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 . A number of residents relocated to a two-acre parcel at 1707 Wood St. owned by Oakland. A. Now, they live on city property along Wood Streets right-of-way. 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. In an earlier statement, Caltrans said it planned to clear the camp to address the increasingly serious safety risks to life, property and infrastructure at the encampment. The agency said it was coordinating with the city and the county to offer residents shelter. The city estimates there are at least 140 encampments scattered throughout Oakland. I do not look forward to being kicked out. Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Gov. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. Last year Caltrans cleared a much larger camp between 200 and 300 people on a neighboring lot owned by the transit agency. The encampment spans nearly 25 city blocks with about 300 people living under freeways in tents, RVs and makeshift shelters amid burned-out vehicles, mounds of trash and dirt. 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. They said the city had not fulfilled promises made in connection with the prior lawsuit. 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.. City lawyers had no comment on the ruling. The choice: Leave, or hunker down. OaklandWorkers continued Monday to clear the massive homeless encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland. As in the earlier case, the plaintiffs argued, among other things, that the eviction would amount to an unconstitutional state-created danger. The audit also found the city needs to collect better data on encampments, increase outreach to unhoused people, provide better notice to camp residents before a camp will be closed, improve its efforts to collect and preserve residents belongings when a camp is closed, and create a comprehensive policy on transporting displaced camp residents. 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. In a lawsuit filed this week, grassroots group Neighbors. Despite the problems, Wood Street residents say they look out for each other and have formed a self-sufficient community, building homes using wood panels and doors among the abandoned railroad tracks. LA CITY COUNCIL GREENLIGHTS BAN ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS 500 FEET FROM SCHOOLS, DAYCARE CENTERS Though Newsom's handling of the Oakland matter was worded authoritatively, the governor has also. 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. Residents say the camp is a place where they can live how they want after losing stable homes because of evictions or job losses. Since the restraining order was issued, another 12 fires have broken out on the site, Orrick said at the hearing. The city plans to offer approximately 40 emergency shelter beds to residents in the first phase of the closure, though its unclear how many people actually live in the affected area. (213) 229-1700. Caltrans crews wait to clear the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022, while residents and advocates block the road. Related Articles Oaklands $12.6 million effort to deal with its recent explosion of homeless encampments was haphazard, lacking strategy, policy direction and adequate funding, according to a scathing new city audit. The encampment is now so huge that some residents drive buses and motorcycles to get from one end to the other. 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. She graduated from American University with a BA degree in literature with a minor in journalism. For now, it appears that camp residents will have at least another long weekend at the park before the standoff continues. The encampment spans nearly 25 city blocks with about 300 people living under freeways in tents, RVs and makeshift shelters amid burned-out vehicles, mounds of trash and dirt. The Oakland, California Homeless Problem is Beyond Belief Nick Johnson 762K subscribers Subscribe 112K 13M views 1 year ago #california #moving Is this where America is headed? 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. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove a couch 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. Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Hall of Justice. Tuesday at 3:07 PM. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. We do need permanent supportive housing and where is it? The pandemic caused the city to halt most encampment closures, but now city staff say closures are on the table as long as shelter space is available. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. Contact information for four of the major Southern California sheriff's departments is: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. 6 of 23 7 of 23. It ended badly, Hit bean company Rancho Gordo embroiled in discrimination lawsuit. The commission also must follow an extensive legal process before being permitted to levy the $6,000 daily fine on Oakland, noted journalist Jaime Omar Yassin . There are another 40 spaces available in pre-existing tiny home, safe parking and other sites throughout the city and there likely will be dozens of beds free at St. Vincent de Paul, a dorm-style shelter in West Oakland, according to the city. In his written decision dissolving the injunction, Orrick recognized that even with the additional time and the help of the city, there were going to be people who would experience serious hardship. After nearly two-month delay, judge allows, 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), Bay Area weather: After thunderstorms and hail, snow could be on the way this weekend, After nearly two-month delay, judge allows Oakland to remove large homeless camp, 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. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Local News | . Sarah Ravani covers Oakland and the East Bay at The San Francisco Chronicle. The City has implemented a number of interventions at every step in the cycle. OAKLAND, CA - MAY 5: A homeless encampment is photographed on a plot of land along East 12th Street and 1st Avenue on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. But if it fails to get people into real shelter and housing, it could be a cautionary tale for officials throughout California struggling with mushrooming encampments. 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 5-days' notice to clear the site. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oaklands most vulnerable. City staff were there to clear out residents from the northern part of the encampment, near the city-sanctioned RV safe parking site. But those are things that are beyond what can be ordered in this case.". I used to frequently take my kids in the stroller on this walk but now in addition to being . Homeless Encampment at 9418 Edes Ave Oakland, CA, 94603, USA: Im a community member and my street is getting full of RV and abandoned cars for many months now. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones plays guitar. 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 . Reporting an Issue If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. Caltrans has completed much smaller sweeps in the past. 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. Credit: Darwin BondGraham. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. In an attempt to fend off the impending closure of the Commons, residents sued the city in early January. Because of the connection to the earlier litigation, the case was assigned to Judge Orrick who entered a TRO on January 6, 2023. While the city did open a RV safe parking site for 40 vehicles at Wood Street last summer, its struggled to house more residents. James Wiseman, leadership genius? 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. 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. Neighbors tell Da Lin the looming closure is long overdue. Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. And where do we go? The encampment is on property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies, including Caltrans, which owns the property directly under the freeway. Without a "constitutional right to housing," Orrick said he had no authority to allow the encampment to remain on the property. Gavin Newsoms administration awarded Oakland a $4.7. 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. 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. As of last week, the city has offered shelter beds to about 70 people at the Wood Street encampment, according to the court filing. Caltrans spokesperson Rocquel Johnson said the agency plans to eventually completely close the parts of the encampment that are under freeway overpasses and work to relocate people to safer conditions.. Forcing Californians into mental health treatment would get easier with proposed legislation We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. Dozens of Caltrans workers and California Highway . A surprise sweep of a newly formed homeless encampment on state property has forced some unhoused West Oakland residents to move - yet again. Those are things that are beyond what can be ordered in this case, he said. Caltrans said it would shut down the entire encampment, clearing out about 200 people who live there. The city needs to fund a formal encampment management program to implement the policy passed in October, and to address the findings of the audit, the auditors office wrote. Oakland has responded to the crisis level surge in homelessness with emergency measures like community cabins. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oaklands public parks, according to the audit. The city doesnt have the resources to close something as large as Wood Street, said LaTonda Simmons, the citys former interim homelessness administrator. Local News | A show made by people behind bars in California prisons. Caltrans crews remove a vehicle from the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland on July 19, 2022. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. Gov. Narcan spray and other sanitary products can be seen on a book shelf at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 2, 2022. (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. The money would fund a new community cabin site or tiny home village at Wood Street for about 50 people. The transportation agency said in a release they will begin shutting down the entire encampment in phases beginning July 20 and will work with city officials and the county to place people in alternate shelter. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. That injunction was dissolved in phases, beginning in August of 2022, giving residents more time to find other alternatives. The homeless population has jumped by 63% since 2017 in Oakland, where the median house sales price is about $750,000. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. Caltrans announced it is closing the entire Wood Street . Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years It is . The judge noted that while the U.S. constitution does not require the government to protect people from harm caused by third persons, there is an exception when the state "affirmatively places [a plaintiff] in danger by acting with deliberate indifference to a known or obvious danger.". Its been a struggle just to stand up emergency shelters.. View the list of locations and servicing schedule below. Encampment Management is necessary to address the emergency needs of our unhoused residents, and serves as one part of the Citys overall response to prevent, stabilize and house our community. Oaklands biggest homeless encampment could massively shrink with planned sweep of 200 people, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. It dissolves a restraining order that previously halted Caltrans plans to clear the camp and allows the city to begin a phased closure of the encampment. When U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick issued a temporary restraining order on Jan. 6, 2023 forbidding the city of Oakland from closing a homeless encampment at 1707 Wood St., he told. The city did not immediately return a request for comment. To reduce homelessness, we must slow its growth and keep more people in their homes. Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. In October, the City Council approved an Encampment Management Policy, which prioritizes the removal of camps near homes, businesses, schools and other areas, and lays out health and safety rules encampments must follow. 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. Over the next several weeks, the Caltrans site was cleaned and cleared and the residents moved to other locations and situations. An officer will be dispatched to your location. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. They're looking to make us homeless. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1.

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