We're not homeless. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones points to a map of the area hes living near. If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. The Oakland City Council voted Monday to open a co-governed homeless encampment to provide shelter for 40 people in West Oakland making it potentially the second site that residents and. On Monday morning, workers removed vehicles, furniture and other items from the encampment on Caltrans property underneath the MacArthur Maze. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oaklands most vulnerable. I do not look forward to being kicked out. Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Gov. NO Share; A large column of black smoke rises Tuesday, April 5, 2022, from a fire at a homeless encampment next to West Grand Avenue and Wood Street in Oakland's Prescott neighborhood. Caltrans said it would shut down the entire encampment, clearing out about 200 people who live there. But Orrick told the agencies to work it out. 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 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. A large fire broke out at the encampment on Monday,. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Determine findings that will prompt EMT intervention; Provide guidance on addressing unreasonable health and safety risks, promoting voluntary compliance, and strategies to address non-compliance. 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. The City has implemented a number of interventions at every step in the cycle. (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. Settlement reached between . July 11, 2022 Updated 3:24 PM PT. 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. Californias stormy weather is having an unusual effect on S.F. We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. In the six weeks following the TRO, the city advanced the RV park and cabin community projects to a point where it represented to the judge that it would be able to "hold" enough spots to accommodate all the 1707 Wood Street residents who wanted to be sheltered. 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. The City's Public Works crews visit dozens of known encampments throughout the city on a weekly basis to conduct trash removal and garbage cart, porta potty and hand wash station servicing. 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). Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 3, 2022. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years 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.. He allowed Caltrans to continue removing debris from the area, as long as it didnt involve residents belongings. street outreach, homeless shelters, transitional housing, housing exits, and permanent supportive housing as needed. That site reportedly contained a communal area used to organize donations and cook group meals several nights a week as well as "pop-up clinics, regular open mics, and other community town hall events.". In July, a large fire damaged a portion of Interstate 880. Thats on top of nearly 90 fires at the site for the 12 months through March. (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 the Cob on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Oakland, Calif. Caltrans is overseeing the cleanup of its property along Wood Street. To reduce homelessness, we must slow its growth and keep more people in their homes. Housing | 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. I really love this life here.. 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. 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. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years The Rise of Homeless Encampments in Oakland As reported to Public Works The Rise of Homeless Encampments in Oakland As reported to Public Works The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project is a data visualization, counter-cartography, and digitial storytelling collective documenting dispossession and resistance upon gentrifying landscapes. (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. PUBLISHED: February 27, 2023 at 4:49 p.m. | UPDATED: February 28, 2023 at 1:58 p.m. A federal judge on Monday ruled the city can resume efforts to remove dozens of people from a large homeless. The plaintiffs asked that the eviction be enjoined because of a lack of shelter beds, heavy winter rains, and the continued prevalence of Covid and other viruses. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oaklands public parks, according to the audit. 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. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. You will be asked to sign off on an arrest warrant. (KRON4 News) OAKLAND ( KRON) - A two-alarm fire in an Oakland homeless . Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. Our Response Homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years. Ramona Choyce lost everything in a fire in March at the encampment, which has seen several blazes in the past year. People living in vehicles represent 35% of Oakland's overall homeless population. Weve created a system of effective strategies that address homelessness at every step in the cycle. 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. She said shed never seen such a big escalation, referring to the tasing. But the money is insufficient to help all the camps residents. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. "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. Specifically, the audit found the City lacked an effective strategy for dealing with the growth in encampments and did not provide sufficient policy direction or adequate funding at the onset of this crisis, the letter continued. 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. they paid around $400 a month in public assistance and charged. Additionally, the Commission shall be requested to publish reports regarding the following: Canceled - Commission on Homelessness Meeting, Commission on Homelessness - Bylaws and Rules of Procedure. The city has demonstrated it now has enough shelter beds for everyone who will be displaced by the camps closure, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled. 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. Velena Jones reports. The Oakland City Council has . 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. Homeless advocates said residents were offered alternative shelter spaces. 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. The Commission shall review relevant financial and operational reports related to the expenditure of the homeless services fund. Caltrans crews remove a vehicle from the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland on July 19, 2022. The Encampment Management Team tracks all known encampments and prioritizes interventions based on health, safety, and size issues. We cant go far, Clutch said. The encampment is now so huge that some residents drive buses and motorcycles to get from one end to the other. View the map in a new window. 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. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? In these situations, the Encampment Response Map will include information about the code violation case instead of details about an encampment cleanup effort. 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. 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 . Photos by Bront Wittpenn and Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle, decried the lack of access to clean water, just awarded Oakland a $4.7 million grant. 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. The City Council has to approve the plans and construction is likely to take longer than other sites because a set of railroad tracks cuts through the property. The encampment is one of the largest in the city and has been plagued with problems such as illegal dumping and fires for years. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. 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. That's higher than what a typical . News Feb 07, 2023 Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. That speaks to the demand and the concentration of homelessness, she added. Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. At issue is a large encampment on a city-owned piece of vacant land off Wood Street in West Oakland. According to a report by the city administrative officer, the new East Hollywood campground costs approximately $2,663 per participant per month. The EMT is facilitated by the City Administrator's Office via the Homelessness Administrator and receives input and advice from the Commission on Homelessness. 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. Oakland Workers continued Monday to clear the massive homeless encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland. OAKLAND, CA 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 parties he suspected the TRO would be "brief.". Several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. A. Sep 2022 Q. "What I have tried to do is create a possibility of relocation in a way that is the least harmful to the people who live on Wood Street," he said at the hearing. 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.". What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? 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. A hand-painted sign can be seen at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 3, 2022. 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. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. 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. Sign up for our daily newsletter. The money would fund a new community cabin site or tiny home village at Wood Street for about 50 people. A separate request earlier this month to halt Oakland workers from clearing parts of the encampment on land it owns was denied. There are about 4,000 homeless people many of them living in at least 140 . OAKLAND, Calif. ( KRON) Caltrans announced in a press release Friday that it will shut down the homeless encampment on Wood Street. OAKLAND -- About 80 unhoused residents and their property were being cleared from Caltrans property along Wood Street in Oakland on Thursday following a federal judge's ruling that the state. Fed up with homeless encampments that have taken over streets, parks and open spaces, a group of Oakland residents is suing the city. City and state leaders say a deadly fire that occurred in April at the site, killing one and displacing five, makes action there all the more urgent. In May, Gov. James Wiseman, leadership genius? She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. By City News Service on . Residents of the encampment said they know that Caltrans has long wanted to clear them out and plan to resist if the sweep happens. 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. He issued a temporary injunction on July 19, 2022. The Encampment Management Team (EMT) is an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives from Oaklands Public Works Department (OPW), Human Services Department (HSD), Oakland Police Department (OPD), Oakland Fire Department (OFD), the City Administrators Office (CAO), and other consulted departments as necessary (e.g., the Mayors Office, the City Attorneys Office, Parks and Recreation). Local News | 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. The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. Caltrans announced it is closing the entire Wood Street . Caltrans couldnt immediately be reached for further comment. OAKLAND - Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning. City leaders have been struggling with how to deal with the massive encampment, which has exploded in size over the past seven years. Husbands-Hankin said she saw an officer tase the man and tackle him to the ground. Diesel is expensive. Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. 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. Partner with us by contributing resources or time to respond to the homelessness crisis. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 5: Maria Fuentes, who is a coordinator at the Community of Grace homeless encampment, shows their community garden across from the Home Depot on the 4000 block of . Their model is wrong, he said. Under these circumstances, the judge found that the standards for the TRO were no longer met. He concluded his decision with "I recognize that no party is happy with this order. Related Articles Caltrans has cleared the parts of the encampment on its property three times in the past year and says it will continue to do so if safety concerns, such as fires, continue. When could it return? Sarah Ravani covers Oakland and the East Bay at The San Francisco Chronicle. Designate high-sensitivity areas, where unmanaged encampments are presumed to cause unreasonably high levels of health and safety impacts due to the nature of the location; Designate low-sensitivity areas, where enforcement will not be prioritized. Where can we fit that? 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. 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. Today at 621AM OFD responded to report of an RV fire at East 12th & 17th Ave. E4 arrived and found 2 RV's & 12 . 550 North Flower Street. This chart is updated at the end of each month. The shelters are full. He and the others had lived in four old buses one of which was destroyed during the move and a van. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing. Housing | 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. Photograph: Talia Herman/The Guardian Wood Street residents deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, Husbands-Hankin said. We cant just let people to continue to die on the sidewalks while we try to figure out what permanent solutions can be, Fife said. Pushing people with no real and adequate shelter to accommodate them is inhumane and does not solve the larger problem.. 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 encampment is. 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. Yes, that's a toucan flying around Walnut Creek. The plaintiffs and all living at the Wood Street encampment must make immediate plans to move.". by Natalie Orenstein March 25, 2021. City staff were there to clear out residents from the northern part of the encampment, near the city-sanctioned RV safe parking site. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. 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. In July, Caltrans alerted the residents they would have five days to pack their belongings and leave. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! (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. Police tagged vehicles with illegal parking notices as residents scrambled to move motorcycles, cars and RVs. An attorney for the city said it doesn't have enough safe parking sites for everyone to bring their vehicles there. The news of the clearing comes after a two-alarm fire broke out Monday at the site, which dozens of blazes have torn through over the past year. Officials said they do not know when construction on a community cabin site would begin. A United Nations report from 2018, for example, stated that a U.N. investigator witnessed officials "attempting to discourage residents from remaining in informal settlements or encampments by denying access to water, sanitation and health services and other basic necessities, [which] constitutes cruel and inhuman treatment and is a . Staff Attorneys will primarily . On Monday, police said the man is facing charges for throwing an object at a vehicle. Without a "constitutional right to housing," Orrick said he had no authority to allow the encampment to remain on the property. In May, city officials put the total number of residents in the encampment at 300 people. A. Clutch, a 40-year-old resident, holds his neighbors dog, Panda, near his van at Oaklands Wood Street homeless encampment. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. 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. Housing | The city did not say exactly when it planned to begin closing the encampment, but said it would make reasonable efforts to avoid displacing people during excessive rain or very cold weather. Earlier this month, another federal judge allowed that work to continue. The conditions at the encampment which has mountains of trash and burned-out vehicles were called cruel and inhumane in a U.N. report from 2018. The judge quickly sided with the homeless residents, and issued a temporary order barring the city from clearing the camp at least until the city could prove it had enough shelter beds for everyone displaced. the city has scheduled sweeps of the site, cleared the parts of the encampment on its property. Santa Ana, California 92703. Narcan spray and other sanitary products can be seen on a book shelf. Its been a struggle just to stand up emergency shelters.. We are in a catch-22., Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. She said some weeks she only had 25 open shelter beds out of nearly 600 in the system. The streets of Oakland are already full of unhoused persons, many of whom were previously evicted from their encampments.". Some people keep watch out for fires or other dangers. Caltrans says it's closing Oakland's Wood Street homeless encampment because of safety concerns. But the time for finger-pointing and disclaimers of responsibility is over. The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oakland's public parks, according to the audit. Local News | 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. The encampment is on property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies, including Caltrans, which owns the property directly under the freeway. She joined The Chronicle in 2016 after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Local News | The city's lawyers had no comment on the ruling. 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 . Earlier this week, a coalition of residents wrote a public letter to state, city and county officials urging them to work with them. Although the first phase includes offers of temporary shelter, Orrick said subsequent phases could continue whether or not shelter was available. As in the earlier case, the plaintiffs argued, among other things, that the eviction would amount to an unconstitutional state-created danger. City Administrator Ed Reiskin said city employees have worked hard to compassionately manage the surge in encampments, while acknowledging they havent always had clear policy direction or sufficient resources. Lara Tannenbaum, the citys human services manager, who was at the meeting, told The Chronicle last month that officials will meet with residents and any intervention would be done in partnership with them. Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. A surprise sweep of a newly formed homeless encampment on state property has forced some unhoused West Oakland residents to move - yet again.
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