Clean and Safe City Q&A - Homelessness and Encampments

The City is carrying out a multi-pronged approach to address the challenges of homelessness and housing affordability.  

The Human Services Department works to connect unhoused residents with transitional housing and supportive services. These services are primarily provided by Alameda County and other City partners.  

The Housing and Community Development Department is addressing housing affordability through its “3P's” framework:  

• Protect Oaklanders from displacement;  
• Preserve existing affordable housing stock; and  
• Produce new, deeply affordable housing units

The Planning and Building Department, in partnership with other City departments, has updated the City’s Housing Element to provide a plan to accommodate more than 26,000 new units of housing over the next eight years, in accordance with state requirements.

Mayor Thao has spearheaded several initiatives to tackle homelessness and increase affordable housing: 

• Measure U Funding: Secured $200 million for creating and acquiring affordable housing units over the next two years, the largest investment of its kind in Oakland’s history. 
• State Grants: Obtained $144.9 million to construct 1,223 new affordable housing units. 
• Affordable Housing Preservation: Preserved at least 134 affordable units through Oakland’s Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing program. 
• Affordable Housing Projects: In 2024, 981 affordable units were or are under construction in Oakland. Of this, 45% (442 units) are permanent supportive housing (PSH) for people exiting homelessness. 
• Encampment Resolution Fund: Secured a $7.2 million grant from the State of California to address long-standing encampments in collaboration with Alameda County. 
• Wood Street Encampment Closure: Successfully closed Northern California’s largest homeless encampment, offering services to all residents and preparing the site for 169 affordable housing units. 
• MLK Jr. Way Encampment Closure: 16 encampment residents transitioned into cabin shelter programs with wraparound services; and 9 enrolled in a medical respite care program run by the County of Alameda; 40 tons of debris removed. 

Does city plan to enforce the Encampment Management Policy? Why motor homes on MacArthur between 105 and 106 have not been required to move? Concern about encampments near schools. Mental health aspect, blight, how to deal with homeless individuals with drug problems? Needles surrounding encampments. Why don’t you stop obvious drug use/drug dealing. Can you require mandatory drug treatment? Can homeless be beholden to same codes we are held to? Encampments are fire, health hazards, specifically East Oakland, Lake Merritt

The City of Oakland follows the Encampment Management Policy passed by City Council in 2020. The Policy designates high-sensitivity areas, where encampments pose significant impacts to health and safety, as well as low-sensitivity areas.

In September 2023, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao issued an Executive Order, directing staff to accelerate encampment clean up efforts in high-sensitivity areas, defined as being located near schools, parks, tot lots, and those that pose a threat to health and safety.

City outreach workers continue to offer services to encampment residents and to connect them with non-City service providers, including programs for mental health and substance abuse, but we can't force people to accept these services.  

The City encourages residents to report encampments, blight and illegal dumping to 311.  

City outreach teams offer available shelter to all encampment residents prior to operations. Offers of shelter are not always accepted and the City cannot force individuals to accept shelter and services. Shelter options may include community cabin programs, safe RV parking sites, rapid rehousing programs, beds at St. Vincent de Paul, and more. All programs include supportive services. 

The City closed the Wood Street encampment, the largest in Northern California, in May 2023. At that time, 59 people (approximately 85%) accepted shelter services. 46 residents accepted shelter at the Wood Street cabin program and eleven moved to a Safe RV Parking program. 

The Wood Street cabin program was created using an $8.3 million grant from the State of California. The program can shelter approximately 100 people, with priority given to unsheltered residents from the Wood Street area. The program has 70 cabins for individuals, 12 double cabins for couples, and six accessible cabins for people with disabilities.   

The program includes shower and laundry facilities, a community kitchen and eating space, limited secured storage for personal belongings, security, parking, and two meals per day. Each cabin has a secure, locked door and windows, a wall-mounted heater, an overhead light, and electrical outlets. Program participants have 24/7 access and are welcome to bring up to two pets. The program includes housing navigation, job placement support, case management, counseling, and other services.   

The City-owned Wood Street parcel will be turned into 170 affordable homes - 85 for people to rent and 85 for people to buy.

City crews post signs in the area and monitor to discourage re-encampment. Residents can report encampments to 311 via phone call or online. 

The City will not tow a vehicle if it looks like someone is living in it. The city's Vehicle Enforcement Unit primarily targets vehicles that are truly abandoned and not being used as shelter. Residents can report suspected abandoned vehicles to the city by reporting to 311. 

In spring 2024 staff received direction from City Council to conduct community engagement regarding a potential emergency shelter program at the Jack London Inn. Staff and the City Council office held a community meeting to discuss the proposal and receive feedback, including surfacing community concerns. The City Administrator has directed staff to evaluate alternative locations.

The City participates in several programs that convert hotels and motels to homeless shelter programs. Oakland has secured State Homekey funding for nine projects that will create 448 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, in partnership with local developers. The City also plans to acquire and convert eight motels and multifamily buildings into homeless shelter programs.  

In 2024, 981 affordable units were or are currently under construction in Oakland. Of this, 45% (442 units) are permanent supportive housing (PSH) for people exiting homelessness.

This huge boom in housing production, especially for extremely low-income people, is the direct result of voter approval of Bond Measure U in 2022 and the City of Oakland’s Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) which shaped Housing and Community Development Department’s investment approach in its 2023-2027 Strategic Action Plan

Residents should report fires to the Oakland Fire Dept. by calling 911.