The Hayward Chamber of Commerce introduces our Hayward Employer Liaison Project (HELP) to address two very complex, distinct, but at times related issues that have become top priorities for the business community- increased crime and business safety, and the growing number of unhoused, and unsheltered individuals living at-risk in our community. As the concerns and requests for help from our member businesses escalated, the Hayward Chamber agrees that bringing the private sector to the table to accelerate our community toward permanent solutions to homelessness and crime reduction needs to be one of the top priorities for the Chamber.

The Hayward Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with our partners, will proactively address the issues, impacts and possible solutions to these enormous costs on business operations and our economy.

As business owners and Chamber members, resolving homeless issues has become one of the most intricate and complicated issues we face today.

For businesses, trespassing and panhandling by homeless individuals can lower comfort levels of customers and employees at the company’s facility. More serious situations can arise when vandalism, overnight camps, and theft occur. Additionally, there are several reasons people fall into homelessness, such as job loss, mental illness, and drug/alcohol abuse, which make it difficult to know how to deal with homeless issues.

Homelessness is a problem that affects everybody — including businesses that want to provide a safe environment for staff and customers. Companies that humanely remove homeless individuals and encampments from their property eliminate loitering and panhandling that can detract from customer experience and that could even lead to vandalism and theft.

The Hayward Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with our partners, will proactively address the issues, impacts and possible solutions to this enormous cost on business operations and our economy.

Business safety and crime prevention should be every business owner’s and employee’s concern no matter how small or large the business may be. A main component of the Business Watch program is developing a communication network for which businesses can share and update each other on issues affecting the safety and wellbeing of their business.

The Chamber’s crime prevention program encourages businesses to work together to protect their common interests. The business watch concept is simple: businesses watching out for businesses. When businesses actively watch out for one another, it can help reduce the incidence of crime in our community. This cooperative effort can make our community’s business watch program successful.

Burglary, shoplifting, and financial crimes are major concerns of our business community. By working together and sharing information with neighboring businesses and Hayward police department, many problems can be avoided, decreased, or resolved. Businesses and their employees become additional “eyes and ears” for the police department.

Through the Chamber’s Business Watch Program, merchants learn crime prevention techniques and strategies that help reduce business-related crime. In addition, the program also helps business owners become familiar with resources available from the Hayward Police Department. The Business Watch Program focuses on teaching employees how to be observant and aware. Trained employees are a business’ front line and a great resource to deter crime.

The Hayward Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with our partners, will proactively address the issues, impacts and possible solutions to this enormous cost on business operations and our economy.