Bay Area

Unhoused Wood Street Residents Prepare for Vehicle Clearance

Published

7 years ago

October 31, 2019

This trailer, parked at the Wood St encampment, is the home to 22 year old life long Oakland resident John Sing. He was gifted it by his uncle, Karlton Conley, to help keep him safe. The city is clearing trailers and vehicles that serve as people’s homes from the site on Nov . 5 and 6.

Unhoused residents living on a field, just west of Wood Street between 24th and 26th Streets in West Oakland, are anxious as the City of Oakland plans to clear all vehicles from the site on Nov. 5 and Nov. 6. Many of the cars serve as people’s homes.

“The idea of losing my community is really traumatic,” said Lydia, who has lived in the Bay Area for over 20 years. “I know the people here and they know me and I feel like I belong here more than I’ve felt anywhere in a long time.”

Lydia has lived in a trailer in the Wood St. encampment since May, after she said Oakland Police told her it was a place where folks who lived in vehicles would not be bothered.During an interview with the Oakland Post, her trailer overflowed with possessions strewn out of her door and all around it in an unorganized manner.

Although she said she doesn’t need much of her possessions, she’s lost almost all of her things in previous Oakland evictions. The memory of that loss has caused Lydia much anxiety, and in anticipation of the upcoming eviction she has resorted to hoarding belongings. The Mayo Clinic defines “hoarding disorder” as a medical condition.

Previous city run evictions of RVs and vehicles have resulted in some residents losing their vehicles and all their possessions inside them because if vehicles can’t be moved in a timely fashion on eviction days, the city tows them. Unhoused residents then often don’t have the resources to get them out of impound lots.

The City had originally planned to remove the vehicles on Oct. 18 but pushed the date back. Lydia says the uncertainty of when exactly residents will have to leave makes the situation more difficult.“It snarls a lot of people like me into a PTSD hoarding frenzy,” she said.

Other Wood St. unhoused residents have also lost most of their possessions during city run evictions. Ramona Choyce, a lifelong Oakland resident sleeps outside in the Wood St encampment because she said the city towed her Subaru on Sept 25th, because she didn’t have the money for registration. She claims it was her fifth vehicle lost to city towing.

“I’m not safe,” said Choyce. “I don’t feel safe. My safe place is gone.”Choyce said she woke up recently to a man she didn’t know laying down beside her. She worries about being harmed by men in the future.

“If I get in my car and lock myself in I know it’s going to be a struggle for them to get in,” said Choyce, “but now I’m in the open and I’ve vulnerable.”

Many Wood St residents arrived there after the city forced them out of other areas. Jessica Huffman, who used to live in a parking lot bordering the bay at Union Point before the city evicted her and dozens of other residents, moved her bus to Wood St. She said the instability of being forced out of her previous community has caused her to drop out of medical school.

Oakland currently has two city run safe parking sites for those who live in vehicles that have security guards, bathrooms, and running water which can serve up to 45 vehicles. The city’s recent point-in-time homeless count showed 1430 people living in vehicles.

City documents show plans to add an addition West Oakland site that would serve “approximately 48 vehicles” in the fall of 2019.

“The city has been reviewing the idea of converting this privately owned lot to a safe RV parking area that would serve West Oakland RV dwellers, but the owner would need to clean it thoroughly first before it could be developed into such a use,” said Assistant to the City Administrator Joe DeVries.

The owner is Mike Bonifer, who runs GameChangers, LLC and lives in Los Angeles. The Oakland Post has attempted to reach him for comment but was unsuccessful.

Some residents of the Wood St encampment are skeptical that they’ll have access to the program. The Oakland Post counted around 85 vehicles at the site, and while some vehicles are abandoned, others showed evidence that people live in them. Most residents living in vehicles are unclear where they will go if they have to leave and some don’t know if they’ll be able to tow their inoperable vehicles off of the site.

DeVries claims the vast majority of the vehicles are abandoned but Wood St residents disagree and claim that no city census has been done there to find out how many people on site live in vehicles.

“The City is hoping the operation does not cause anyone to lose a vehicle they actually live in,” said DeVries, who also claimed spots would be offered in a West Oakland Safe Parking site near Target. But the site, which can hold 17 vehicles, currently appears half full.

Many Oakland Residents have lived on Wood St site for years, some for up to five.

Zack Haber

Posts by Zack Haber

Related Topics:City of Oakland Homeless Eviction Oakland Homeless Wood Street Encampment Zack Haber

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Activism

Up to the Job: How San Francisco’s PRC Is Providing Work Opportunities That Turn Into Lasting Stability

Each year, PRC serves more than 5,000 clients through a wide range of programs. These include housing navigation, legal advocacy to ensure access to health and public benefits, supportive housing, job and life-skills training, and residential treatment programs.

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Black Leadership Council (BLC) Advocacy Day in Sacramento. BLC works to advance meaningful change through policy engagement to unlock the full potential of Black and low-income communities. Photo courtesy of PRC.

By Joe Kocurek, California Black Media

Seville Christian arrived in San Francisco in the 1990s from Kansas City, Mo., a transgender woman coming from a time and place still hostile to who she was.

San Francisco offered a deeper LGBTQ+ history and a more visible community of people like her, but even in a city known for acceptance, building a stable life from scratch was no small task.

After arriving in the city, she turned to Positive Resource Center (PRC) looking for work — and for a foothold — in a new place.

“PRC gave me my first job,” Christian said. “A simple gig — passing out magazines at the San Francisco Pride Parade.”

That first opportunity marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship with PRC, one that has seen Christian grow from client to valued employee, and eventually to policy fellow.

“Today, I’ve been with PRC for 27 years, going on 28,” she said.

Seville Christian’s decades-long relationship with PRC includes as a client, fellow and beloved employee. Photo courtesy of PRC.

Helping people access employment and build sustainable careers has been a cornerstone of PRC’s mission since its inception nearly four decades ago. In its most recent annual impact report, PRC served 443 clients through workforce development services, including career counseling, educational programs, hands-on training, and job search assistance. The average wage earned by PRC clients is $26.48 per hour — approximately 38% above San Francisco’s minimum wage.

To advance this work, organizations like PRC have benefited from funding through California’s Stop the Hate Program, which provides direct support to community-based organizations leading anti-hate initiatives.

Christian’s path was not without challenges. During some rocky years, she experienced periods of housing instability and struggled with addiction. Through PRC, she enrolled in a life-skills program that emphasized using her own lived experience as a means of helping others. The program helped set her on a path toward completing an associate’s degree and ultimately launching a career in case management.

“Today, whether someone is new to the city or has lived here their whole life, I know how to help them navigate to where they need to be,” Christian said.

Members of PRC’s Black Leadership Council meet with a lawmaker in Sacramento. Photo courtesy of PRC.

While PRC was founded to serve people living with HIV, its mission has expanded over the decades to meet the needs of people with disabilities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those facing mental health and substance use challenges.

According to PRC’s Chief of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Tasha Henneman, some of the organization’s earliest programs remain as vital today as they were at the start.

“Our emergency financial assistance program helped more than 1,200 people this year pay rent, cover medical bills, and keep the lights on,” Henneman said. “And over 1,400 people reached out for legal advocacy, resulting in more than $2.5 million in retroactive benefits unlocked.”

Beyond direct services, PRC is deeply committed to community empowerment and policy change. Programs such as the Black Leadership Council support community leaders in advocating for systemic reform, while the Black Trans Initiative focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by Black transgender individuals.

A recent study from the Williams Institute highlighted findings that 71% of transgender homicide victims in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021 were Black and that nearly a third of the transgender homicides during that period were confirmed or suspected hate crimes.

PRC’s direct and indirect services can be a lifeline for people experiencing hate and are an example of the resources people can get connected with through the state’s CA vs Hate hotline.

PRC is now also producing a film project that centers the lived experiences of Black trans clients, including individuals like Christian.

PRC welcomed guests to their annual Open House in April, an evening dedicated to connection, reflection, and learning more about the programs and people working every day to support San Franciscans experiencing housing instability, unemployment, and behavioral health challenges. Photo courtesy of PRC.

“Our film highlights the health journeys and lived experiences of some of PRC’s Black trans clients,” Henneman said. “Our goal is to give voice, visibility, and agency to the participants — and to bring their stories, both harrowing and inspirational, to policymakers and the broader public.”

The film, expected to be released later this year, is directed by Yule Caise, with assistant director Zarina Codes, a Black transgender San Francisco resident.

Today, Christian continues her relationship with PRC as an ambassador, reflecting on a journey that began with a single job opportunity and grew into a lifelong commitment to service.

“Sometimes I’ll be riding the bus or standing in a grocery store, and someone will come up to me from a women’s shelter,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, Miss Seville, I just want to thank you. You really helped me with what I was dealing with.’”

She paused, smiling.

“And in those moments,” Christian said, “I think to myself, “Well!.”

A single word that sums up pride in a journey to find the best in herself.

Get Support After Hate:

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11, 2026. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of April 22 – 28, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 22 – 28, 2026

Published

1 week ago

April 25, 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.

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Activism

Up to the Job: How San Francisco’s PRC Is Providing Work Opportunities That Turn Into Lasting Stability

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2026

Oakland Post

Joe Kocurek | California Black Media

Seville Christian arrived in San Francisco in the 1990s from Kansas City, Mo., a transgender woman coming from a time and place still hostile to who she was.

San Francisco offered a deeper LGBTQ+ history and a more visible community of people like her, but even in a city known for acceptance, building a stable life from scratch was no small task.

After arriving in the city, she turned to Positive Resource Center (PRC) looking for work — and for a foothold — in a new place.

“PRC gave me my first job,” Christian said. “A simple gig — passing out magazines at the San Francisco Pride Parade.”

That first opportunity marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship with PRC, one that has seen Christian grow from client to valued employee, and eventually to policy fellow.

“Today, I’ve been with PRC for 27 years, going on 28,” she said.

“Today, whether someone is new to the city or has lived here their whole life, I know how to help them navigate to where they need to be,” Christian said.

According to PRC’s Chief of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Tasha Henneman, some of the organization’s earliest programs remain as vital today as they were at the start.

PRC’s direct and indirect services can be a lifeline for people experiencing hate and are an example of the resources people can get connected with through the state’s CA vs Hate hotline. 

PRC is now also producing a film project that centers the lived experiences of Black trans clients, including individuals like Christian.

The film, expected to be released later this year, is directed by Yule Caise, with assistant director Zarina Codes, a Black transgender San Francisco resident.

Today, Christian continues her relationship with PRC as an ambassador, reflecting on a journey that began with a single job opportunity and grew into a lifelong commitment to service.

She paused, smiling.

“And in those moments,” Christian said, “I think to myself, “Well!.”

A single word that sums up pride in a journey to find the best in herself.

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11, 2026. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.