Thursday evening, representatives from the city of Oakland submitted a plan for a phased closure of the site, beginning at its northernmost edge, where a fire on July 11 sent plumes of black smoke onto the 880 overpass. We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. An officer will be dispatched to your location. The Oakland City Council unanimously passed a new homeless encampment policy Tuesday, more than 10 hours into a meeting where dozens of members of the public spoke passionately about the proposal and protesters rallied outside two councilmembers' homes. When the city has scheduled sweeps of the site, residents and homeless advocates have blocked workers from entering and removing belongings. OAKLAND - Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning. NO Share; Meanwhile, Council Member Carroll Fife, who represents the district that includes the Wood Street encampment, has directed the city administration to study creating an emergency shelter for 1,000 people on a section of the former Oakland Army Base. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. 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.. 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 . Call Taker: Is the homeless encampment within 500 feet of a waterway (creek, lake or bay)? The Administration is grateful that the City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive, citywide Encampment Management Policy last October, and are now beginning to identify the necessary resources to support this important work with an understanding that even more is necessary, Reiskin wrote in an emailed statement. kept in homes through Keep Oakland Housed in Fiscal Year 19-20, moved from homelessness to permanent housing in Fiscal Year 19-20, Oakland doubled transitional housing capacity from 2018-2020, City of Oakland Opens 100-bed Cabin Shelter Program at Wood Street, Estelle Clemons, Interim Director of Human Services and, Daniel Cooper, Homelessness Administrator, The Funding will enable the Kingdom Builders Transitional Housing project to make accessibility and other improvements to the building to address the needs of some of our most vulnerable neighbors, Learn About the City's Homelessness Strategy, Joint Statement regarding Homeless Services Performance Audit, City of Oakland Receives $5.6M Homekey Award for Transitional Housing Acquisition and Rehabilitation. Housing | The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oakland's public parks, according to the audit. That's higher than what a typical . After nearly two-month delay, judge allows Oakland to remove large homeless camp Housing | Audit: Oaklands $12.6 million homelessness, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, Audit: Oaklands $12.6 million homelessness response lacked strategy, direction, Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided, Forcing Californians into mental health treatment would get easier with proposed legislation, Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years, After nearly two-month delay, judge allows Oakland to remove large homeless camp. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) Caltrans can begin evicting the estimated 200 people who live under an 880 overpass in West Oakland after Labor Day, a federal district judge ruled Friday. On Monday, police said the man is facing charges for throwing an object at a vehicle. The controversial policy was approved by the City Council last year, but it's largely gone unenforced. Theo Cedar Jones, a resident at Wood Street for nearly two years who lives in a makeshift shelter, said he doesnt like the citys community cabin model and wouldnt use it. Velena Jones reports. A resident of the 1707 Wood site and a local advocate then brought suit against Oakland in federal court asking that the city be enjoined. they paid around $400 a month in public assistance and charged. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing You will be asked to sign off on an arrest warrant. In the meantime, residents say they live in constant fear that they will be forced to leave with little notice. Over the past seven years, Oaklands Wood Street encampment has exploded in size. Raised eyebrows. Photograph: Talia Herman/The Guardian Three days later, a group of encampment residents sued Caltrans, the governor, Oakland and a number of public officials in federal court, alleging that their forced removal from the site would constitute an unconstitutional "state created danger" and place them at a high degree of risk because there were not adequate shelter options for them in Oakland. 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He dissolved the TRO immediately, conditioned on the city's representations that there would be sufficient shelter options for the displaced residents. 211 West Temple Street. Complete clearing of total area without option to return, Partial clearing of an encamped area without option to return, Cleaning of an area with the option to return, May apply to a portion of or the total area, Regularly established garbage clearing and temporary sanitation. Alameda Hot Spot Makes Best Sandwich List, Health Emergency Ends, COVID Vigilance Does Not, American Tulip Day & Free, U-Pick-Tulips 2023: Union Square, San Francisco, St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl: LepraCon San Francisco, Before & After Photos Show CA's Snowpack, Reservoirs After Storms, Best Bay Area Sandwiches + Stranded Hiker Rescued: Saturday Smiles, Sprawling Estates, Suburban Dreams: 11 Featured Bay Area Homes, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk], Monarch Butterflies: Our Fluttery Friends Are Wintering In The Area, Visit CA's National Parks For Free On 5 Fee-Free Days In 2023, Alameda County Gardening: November Checklist, Growing Spinach In Containers: Alameda County Gardening, What To Do In Alameda County Gardens In October. A separate request earlier this month to halt Oakland workers from clearing parts of the encampment on land it owns was denied. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. OaklandWorkers continued Monday to clear the massive homeless encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland. The action will set in motion the eviction of several dozen people living on a vacant, city-owned lot off Wood Street in West Oakland . Narcan spray and other sanitary products can be seen on a book shelf. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. 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.. Theo Cedar Jones (third from right) and other residents of the Wood Street encampment proposed self-governing during a meeting with Oakland staff in July. Related Articles According to "point-in-time" counts cited in their pleadings, there were 5,055 individuals in Oakland experiencing homelessness, of which 3,347 were unsheltered. The report lays out 26 recommendations, all of which the city has committed to following, according to the auditors office. Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. Gavin Newsoms administration awarded Oakland a $4.7 million grant to fund a new community cabin site or tiny home village at Wood Street for about 50 people and to figure out how to help others at the site. And it was clear at the hearing that the city, county and Caltrans still had not worked out a plan for a number of different issues related to the encampment's closure, including who would do the outreach to residents and where residents' belongings would be kept. Cars, RVs and debris burned Monday, sending a giant cloud of smoke into the sky, and freezing highway traffic in the vicinity. "These are vehicles of human beings," he said at the hearing, "and they are not to be lost.". He and the others had lived in four old buses one of which was destroyed during the move and a van. The encampment is on property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies, including Caltrans, which owns the property directly under the freeway. 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. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) Caltrans workers clear a barricade made by Wood Street residents meant to keep Caltrans out of the encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. Fed up with homeless encampments that have taken over streets, parks and open spaces, a group of Oakland residents is suing the city. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided Ramona Choyce lost everything in a fire in March at the encampment, which has seen several blazes in the past year. Today at 621AM OFD responded to report of an RV fire at East 12th & 17th Ave. E4 arrived and found 2 RV's & 12 . Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. A hand-painted sign can be seen at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 3, 2022. A burned-out van amid charred rubble of where Ramon Choyce once lived at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. City of Oakland Opens 100-bed Cabin Shelter Program at Wood Street, Estelle Clemons, Interim Director of Human Services and, Daniel Cooper, Homelessness Administrator, Court order would allow phased clean-up and closure operation to resume to abate potentially hazardous conditions that threaten public health and safety, Completed Encampment Management Operations, FACT SHEET: Wood Street Update - October 2022, FACT SHEET: Wood Street Encampment - July 2022, HOJA INFORMATIVA: Intervenciones para la gestin del campamento de Wood Street, FACT SHEET: East 12th Street Median Encampment - October 2022, Completed Encampment Management Team Operations Since 2021, Joint Statement regarding Homeless Services Performance Audit, Federal Judge Indicates Approval of City of Oaklands Thoughtful Outreach and Services Plan in Support of Caltrans Encampment Closure Operation on Wood Street. The City has implemented a number of interventions at every step in the cycle. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years (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. 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. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Community members watch as workers clear a section of the Wood Street homeless encampment near an area known as Cob on Wood on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Caltrans is overseeing the cleanup of its property along Wood Street. She graduated from American University with a BA degree in literature with a minor in journalism. The Commission shall review relevant financial and operational reports related to the expenditure of the homeless services fund. December 24, 2022, 9:57 AM SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge has temporarily banned San Francisco from clearing homeless encampments, saying the city violated its own policies by failing to offer other shelter. This chart is updated at the end of each month. Oakland police took an average of four to six hours to respond to emergency calls in encampments during the last two fiscal years, according to the audit. Tuesday at 3:07 PM. Nobody who lived in the homeless camp on Wood Street in Oakland was surprised when police cars and helmeted motorcycle officers started driving up and down the block early on a Tuesday. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Workers have been clearing the sprawling camp in phases, a process that started in July. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: An officer with the California Highway Patrol watches as a vehicle is towed 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. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Oakland Unveils 100-Person Tiny-Home Village at Troubled Wood Street Encampment What was once northern California's largest homeless encampment at Wood Street in Oakland now has a. Clutch, a 40-year-old resident, holds his neighbors dog, Panda, near his van at Oaklands Wood Street homeless encampment. The city's lawyers had no comment on the ruling. Both the city and the camps residents have different ideas for what the future should be for the land and the people who live there. Hall of Justice. 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. after a two-alarm fire broke out Monday at the site, decried the lack of access to clean water. Jones and several residents presented their idea of a self-governed site to city staff and Fife at a meeting last summer. Skinny lives at 37MLK, the homeless encampment in Oakland, California, that was created by community organizers taking over a vacant lot. Caltrans crews remove a vehicle from the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland on July 19, 2022. hese are vehicles of human beings," he said at the hearing, "and they are not to be lost. They come in out of nowhere, said Ben Murawski, another Wood Street resident, lamenting how agency employees destroy our homes.. Housing | OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove numerous items 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. A large fire that swept through a homeless encampment underneath the 880 Freeway in West Oakland on Monday destroyed several vehicles and RVs before it was put . Review and respond annually to the City's 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. Fife said the site which could offer pallet shelters, a community kitchen, bathrooms and wraparound services could house many of Wood Streets residents. Under these circumstances, the judge found that the standards for the TRO were no longer met. He says Caltrans has forced him to move several times. But the time for finger-pointing and disclaimers of responsibility is over. The fire at the Wood Street encampment is sending a plume of smoke over the San Francisco Bay and downtown Oakland. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) Gavin Newsoms administration just awarded Oakland a $4.7 million grant to come up with a model at Wood Street one that can be replicated in other cities. The land was mostly owned by Caltrans and after a history of fires on the site and concerns about the proximity of a nearby oxygen production plant on July 15, 2022 the agency gave residents five-days' notice to clear the site. The choice: Leave, or hunker down. Theyre too densely packed together.. He found that the plaintiffs raised at least a significant question about whether the doctrine applied to them and concluded that under all the circumstances, including the weather and the ongoing "tripledemic," it was appropriate to issue the TRO, though he telegraphed that the pause on eviction would not be unlimited. Related Articles The Team provides sanitation services and regular trash pick up. The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. 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. Housing | 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. Many people at Wood Street live in RVs, cars and other vehicles. She said shed never seen such a big escalation, referring to the tasing. The city says it needs to clear the camp to make way for a 170-unit affordable housing project planned for the site. Because of the connection to the earlier litigation, the case was assigned to Judge Orrick who entered a TRO on January 6, 2023. It is both a humanitarian duty and a civic expectation that our homeless become housed, and our City streets and parks are returned to their intended public uses.. The complaint stated, "The residents of 1707 Wood Street have nowhere to go. Housing | I used to frequently take my kids in the stroller on this walk but now in addition to being . Residents say the camp is a place where they can live how they want after losing stable homes because of evictions or job losses. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones points to a map of the area hes living near. We got three buses. Homeless Encampment at Lake Merritt Blvd Oakland, CA, 94607, USA: Hi, both sidewalks on either side of the channel going from Lake Merritt to the Bay are entirely blocked by homeless encampments. But that's only a fraction of the more than 5,000 encampments on . When you are dealing with homeless individuals or a homeless encampment, these types of crimes include: Trespassing Public intoxication Public urination You report that you've witnessed a crime to the police or sheriff. In May, Gov. We cant go far, Clutch said. The plaintiffs have raised serious questions that the state will violate their constitutional rights, Orrick wrote in his July order, by placing them in increased danger when it removes them at short notice from the encampment without adequate plans to provide shelter..