St. Regis Retirement Center, located in Hayward, California, is a 4.13-acre former retirement facility that has been transformed by Bay Area Community Services (BACS) into a comprehensive residential and community campus for behavioral health and homelessness services. The center has a special focus on meeting the additional physical healthcare needs of older adults and other community members with medical fragilities. With more than 200 residential beds for permanent supportive housing and short-term recuperative care, St. Regis offers individuals exiting the hospital system a supportive environment to transition back into the community.
In addition to residential housing, the St. Regis facility includes an on-site medical clinic and provides short- and mid-term substance use and behavioral health treatment services. The wellness-based models implemented by BACS aim to provide integrated care for individuals struggling with behavioral health challenges, homelessness, and substance use disorders. By breaking down barriers between behavioral health and homelessness services, St. Regis seeks to interrupt cycles that often lead individuals to receive disjointed and expensive care in institutional settings such as jails, emergency departments, psychiatric care facilities, and hospitals.
The project at St. Regis is part of a larger effort to address the urgent gaps in behavioral health services and homelessness support in Alameda County. Leveraging state investments in behavioral health and supportive housing infrastructure, St. Regis has received significant funding from the California Department of Social Services, Alameda County Measure A-1 funds, the City of Hayward, and the Eden Health District. Through partnerships with the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, St. Regis aims to provide comprehensive care to individuals struggling with physical and behavioral health issues.
The rehabilitation of the St. Regis site is already underway, with the goal of creating a state-of-the-art community mental health, recuperative care, and supportive housing facility. By investing in housing justice and behavioral health services, St. Regis represents a critical and innovative step towards ensuring that residents in Alameda County receive the mental health treatment and supportive housing they need. The project has garnered support from local officials, including Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas, who views St. Regis as a much-needed resource that will benefit the community and set an example for other regions to follow.