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Sep 24
Sep 24
Sep 24
Jazmyn Brown Runs Alameda County’s 2-1-1. Every Resident Should Hear What She Has to Say.
Updated: Sep 23
Alameda County, this one is for you. If you have ever needed shelter, food, a ride, safety, or just a straight answer about where to start, there is one number that opens the door: 2-1-1. The woman who runs it is Jazmyn Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Eden I&R — and in this episode of The Giovanne Show she tells you exactly how that system works, who it is for, and why it exists.
The Giovanne Show — Jazmyn Brown of Eden I&R on 2-1-1, leadership and community impact in Alameda County. Premiered May 25, 2026.
Who Jazmyn Brown is
Jazmyn Brown leads Eden I&R, the nonprofit that operates Alameda County’s 2-1-1 system. She brings more than 17 years of nonprofit leadership in equity-driven programs to a service that answers the call when everything else has fallen through. Under her leadership, 2-1-1 Alameda County maintains a resource network covering more than 2,800 programs across over 1,100 partner agencies — housing, food, health, legal help, transportation, benefits, and safety.
That is a woman of color running one of the most essential safety-net systems in the Bay Area, and doing it with compassion, precision and purpose. For the young people in Oakland, Hayward, Fremont and Berkeley who are told leadership looks a certain way: watch this episode. This is what it looks like.
“The place that broke you can become the foundation that builds others — if you stop hiding it.” That line is ours, but Jazmyn lives the same truth from the other side of the line: the person answering the call has to believe the caller can be more than the crisis that made them dial.
Why 2-1-1 matters more than a phone number
Most families in Alameda County are not looking for one service. They need housing help and food and transportation and somebody who will pick up the phone. 2-1-1 is free, confidential, multilingual, and answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is not a referral line that hands you a list — it is a trained navigator who connects you to the right door and tells you what to bring.
In the conversation, Jazmyn is honest about what it takes to keep that promise: trusted staff, trusted partner agencies, real data on what residents are actually asking for, and leadership that protects the front line so the front line can protect the community.
If you are in Alameda County right now
Dial 2-1-1 from any phone — free, confidential, multilingual, 24/7 — or visit 211alamedacounty.org.
Need a case manager who walks with you, not just a list? Mysti’s serves Medi-Cal members in Alameda County through CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. See how Community Supports work in Alameda County or ask our team.
Join the Client Board. Every Monday we post verified housing openings, job leads, easy-to-claim benefits and free local events by county — including Alameda — inside Mysti’s Community.
Contra Costa neighbors: your county also routes urgent housing and homelessness help through 2-1-1. Same number, same promise.
Why we put her on the show
Mysti’s Adult and Family Services exists to connect systems to the people who need them. Jazmyn Brown does that every single day for more than 1.6 million Alameda County residents. Her episode was picked up in a press release on AP News and featured by 2-1-1 Alameda County itself — because the message matters: help starts with a connection, and the people who build those connections deserve the spotlight.
Share this with someone in Alameda County who needs to hear it. Then dial 2-1-1 and tell them Mysti’s sent you.
The Giovanne Show is hosted by Giovanne Schachere, founder and CEO of Mysti’s Adult and Family Services. Watch every episode at [schachere.com/thegiovanneshow](https://www.schachere.com/thegiovanneshow) and on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@MystisAdultandFamilySVCS).
