Housing

Opinion: Rapidly Housing 3,000 People Is Not as Hard as It Appears

Published

9 years ago

March 23, 2018

By Jonah Strauss, Homeless Advocacy Working Group

In the rapidly-developing architecture of homeless support in Oakland, there are two missing building blocks: a large and sustainable link from the City’s General Fund to transitional housing, and a widespread effort to rapidly house over 3,000 people.

At City Council in May and June of 2017, many public commenters noted how the dearth of General Fund spending to uplift our unsheltered neighbors stood in stark contrast with gratuitous funding of the Oakland Police Department.

Even the Affordable Housing Trust Fund was tapped to bring City programming to baseline levels.

Mayor Schaaf must take the bull by the horns in the mid-cycle budget revision this May, by carving out massive funding for transitional housing, site services, and sanitation.

The Board of Supervisors can add leverage by offering comprehensive matching funding, on condition that the City takes that humane next step. Looking forward to the November election, Councilmember Kaplan came to Council this week with a measure to place a tax on vacant land, buildings, and residences, with proceeds to exclusively benefit homeless housing and services.

The measure would also create a Homeless Commission to advise the City on allocation and approach. From the Compassionate Communities experiment at 35th & Magnolia, to the dubitably habitable Outdoor Navigation Center at 6th & Brush, the City Administration’s forays into service and shelter solutions have been timid, concerned more with appearances and liability than courageous and substantive harm reduction.

There are plans for the Northgate encampment, where three residents have died in the past year, but only to transitionally house a third of that burgeoning community. These programs are slow to start and barely make a dent on this humanitarian crisis. It is up to Oaklanders to push the Mayor and Administration to come forward with dozens of publicly-owned parcels on which to set up transitional facilities, and a system for widespread deployment of low-cost, high quality mobile residential units.

The Oct. 3, 2017 passage of the Shelter Crisis Ordinance prompted community groups to start building – most notably The Village, on the only parcel the Administration was willing to offer, at East 12th St. & 23rd Ave.

A coalition has formed within the Interfaith Council of Alameda County to bring RVs and trailers on to their lands.

Private property owners can reach out to the City to offer land for encampment and services. The Shelter Crisis Ordinance allows the Administrator to lift code requirements in the name of rapid shelter provision, provided the City has a leasing agreement with the owner.

This means that any private parcel may be offered. While the City may prefer Tuff Sheds, the Town has a wide array of options.

Tent camping is as allowable as tiny homes and converted shipping containers. RVs and trailers may be rolled in and parked. Porta-potties and handwashing stations are easily rented, and contractors can provide mobile shower facilities.

Community-oriented site plans tend to include outdoor cooking facilities and plenty of green space, with housing around central gathering places.

There remains a missing message from the Mayor’s Office: “Come forward with land and your vision to support your unsheltered neighbors, and we will support you.”

Communities don’t have to wait for the call; if we step up to the challenge with a flood of offers, the Administrator will have to streamline approval.

Our neighbors have been living and dying on the streets for too long, and City Council has already granted us the primary tool we can use to help.

Jonah Strauss is a member of the Homeless Advocacy Working Group and Executive Director of the Oakland Warehouse Coalition. He can be contacted at jonah@oaklandwarehousecoalition.or

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Black History

In Wake of Death on Doorstep, Williams Chapel Baptist Church Calls for Better Care, Funding for Unhoused

An unhoused individual was found deceased on the steps of Williams Chapel Baptist Church in East Oakland at approximately 6:30 a.m. Monday. The church, located at 1410 10th Ave., extended condolences to the individual’s family, noting the tragedy reflects a broader crisis. Williams Chapel Baptist Church provides shelter and referral services, working with West Side Missionary Baptist Church. They call for increased funding and collaboration to expand services for unhoused individuals. Read more to learn about the church’s efforts and the call for solutions.

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Oakland Police and emergency vehicle arrive to Williams Chapel Monday morning. Courtesy photo.

By Special to The Post

Church extends condolences to individual’s family and loved ones

At approximately 6:30 a.m. Monday, an unhoused individual was found deceased on the steps of Williams Chapel Baptist Church, located at 1410 10th Ave. on the corner of 10th and International in East Oakland.

The individual appears to have come to the church seeking safety and may have needed medical support. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the individual’s family and loved ones.

This tragedy reflects a broader crisis affecting unhoused individuals and families throughout the Bay Area. Too many people are living without reliable shelter or timely access to medical care, mental health support, and other essential services. Limited funding and insufficient resources continue to leave vulnerable people without the help they need.

Williams Chapel Baptist Church, a member of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, works alongside West Side Missionary Baptist Church to provide safe-haven overnight parking, tiny-home emergency shelter, and wraparound referral services to the unhoused.

With funding, both East and West Oakland sites can increase to full capacity and extend to other congregations, creating more safe places for people living on the streets to seek shelter, support, and connection to services.

We invite government agencies, nonprofit organizations, interfaith communities, businesses, and neighbors to join us in this work. By working together with compassion and purpose, we can develop meaningful solutions and help more people experiencing homelessness receive care, stability, and dignity.

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Commentary

Community Action Group ‘Friends of Zakiya’ Ask Sheriff for Time

“Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya,” a community group of more than 60 neighbors, friends and community activists, is standing strong with Jendayi. The group holds weekly vigils every Tuesday from 6 p.m.-7p.m. at Jendayi’s residence at 3614 Randolph Ave. in Oakland.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

Zakiya Jendayi received good news Monday, Sept. 14, when the appellate court ruled in her favor in the Hamlin v. Jendayi case, agreeing to hear the case on its merits regarding her motion to have Judge Sandra K. Bean’s ruling invalidated based upon Laura Dean Head’s living trust.

The bad news is that, at the time of this writing, the Sheriff’s Department was scheduled to evict Jendayi from her home yesterday.

The group is asking the community to join them and to make calls to Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez and DA Ursula Jones Dickson to stop what they deem the illegal eviction of Jendayi from her home of 13 years.

“I would hope that the Sheriff listens because, unlike the courts, my friends and neighbors have read the transcripts and seen for themselves the 42 findings that result in 35 false, six misleading, and one that is an error, which unbelievably the appeals court upheld.” says Jendayi. “With this new appeal, the court quite possibly will return my home to me, and so this makes no sense. The Sheriff is threatening to move forward to remove me before my appeal is heard.”

“This makes no sense,” says group member Rev. Raymond Langford. “She’s not a criminal, and she’s never had a criminal record. This situation has been horribly impactful on her physical and mental health. She’s now medically compromised due to all this stress, and all we’re asking for is time to see if the courts are in error. She should be given the opportunity for the appeal to be heard. That’s called justice, nothing more, nothing less.”.

Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya are organizing future protest actions to secure more time for Jendayi. They will be seen in front of the offices of Bonta, Simon and Sanchez, demanding that she have the opportunity for her case to be heard.

The Post is asking that the public join Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya and use the information listed to join in this fight for justice.

Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya asks you to sign the petition by activating the QR code below to enact a stay in Jendayi’s pending eviction from her home and to pursue a full and independent investigation into the ruling that invalidated Dr. Head’s trust.

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Business

Mayor Lee Announces $1 Million Kaiser Permanente Grant for Pilot Program to Address Homelessness, Clean Up Public Spaces throughout Oakland

Achieving these goals requires unified City operations backed by new philanthropic and private sector investments. With Kaiser Permanente’s support, this project brings together the Mayor’s office, City Administrator’s office, Office of Homelessness Solutions, Housing and Community Development, Human Services, and Economic and Workforce Development.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 21, 2026

Post News Group

By Special to The Post

Innovative initiative combines employment, housing support, job training, and case management to create permanent pathways out of homelessness

Mayor Barbara Lee announced on Tuesday a $1 million grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation to launch the Workforce Development and Interim Housing Pilot Project. The initiative combines low-barrier employment with housing support to strengthen Oakland’s homelessness response while cleaning public spaces throughout the city.

Grant funding provides recipients with:

Part-time paid work focused on citywide sanitation and trash clean up, with pathways to permanent, full-time employment
One year of interim housing support
Comprehensive job training and wrap-around supportive services
Tailored case management designed to transition participants into permanent housing

“This pilot program gives us an essential tool to drive change for all of our neighbors affected by homelessness, including our Black and African American population who are disproportionately impacted,” said Lee.

Data show that having a job is critical to housing stability and preventing homelessness. This pilot provides unhoused residents with job opportunities that keep public spaces throughout the City clean, directly supporting the mayor’s goal to reduce unsheltered homelessness in Oakland by 50%.

The pilot is modeled after a similar program in Portland, Oregon, that offers low-barrier employment in sanitation services and housing support to people experiencing homelessness. Program results include a high percentage of participants moving to temporary or permanent housing and cleaner public spaces.

“We’re proud to support this innovative project because it creates meaningful opportunities for people experiencing homelessness while strengthening the health and vitality of the entire Oakland community,” said Yvette Radford, vice president of external and community affairs for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “By providing job training, paid employment, supportive services, and a pathway to stable housing, this program offers people the tools to move forward with dignity and hope—while creating cleaner, safer, and healthier public spaces for everyone.”

The Communications Department of the Oakland Mayor’s office is the source of this report.