Local News | 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. 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. City of Oakland | Councilmember Bas' efforts to improve Homeless 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. 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. Oakland mayor appoints former Compton city manager as Interim City Administrator . Court Allows City To Close Homeless Encampment At 1707 Wood Street Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? Multiple. LAPD union supports unarmed responders to certain 911 calls including homeless encampment clean-ups 0. Caltrans to boost California homeless encampment cleanups | The This is our home.. Thats on top of nearly 90 fires at the site for the 12 months through March. He currently plays for his neighbors outside his shelter, where a piano, guitar and drums are set up. 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. Skinny lives at 37MLK, the homeless encampment in Oakland, California, that was created by community organizers taking over a vacant lot. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. The decision from Judge William Orrick comes after a month-long legal battle between residents and the transit agency, the city, and the county. Earlier this month, another federal judge allowed that work to continue. 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.. To report an encampment online, please scan the QR code below to access the Reporting Tool page: Or go to the Reporting Tool website: https://reportencampments.tucsonaz.gov/ To report an encampment by phone, please call the City of Tucson Resource Line: (520) 791-2540 Initiation of Protocol Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. Now is the big showdown, said Theo Cedar Jones, a resident at Wood Street for nearly two years. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. The city spent $12.6 million over the past two fiscal years, mostly unbudgeted, to manage the camps that have spread across city streets, sidewalks, parks and open spaces, according to a report released Wednesday by the city auditor. We're not homeless. After a pandemic pause, Oakland ramped up homeless camp closures again In October of 2020, the Oakland City Council adopted an Encampment Management Policy to focus encampment actions on mitigating negative outcomes as they pertain to public safety, public health, and equity outcomes. The order is the latest in a long-running dispute over a homeless camp, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options, Activist Judy Heumann led a reimagining of what it means to be disabled, How this year's Selma Bridge Crossing could mark a community renaissance, Storms across the U.S. cause deaths and power outages, Russia's foreign minister gets laughed at over Ukraine remarks at a global conference. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years Ideally, the auditors office wrote, those calls should have been responded to in 10 to 15 minutes. This chart is updated at the end of each month. If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. City leaders say the encampment which spans property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies is a crisis, but officials havent cleared it, arguing they dont have enough shelter beds for everyone. Related Articles Bay Bridge light display will go dark after a decade Sunday. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? 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. Homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years. After nearly two-month delay, judge allows Oakland to remove large homeless camp All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years A large fire broke out at the encampment on Monday,. Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. That order was dissolved about a month later, when the city said it was set to open a new tiny home site near the encampment, and a safe parking site in East Oakland for people living in RVs. In a lawsuit filed this week, grassroots group Neighbors. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Judge blocks Caltrans' plans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. Copyright 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. We are hard at work implementing that policy amidst a historic budget shortfall, staffing shortages, and an ongoing pandemic that has limited the shelter options available to the residents of our encampments, the statement continued. Ruined vegetation, broken irrigation lines and damaged fencing at Lake Merritt, as well as degraded water quality in the tidal marsh, will cost the city an estimated $550,000, according to the report. Oaklands biggest homeless encampment could massively shrink with planned sweep of 200 people, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. 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. The number of people sleeping on Oaklands streets jumped from 1,902 in 2017 to 3,210 in 2019, according to the most recent point-in-time counts. Homeless Encampment - Issue #14153196 - Brookfield Village, Oakland, CA by Natalie Orenstein March 25, 2021. James Wiseman, leadership genius? But Orrick said requiring Caltrans to provide those resources was beyond the scope of the law. In May, city officials put the total number of residents in the encampment at 300 people. Theyre too densely packed together.. (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. Oakland homeless advocates turn underpass encampment - New York Post Its uncertain if Caltrans has the authority to clear land it doesnt own. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. They come in out of nowhere, said Ben Murawski, another Wood Street resident, lamenting how agency employees destroy our homes.. 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. But the city didnt give the team the resources it needed including a budget, according to the audit. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. OAKLAND, Calif. ( KRON) Caltrans announced in a press release Friday that it will shut down the homeless encampment on Wood Street. Homeless Action Center hiring Staff Attorney in Oakland, California She and her husband, Lenton, live in a 20-foot trailer at the Coliseum Stadium parking lot in Oakland. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones plays guitar. There were more than 40 people living there on Dec. 22, when Oakland gave notice that it intended to evict all persons on Jan. 9 to clear the site for the development of low-income housing. OAKLAND - Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning. The money would fund a new community cabin site or tiny home village at Wood Street for about 50 people. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. I used to frequently take my kids in the stroller on this walk but now in addition to being . And Orrick agreed. But a solution might be on the horizon. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: An officer with the California Highway Patrol marks a vehicle 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 order is the latest in a long-running dispute over a homeless camp that once covered 40 acres under the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, where between 200 and 300 people lived in vehicles, RVs, tents and other makeshift structures. Housing | Their model is wrong, he said. (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. Oakland has responded to the crisis level surge in homelessness with emergency measures like community cabins. The city says it needs to clear the camp to make way for a 170-unit affordable housing project planned for the site. Mayor Libby Schaaf, city administrator Ed Reiskin, police Chief LeRonne Armstrong and Daniel Cooper, the citys newly appointed homelessness administrator, were at Wood Street on Wednesday. Oakland firefighters responded to 90% of the 988 encampment calls they received in less than eight minutes. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. that was may . While the city was working to open a safe parking area for RVs that would accommodate 29 vehicles and a "cabin community" with 31 beds, neither site was yet ready for occupancy. Clutch, a 40-year-old resident, holds his neighbors dog, Panda, near his van at Oaklands Wood Street homeless encampment. The order is the latest in a long-running dispute over a homeless camp that once covered 40 acres under the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland, where between 200 and 300 people lived in vehicles, RVs, tents and other makeshift structures. 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. In July, a large fire damaged a portion of Interstate 880. 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. But Orrick told the agencies to work it out. Gavin Newsoms administration awarded Oakland a $4.7. The Encampment Management Policy seeks to address the adverse health and safety impacts of unsheltered homelessness, with compassion and care to not criminalize poverty. The majority of the $12.6 million spent over the past two years went to staff and equipment associated with closing and cleaning encampments, as well as providing garbage services, portable toilets and water at camps. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Housing | Fire flares up at homeless encampment under Oakland freeway - Los Judge will allow Oakland to clear dozens from massive homeless camp 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. The Oakland Fire . It ended badly, Hit bean company Rancho Gordo embroiled in discrimination lawsuit. The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Community members move a motorcycle to a trailer 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. Encampment Response Map - City of Tacoma Ruined vegetation, broken irrigation lines and damaged fencing at Lake Merritt, as well as. "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. He said, "This TRO is not a long-term prohibition on Oakland's actions but rather a stopgap to prevent violation of constitutional rights that are likely to result from the combination of the state-of-emergency weather situation and the failure to provide alternative shelter.". Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? 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. Fed up with homeless encampments that have taken over streets, parks and open spaces, a group of Oakland residents is suing the city. 211 West Temple Street. 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 Oakland City Council has . A. Fire sweeps through homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze in Oakland Photograph: Talia Herman/The Guardian Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. Neighbors tell Da Lin the looming closure is long overdue. The departments goal is to respond to 90% of calls within seven minutes. Russell Wilson asked for Pete Carroll, Seahawks GM to be fired; QB denies report. Housing | 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. 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. The city's lawyers had no comment on the ruling. City lawyers had no comment on the ruling. We are ready to scale up for reductions in homelessness, though new state and federal funds and more intergovernmental coordination are needed. 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 . Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Los Angeles, California 90012. At issue is a large encampment on a city-owned piece of vacant land off Wood Street in West Oakland. Husbands-Hankin said she saw an officer tase the man and tackle him to the ground. Sarah Ravani covers Oakland and the East Bay at The San Francisco Chronicle. Over the past seven years, Oaklands Wood Street encampment has exploded in size. The homeless population has jumped by 63% since 2017 in Oakland, where the median house sales price is about $750,000. Contact information for four of the major Southern California sheriff's departments is: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Federal court order opens the way for Oakland residents to move to new Cold Bay Area rains fail to shut down vibrant Holi celebration in Fremont. Their. Narcan spray and other sanitary products can be seen on a book shelf. On Monday, police said the man is facing charges for throwing an object at a vehicle. 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. Under these circumstances, the judge found that the standards for the TRO were no longer met. Federal judge says San Francisco can't clear homeless camps