Bay Area

Housing Not Handcuffs: Residents and Leaders Call Out City for Aggressive Homelessness Policy

One week after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered cities to start clearing out homelessness encampments in their jurisdiction, San Francisco leaders and community members have voiced their concerns over the aggressive approach from the state, echoed by Mayor London Breed. On June 25, Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to begin evicting people from encampments, particularly ones that “pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of the community.” Mayor Breed has been clear about her stance on the crisis, saying that the city would have a “very aggressive” approach to cracking down on homeless encampments.

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Hotel Whitcomb was previously a temporary location for San Francisco City Hall and most recently was occupied by residents during the pandemic for isolation. Advocates want the city to transform the space into permanent supportive housing. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

On June 25, Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to begin evicting people from encampments, particularly ones that “pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of the community.”

Mayor Breed has been clear about her stance on the crisis, saying that the city would have a “very aggressive” approach to cracking down on homeless encampments.

Supervisor Dean Preston said at a press conference Tuesday morning that he was “disappointed” in the mayor and his fellow elected officials in supporting a narrative that criminalizes unhoused people.

“Just because Trump’s Supreme Court says we, the city, has the power to start arresting people, citing people, criminally prosecuting people for being homeless without even offering them a place to stay, does not mean we have to take that invitation,” Preston said.

Advocates held their press conference in front of the vacant Hotel Whitcomb, which is located down the street from city hall. During the pandemic, the hotel was used as a temporary housing facility for Project Roomkey in order to isolate and house vulnerable people who were living on the street.

The community wants to use the hotel’s 459 rooms and dozens of other vacant units across the city, for permanent supportive housing to get people out of the encampments.

There are over 8,000 unhoused individuals in San Francisco, according to 2024 Point In Time Count data.

Angela Chan, Assistant Chief Attorney for the SF Public Defender’s Office, said it’s “extremely hard” to find temporary housing in the city because people feel unsafe and unwelcomed in certain shelters.

“Our ask or encouragement to the city is, let’s think through real solutions to really address the needs of people who are poor and unhoused because throwing people in jail, it makes things a lot worse, and it costs the city a lot more,” Chan told the Post.

The problem that attorneys are seeing is that unhoused individuals end up in jail for sleeping on the streets, only to be released the next day, still unhoused and awaiting a court date and possible fines or more jail time. The issue seems to be recycled and a way to kick the can down the road.

Chan said police are not assisting with resources for housing so it’s on the public defenders to find clients help.

With the sweeps not being anything new to the city, advocates are worried about what this “very aggressive” crackdown might mean for homeless residents.

“We have a situation where [the police] want to make it uncomfortable for them, take away their property, push them around from block to block… What we’ll see in the population is an increased level of trauma, longer episodes of homelessness, probably increased substance use, loss of medications and survival gear. All of these things really, really make a horrendous situation that much worse,” Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, told the Post.

Friedenbach said policymakers are shifting blame to unhoused people for being homeless instead of faulting themselves for the lack of addressing the issue.

She said rising rents, inflation in the cost of living, and income disparities are all driving forces to homelessness. Cities and local municipalities should provide rental assistance, eviction defense and variety in housing on the public and private market, while also building and buying affordable homes to transform into new living complexes.

The city plans to increase their sweeps of encampments starting August 1.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Addresses Hate in Schools Following Racist Incident in Culver City

Don't Miss

Making Olympic History in Paris, Mayor Bass Keeps Eye on 2028 Games in L.A.

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 7, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.