"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. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. Plaintiffs' lawyers did not respond to an inquiry as to whether they would seek to appeal or otherwise challenge the determination. 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. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. Under state law, working with homeless individuals to identify housing or shelter alternatives is a local, not a state, responsibility.. That speaks to the demand and the concentration of homelessness, she added. What Happens Next Officers from your local police precinct will respond within 4 hours. Gov. 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 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. July 11, 2022 Updated 3:24 PM PT. But the injunction was dissolved in phases, beginning in August of 2022, giving residents more time to find other alternatives. 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. And, he ordered the state transportation agency to work with staff from the city of Oakland and from Alameda County to come up with a plan to relocate residents. (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 to finally clear Wood Street homeless encampment 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. She said shed never seen such a big escalation, referring to the tasing. People living in vehicles represent 35% of Oakland's overall homeless population. The Team provides sanitation services and regular trash pick up. Russell Wilson asked for Pete Carroll, Seahawks GM to be fired; QB denies report. Oakland. Cars, RVs and debris burned Monday, sending a giant cloud of smoke into the sky, and freezing highway traffic in the vicinity. (213) 229-1700. Homeless Encampment - Issue #14153196 - Brookfield Village, Oakland, CA But that's only a fraction of the more than 5,000 encampments on . Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. According to a report by the city administrative officer, the new East Hollywood campground costs approximately $2,663 per participant per month. Oakland has a new homeless camp policy, despite protests - The Oaklandside In a lawsuit filed this week, grassroots group Neighbors. people had to eat at charity style centers, and a sunday 'picnic in the park' feed. OAKLAND - Fire swept through a homeless encampment near the MacArthur Maze highway interchange in West Oakland on Monday morning. Lawsuit demands Oakland crack down on homeless camps - The Mercury News 6 of 23 7 of 23. 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 . Their model is wrong, he said. 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.. In the meantime, residents at Wood Street say few officials have come to consult with them on relocation plans. Orange County Sheriff's Department. 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. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing. Two blocks from the Federal Reserve, a growing encampment of the The city's lawyers had no comment on the ruling. Local News | Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Theo Cedar Jones (third from right) and other residents of the Wood Street encampment proposed self-governing during a meeting with Oakland staff in July. Officials have argued that they dont have enough shelter beds to accommodate the number of people living at the encampment, which spans 25 city blocks. The department is taking this action to address the increasingly serious safety risks to life, property and infrastructure at the encampment, including from the fire this week that prompted the closure of the MacArthur Maze, Caltrans said in a statement. The decision from Judge William Orrick comes after a month-long legal battle between residents and the transit agency, the city, and the county. It is . A large fire broke out at the encampment on Monday,. Although the first phase includes offers of temporary shelter, Orrick said subsequent phases could continue whether or not shelter was available. Caltrans plans to clear 200 homeless people from the sprawling site by the first week of August, officials said. Local News | Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. 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. 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.". The controversial policy was approved by the City Council last year, but it's largely gone unenforced. 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. Because of the connection to the earlier litigation, the case was assigned to Judge Orrick who entered a TRO on January 6, 2023. 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. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group). 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. "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. 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. Housing | The residents would have a social contract, love thy neighbor and do no harm, Jones said. She and her husband, Lenton, live in a 20-foot trailer at the Coliseum Stadium parking lot in Oakland. 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. Housing | 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. An officer will be dispatched to your location. Those are things that are beyond what can be ordered in this case, he said. They alleged that there were then 42 residents living at the site and only 27 shelter beds in the entire city. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. Caltrans to boost California homeless encampment cleanups | The Oakland Unveils 100-Person Tiny-Home Village at Troubled 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. Sarah Ravani covers Oakland and the East Bay at The San Francisco Chronicle. after a two-alarm fire broke out Monday at the site, decried the lack of access to clean water. They have lacked funding, housing options and staff, he said. Credit: Darwin BondGraham. Grappling with homelessness, California weighs extending foster care for 5 years Several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. Housing | Encampment Response Map - City of Tacoma Cold Bay Area rains fail to shut down vibrant Holi celebration in Fremont. they paid around $400 a month in public assistance and charged. 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. Caltrans crews remove a vehicle from the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland on July 19, 2022. The streets of Oakland are already full of unhoused persons, many of whom were previously evicted from their encampments.". Updated on: July 20, 2022 / 8:30 AM / CBS San Francisco. Dozens of Caltrans workers and California Highway . The audit found the City was not adequately prepared to shoulder such a massive project and the (encampment management team) was overwhelmed by the undertaking of closing and cleaning encampments throughout Oakland, City Auditor Courtney Ruby wrote in an open letter to Mayor Libby Schaaf, the City Council and other city officials. 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. After nearly two-month delay, judge lets Oakland remove homeless camp Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing LAPD union supports unarmed responders to certain 911 calls including homeless encampment clean-ups 0. street outreach, homeless shelters, transitional housing, housing exits, and permanent supportive housing as needed. He says Caltrans has forced him to move several times. Repairing damage to lighting at Union Point Park is expected to cost another $500,000, not including additional repairs that must be done to bathrooms, landscaping, benches and other amenities. Caltrans announced it is closing the entire Wood Street . In May, Gov. 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. (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. After nearly two-month delay, judge allows Oakland to remove large homeless camp And where do we go? The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oaklands public parks, according to the audit. Information, if available, concerning the impacts of programs funded bv the Vacant Property Tax (2018 Measure W1 and 2020 Measure Q homelessness funds subject to Commission oversight this Ordinance on the occurrence of homelessness and illegal dumping outcomes in the City; Recommendations to the Mayor and the City Council on the Biennial Fiscal Year Budget, in accordance with the City Councils Consolidated Fiscal Policy at the time, that ensures that the Commission Chair communicates homelessness priorities to the Mayor and Council: and. Jones and several residents presented their idea of a self-governed site to city staff and Fife at a meeting last summer. Housing | 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. 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. Bay Bridge light display will go dark after a decade Sunday. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Over the next several weeks, the Caltrans site was cleaned and cleared and the residents moved to other locations and situations. And Orrick agreed. 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. 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. 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.. 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. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. But the city didnt give the team the resources it needed including a budget, according to the audit. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. 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. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones plays guitar. 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. 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.". We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. The plaintiffs and all living at the Wood Street encampment must make immediate plans to move.". 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. Oakland, together we can meet this crisis, expand our progress, and reduce homelessness in our community. He issued a temporary injunction on July 19, 2022. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. Homeless Action Center Oakland, CA3 weeks agoBe among the first 25 applicantsSee who Homeless Action Center has hired for this roleNo longer accepting applications. Today at 621AM OFD responded to report of an RV fire at East 12th & 17th Ave. E4 arrived and found 2 RV's & 12 . But the time for finger-pointing and disclaimers of responsibility is over. Gov. Newsom blasts Oakland leaders for not handling rampant homeless 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. Local News | The city estimates there are at least 140 encampments scattered throughout Oakland. Fire sweeps through homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze in Oakland The EMT is facilitated by the City Administrator's Office via the Homelessness Administrator and receives input and advice from the Commission on Homelessness. 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 . Pushing people with no real and adequate shelter to accommodate them is inhumane and does not solve the larger problem.. 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Newly formed Oakland homeless encampment on Caltrans property cleared Now is the big showdown, said Theo Cedar Jones, a resident at Wood Street for nearly two years. Oakland has responded to the crisis level surge in homelessness with emergency measures like community cabins. Lydia Blumberg, whos lived at Wood Street for at least five years, called the decision beyond disappointing., Everyone wants to wash their hands of us, she said after the hearing. Last year Caltrans cleared a much larger camp between 200 and 300 people on a neighboring lot owned by the transit agency. March 23, 2021 6:54 PM PT. 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.. OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove numerous items 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. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. 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. The only way to get through involves stepping over bulky items, bbq grills, bikes, tents, and garbage. Settlement reached between . 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. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided 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. Forcing Californians into mental health treatment would get easier with proposed legislation The city doesnt have the resources to close something as large as Wood Street, said LaTonda Simmons, the citys former interim homelessness administrator. Workers have been clearing the sprawling camp in phases, a process that started in July. To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? Theyre too densely packed together.. In the meantime, residents say they live in constant fear that they will be forced to leave with little notice. The departments goal is to respond to 90% of calls within seven minutes. 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. The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. Newsom paid a surprise visit to the encampment in April to show the inhumane living conditions too many Californians face.. Judge dissolves order that barred Oakland from clearing Wood Street 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. 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. Tucked away from the street, the encampment, commonly known as Wood Street, stretches along property owned by Caltrans, the city of Oakland, BNSF Railway and private owners. 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. 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. He dissolved the TRO immediately, conditioned on the city's representations that there would be sufficient shelter options for the displaced residents. Meter made: Simple device offers affordable access to water at Oakland Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. 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 Oakland's most vulnerable. A hand-painted sign can be seen at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 3, 2022. ", previously halted Caltrans plans to clear the camp. Stay in touch. Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. 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. Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Housing | Caltrans couldnt immediately be reached for further comment. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones points to a map of the area hes living near. City of Oakland | Oakland's Response to Homelessness Caltrans OK to Clear Oakland's Largest Homeless Encampment, Federal 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.". (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. Caltrans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze They're looking to make us homeless. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. City staff were there to clear out residents from the northern part of the encampment, near the city-sanctioned RV safe parking site. I do not look forward to being kicked out. Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Gov. Oaklands biggest homeless encampment could massively shrink with planned sweep of 200 people, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. Where can we fit that? Oakland fire at homeless encampment extinguished - KRON4 After a pandemic pause, Oakland ramped up homeless camp closures again Los Angeles, California 90012. Federal judge says San Francisco can't clear homeless camps 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.