization/group per funding category can be submitted. 
• Organizations must have 501(c)3 status. Projects without an organization must have a fiscal sponsor at the time of application submission. A fiscal sponsor can be an organization outside of Oakland, but the project must be implemented in Oakland. Fiscal sponsors can sponsor more than one project.  
• Applications must address one of the funding categories of REST, REPAIR, or REBUILD.
  • Youth-led projects can ONLY apply to the REST category. Youth-led projects MUST include at least one adult mentor who can serve as the Lead Contact. 
  • REBUILD category grants must serve more than five participants and will need to submit THREE reference letters from current/past participants, community partners, or current/past funders demonstrating the impact or potential impact of the project proposed. 
• Applicants must submit a detailed timeline outline using the timeline template provided. Applications that submit an incomplete timeline will not be considered.
  • Timeline and Evaluation Template
• Applicants must submit an event 5K, 10K, or 25K budget using the budget template provided. Applications that submit under or over budgets will not be considered.
  • Honorariums in the form of gift cards up to $20 per participant are allowed. Supporting documentation and tracking will be required.
    • Supporting documentation includes receipts of giftcard purchase on behalf of the organization and signatures from participants receiving giftcard.
  • Budget Template
• Joint applications with more than one organization/group applying are encouraged.
• A supplemental video may be requested post-application submission to support in finalizing decisions.

Questions?
Reach out to the ReCAST team at recast@oaklandca.gov.