Island City Beat Podcast

The new medical respite center for homeless elderly on McKay Avenue, is finally open. Bonnie Wolf is the consultant who led the project on behalf of the Alameda Point Collaborative which championed it and fought every bureaucratic and social obstacle to realize it. She salutes Alameda for stepping up to defend it against a spiteful minority that opposed it for years. She also explains how healing the beach setting will be for patients at Arnold's Place. Podcast host: Laura ThomasFor more about the Wellness Center/Arnold Place's history use this link: https://islandcitybeat.com/episodes/place-holder-for-next-episode

Two Alameda mothers are helping families cut back on their children's, and their own, reliance on electronic media. Sarah Qualters and Alex Yakubov of Alameda Unplugged talk about the ways they and two dozen other parents have started addressing the social, emotional and mental crisis they say young people themselves have begun to talk about.

Next Saturday, after Christmas is over and all are resting and reflecting, Alameda's artistic thinkers and doers have invited one and all to let go, get playful and join them for the Fool's Delight parade and festival down Webster Street. Michael Towne and Eve De Ley of the West End Arts District offer us a glimpse into their hilarious plans that day for mucho late afternoon buffoonery. Podcast Host: Laura Thomas

During the Covid epidemic, Alameda mother and artist Deirdre Freeman acted on her belief about the power of spreading love and kindness in the world when she made some 600 pieces of art, mostly depicting hearts, and attached them to phone polls around town. A year ago, she went further and launched the Kindness Coalition here in Alameda. She and Burt Presberg describe the joy and wonder their work has brought to our community and their conviction of its immense ripple effect.

More and more people are affected by the alarming attacks on the social safety net, but, for seniors, the climbing costs of housing, food and health care are especially difficult to manage. Caitlin Chan, the executive director of Legal Assistance for Seniors, describes what her nearly 50-year-old organization does to support Alameda County's elderly population, with free advice on many issues.

On this episode of the Island City Beat podcast, we meet Jeramie Andehueson. Jeramie is the founder of Alameda Pride which he brought to life in 2019. His organization was created to provide a safe, inclusive space for Alameda's LGBTQ+ community. We will get a glimpse of the many ways that Alameda Pride is making a difference in lives of many people here on our Island.

The Alameda city council passed a rent control program in 2019 following five years of pressure and struggle by Alameda's renters who faced rapid rent increases that began in 2014 and forced many long-time residents out of the city.City Rent Program director Bill Chapin goes over the basics of this program, which is now located in the City Attorney's office. Rent program staff receive some 750 calls a month providing this important service for both renters and landlords.

America does an awful job educating our youth about money and making sound decisions about it. Our guests Alexandria Downing and Angely Miranda aim to change that narrative. They're from an organization called, "MyPath", whose mission is to teach youth about banking, savings and building credit as the first steps toward financial prosperity. Programs to aid families and youth are available in the East Bay and beyond by doing an internet search for "financial planning for young adults."