Housing | In July the city began clearing an area between West Grand and 26th Street in Oakland in preparation for a shelter at the site, which would house approximately 50 people. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oaklands most vulnerable. 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. (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. Judge will allow Oakland to clear dozens from massive homeless camp 1,000 people on a section of the former Oakland Army Base. Police said a person allegedly assaulted a public works employee and when officers tried to detain him, he refused and they used force. The Oakland Fire . Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oakland's most vulnerable. He issued a temporary injunction on July 19, 2022. 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. 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 . We got three buses. Forcing Californians into mental health treatment would get easier with proposed legislation Caltrans crews wait to clear the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022, while residents and advocates block the road. Home Depot pressures Oakland to remove homeless encampment Oakland is experiencing a network outage that is affecting key services such as Oak311, permitting and business tax. Plaintiffs' lawyers did not respond to an inquiry as to whether they would seek to appeal or otherwise challenge the determination. Oakland residents told a polling firm in 2023 that homelessness, such as at the Wood Street encampment, is their top concern for the city to address in its coming budget. Talya Husbands-Hankin, a homeless advocate who witnessed the incident, said the city was out in extreme force, resulting in more trauma for the unhoused residents.. I do not look forward to being kicked out. 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. Since the restraining order was issued, another 12 fires have broken out on the site, Orrick said at the hearing. OAKLAND - Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning. 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. By City News Service on . 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. A. Sep 2022 Q. 2 arrested as CHP, Caltrans begin clearing Wood Street encampment in Some people keep watch out for fires or other dangers. They declined to speak to reporters. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided The encampment is on property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies, including Caltrans, which owns the property directly under the freeway. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. Instead of clearing homeless camps, Oakland is spiffing them up - SFGATE by Natalie Orenstein March 25, 2021. 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. Judge blocks Caltrans' plans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near 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? The only way to get through involves stepping over bulky items, bbq grills, bikes, tents, and garbage. The decision from Judge William Orrick comes after a month-long legal battle between residents and the transit agency, the city, and the county. We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. And Caltrans officials said the vehicles would be too difficult to move. 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. This Oakland homeless encampment will be co-run by the residents themselves Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing. Because of the connection to the earlier litigation, the case was assigned to Judge Orrick who entered a TRO on January 6, 2023. Pushing people with no real and adequate shelter to accommodate them is inhumane and does not solve the larger problem.. Earlier this month, another federal judge allowed that work to continue. East Oakland homeless camp still standing, despite state orders If you would like to report new concern, please use the TacomaFIRST 311 online system or call 3-1-1 within city limits or (253) 591-5000 outside the city. Gov. Credit: Darwin BondGraham. 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. But the time for finger-pointing and disclaimers of responsibility is over. That speaks to the demand and the concentration of homelessness, she added. On Tuesday, homeless people in Echo Park were faced with a decision as an imminent city closure drew near. The city says it needs to clear the camp to make way for a 170-unit affordable housing project planned for the site. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. Caltrans said it would shut down the entire encampment, clearing out about 200 people who live there. Oakland closes a Fruitvale homeless camp, putting its new encampment 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. When could it return? Homeless Encampment - Issue #14153196 - Brookfield Village, Oakland, CA 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. Under state law, working with homeless individuals to identify housing or shelter alternatives is a local, not a state, responsibility.. Jones and several other residents want the city and state to give them the land to build their own community, equipped with a kitchen and common area to play music. On Monday morning, workers removed vehicles, furniture and other items from the encampment on Caltrans property underneath the MacArthur Maze. Now is the big showdown, said Theo Cedar Jones, a resident at Wood Street for nearly two years. 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. 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.. She graduated from American University with a BA degree in literature with a minor in journalism. 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. Officials said they do not know when construction on a community cabin site would begin. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. The city doesnt have the resources to close something as large as Wood Street, said LaTonda Simmons, the citys former interim homelessness administrator. 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.". The Team provides sanitation services and regular trash pick up. July 11, 2022 Updated 3:24 PM PT. 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 . The encampment is. 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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. Oakland police towed several vehicles parked by a homeless camp near the Fruitvale Home Depot on Thursday, as part of a cleanup and closure operation. View the map in a new window. If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. 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. 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. 550 North Flower Street. Oakland firefighters responded to 90% of the 988 encampment calls they received in less than eight minutes. Caltrans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze Rise in Homeless Encampment Fires Worries CA Firefighters A separate request earlier this month to halt Oakland workers from clearing parts of the encampment on land it owns was denied. Fire sweeps through homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze in Oakland Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. The shelters are full. They said the city had not fulfilled promises made in connection with the prior lawsuit. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? 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). 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. She joined The Chronicle in 2016 after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Bay, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after recent rainfall, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). For now, it appears that camp residents will have at least another long weekend at the park before the standoff continues. You can report an encampment at the following locations: Bridges Highways Parks or playgrounds Outside of residential and commercial buildings Roadway tunnels Streets and sidewalks Subway stations Report an encampment. Copyright 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Caltrans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze Because the city had not budgeted for those expenses, staff had to divert resources away from other essential services including responding to illegal dumping, conducting fire inspections and maintaining traffic signals and street lights. The man, who was not identified, was taken into custody. When the City decides to close an encampment, the Team makes every effort to relocate encampment dwellers to emergency shelters or community cabins. The city wants to build the state-funded community cabin site in partnership with residents and a provider who would offer wraparound services at the site. The city of Oakland pursued closures of 98 encampments during the two years we examined. 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. Several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. Forcing Californians into mental health treatment would get easier with proposed legislation The Encampment Management Team tracks all known encampments and prioritizes interventions based on health, safety, and size issues. 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. View the list of locations and servicing schedule below. Local News | Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. 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. 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. 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. Gavin Newsoms office publicly excoriated Oakland officials for failing to cooperate and threatened to withhold state funds. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. Oaklanders say homelessness is the most urgent issue facing the city 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. 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 . That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. It is . As he drove past the intersection of 21st and E streets in Northwest Washington, a 68-year-old man peered through the window, struck by an encampment of homeless people here that grew from 10 . #2. portland oregon created those "affordable housing" by tearing down most of the old hotels or remodeling them. City workers do a sweep at the homeless encampment under Interstate 580 in West Oakland as the city promise to deliver porter potties, fences, regular trash pickup, and counseling . 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. 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. Echo Park Lake homeless encampment mulls decision to leave - Los Housing | She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. 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. Check out the latest season about Muslim converts and past seasons of stories of struggle and never giving up hope. Homeless Action Center hiring Staff Attorney in Oakland, California Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. 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. Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. Where can we fit that? OAKLAND - Caltrans announced Friday that they are shutting down a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze in West Oakland due to ongoing safety concerns and a large fire that tore. He allowed Caltrans to continue removing debris from the area, as long as it didnt involve residents belongings. The controversial policy was approved by the City Council last year, but it's largely gone unenforced. But those plans were slow in coming. 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. Clutch, a 40-year-old Wood Street encampment resident who said he has no last name, was one of the five people moved last month. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Clutch, a 40-year-old resident, holds his neighbors dog, Panda, near his van at Oaklands Wood Street homeless encampment. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. 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 Orrick said requiring Caltrans to provide those resources was beyond the scope of the law. Call Taker: Is the homeless encampment within 500 feet of a waterway (creek, lake or bay)? A number of residents relocated to a two-acre parcel at 1707 Wood St. owned by Oakland. Those are things that are beyond what can be ordered in this case, he said.