Over the past seven years, Oaklands Wood Street encampment has exploded in size. In an attempt to fend off the impending closure of the Commons, residents sued the city in early January. Over the next several weeks, the Caltrans site was cleaned and cleared and the residents moved to other locations and situations. In July the city began clearing an area between West Grand and 26th Street in Oakland in preparation for a shelter at the site, which would house approximately 50 people. In a lawsuit filed this week, grassroots group Neighbors. If you would like to report new concern, please use the TacomaFIRST 311 online system or call 3-1-1 within city limits or (253) 591-5000 outside the city. She and her husband, Lenton, live in a 20-foot trailer at the Coliseum Stadium parking lot in Oakland. Review and respond annually to the Citys Homeless Encampment Policy and the Permanent Access to Housing Path Plan which shall be presented to the Commission, as well as hear reports on the housing, programs, and services for persons experiencing homelessness in the City including, but not limited to. In May, Gov. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers take a break during a partial clearing of the Wood Street homeless encampment on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Caltrans is overseeing the cleanup of its property along Wood Street. The spokesperson said officers were at the scene to assist the citys public works department with an intervention and closure of a small part of the encampment. The audit found the new policy lays the groundwork for needed change, but implementation has been slow, as the city is inundated with complaints about encampments. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided Caltrans removed five people living on its property between 16th and 20th streets after the deadly fire in April and is now installing concrete barriers and fencing to prevent people from returning to the area. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. Clutch, a 40-year-old Wood Street encampment resident who said he has no last name, was one of the five people moved last month. A U.N. report from 2018 called the conditions there cruel and inhumane. The expert behind the report compared it to the poorest places in the world, decried the lack of access to clean water and toilets, and said the rodent infestations, fire dangers and other hazards should be quickly addressed. 211 West Temple Street. The audit found the City was not adequately prepared to shoulder such a massive project and the (encampment management team) was overwhelmed by the undertaking of closing and cleaning encampments throughout Oakland, City Auditor Courtney Ruby wrote in an open letter to Mayor Libby Schaaf, the City Council and other city officials. I used to frequently take my kids in the stroller on this walk but now in addition to being . She previously covered startups and venture capital for the Bay Area News Group and prior to that court cases for The Recorder in San Francisco. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Bay, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after recent rainfall, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Now, both new shelter sites appear to be up and running, and the judge has once again changed course. Housing | All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Now, they live on city property along Wood Streets right-of-way. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years Last year Caltrans cleared a much larger camp between 200 and 300 people on a neighboring lot owned by the transit agency. Recommendations from the Commission on how to prioritize the allocation of funds in accordance with the requirements of this Chapter, including for: services and programs for homeless people, reduction of homelessness, and supporting the provision of affordable housing to households qualifying as at least low-income households (those at 55% AMI or below). The man was bleeding and was very confused asking police what he had done wrong. He said his latest order could be rescinded if the city fails to provide enough shelter beds or fails to make outreach workers available to help displaced residents find alterative shelter. They declined to speak to reporters. people had to eat at charity style centers, and a sunday 'picnic in the park' feed. Members of the cleanup crew rolled tires and lifted couches overhead as larger equipment moved car after car, some just burned-out shells, off the state-owned lot. Tucked away from the street, the encampment, commonly known as Wood Street, stretches along property owned by Caltrans, the city of Oakland, BNSF Railway and private owners. I stretched the point up until now in order to try to get to some sort of a place that recognizes the humanity of the people who've been talking to me.. A. Sep 2022 Q. On Monday, six weeks later, he proved his suspicions correct and dissolved the TRO, authorizing the city to clear the site and begin to ready the property for an affordable housing development. If its model is a success, Oakland could win more state funds to help more Wood Street residents. But the lots homeless residents, who have developed a tight-knit community they call the Commons, argue theyll suffer when that community is broken up and theyre forced to scatter to other locations including to shelter programs that might not meet their physical and mental health needs. We got three buses. The City has implemented a number of interventions at every step in the cycle. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) Weve created a system of effective strategies that address homelessness at every step in the cycle. But IT network challenges ended up delaying the opening of the tiny homes (the city proclaimed a state of emergency earlier this month after a ransomware attack brought down many online systems), prompting the judge to once again bar Oakland from clearing the camp. 6 of 23 7 of 23. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Staff closed and cleaned about 500 encampments during the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years including camps that were closed once, repopulated, and then were closed again. . "I realize that there are alternatives that public policy could be generating that would work better for homelessness than what has happened in the past. Since the policy has gone into effect, two Oakland nonprofits have burned as a result of fires started in areas where the city knew there to be encampments. Some people keep watch out for fires or other dangers. A hand-painted sign can be seen at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones plays guitar. Its absurd to think that we've gotten this far through this process and we have not had anybody take a survey of who is actually affected by this, McGowan said at the hearing. At the time, city officials said they didnt yet have a timeline on when the new cabin community at Wood Street would break ground. 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The audit also analyzed the citys ability to respond when its unhoused communities need help. The Citys suggestion that it has no responsibility for homeless individuals on state property unless there is a specific earmark is simply unacceptable, Patterson wrote. Officials said they do not know when construction on a community cabin site would begin. When the City decides to close an encampment, the Team makes every effort to relocate encampment dwellers to emergency shelters or community cabins. At the start of 2020, the city was conducting several camp closures each monthseven in January, and nine each in February and Marchuntil COVID-19 cases began rising and the county went on lockdown. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. Hall of Justice. But Oakland only has 598-city-funded, year-round shelter beds and an estimated homeless population of 4,000 as of 2019 with nearly 80% of those unsheltered. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. The city may now post notices of the closure and shall give individuals at the encampment at least seven days notice before the closure begins, Orrick wrote. But a solution might be on the horizon. Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. They did not respond to questions as to what the object was. The final 2019-2021 budget allocates $32 million to address homelessness by: expanding health, sanitation, safety services for unsheltered residents funding self-governed encampments and temporary housing options such as tiny homes, shipping containers, and mobile homes. The Oakland City Council has . by Natalie Orenstein March 25, 2021. Earlier this week, a coalition of residents wrote a public letter to state, city and county officials urging them to work with them. Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. The decision from Judge William Orrick comes after a month-long legal battle between residents and the transit agency, the city, and the county. The Oakland city auditor in April released a report that highlighted a litany of problems that plague the city's estimated 140 homeless communities, including: 1,599 interventions for "hygiene . (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove debris from the Wood Street homeless encampment on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Caltrans is overseeing the cleanup of its property along Wood Street. Under these circumstances, the judge found that the standards for the TRO were no longer met. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oakland's most vulnerable. Under state law, working with homeless individuals to identify housing or shelter alternatives is a local, not a state, responsibility.. Gavin Newsoms administration awarded Oakland a $4.7. OaklandWorkers continued Monday to clear the massive homeless encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. A federal judge on Friday refused to let Caltrans "wash their hands" of people living in a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland by clearing them from it. July 11, 2022 / 6:27 PM / CBS San Francisco. The man, who was not identified, was taken into custody. He says Caltrans has forced him to move several times. Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. The expert behind the report compared it to the poorest places in the world, decried the lack of access to clean water and toilets, and said the rodent infestations, fire dangers and other hazards should be quickly addressed. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: A member of the Oakland Police Department posts warning notices for illegally parked vehicles at the Wood Street homeless encampment on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Caltrans is overseeing the cleanup of its property along Wood Street. There are 32 beds available in the new tiny home site off Wood Street, and another 28 new safe parking spaces in East Oakland, the city said in a court filing. View the map in a new window. In May, city officials told The Chronicle that they dont have enough shelter beds to offer to everyone at Wood Street. Ramona Choyce lost everything in a fire in March at the encampment, which has seen several blazes in the past year. That would allow the city and county to figure out their outreach programs so that there could be actual adequate outreach, she said, instead of a rushed approach that will lead to immense danger and harm to the residents..
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