2 arrested as CHP, Caltrans begin clearing Wood Street encampment in Caltrans said it would shut down the entire encampment, clearing out about 200 people who live there. The choice: Leave, or hunker down. The encampment is on property owned by the city, railroads and various government agencies, including Caltrans, which owns the property directly under the freeway. 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. Despite the problems, Wood Street residents say they look out for each other and have formed a self-sufficient community, building homes using wood panels and doors among the abandoned railroad tracks. A show made by people behind bars in California prisons. 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.". Bay Bridge light display will go dark after a decade Sunday. But the money is insufficient to help all the camps residents. Several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. East Oakland homeless camp still standing, despite state orders 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. Oakland which has more than 5,000 homeless people currently has 598 year-round, city-funded shelter beds, 313 community cabin and temporary structure shelter spaces, 147 RV safe parking spaces and 353 city-funded transitional-shelter beds. OAKLAND -- The biggest homeless encampment in Oakland will soon be shut down. Judge Prevents Caltrans From Clearing Oakland Homeless Encampment To address the growing problem, the city in 2017 established its interdepartmental Encampment Management Team to respond to various issues at homeless camps. Hope and Disappointment for the Homeless in Oakland (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: A member of the Oakland Police Department posts warning notices for illegally parked vehicles 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. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. A surprise sweep of a newly formed homeless encampment on state property has forced some unhoused West Oakland residents to move - yet again. OaklandWorkers continued Monday to clear the massive homeless encampment along Wood Street in West Oakland. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oaklands most vulnerable. Aric Crabb has been a staff photographer at the Bay Area News Group since 1998. The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. 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. Without a "constitutional right to housing," Orrick said he had no authority to allow the encampment to remain on the property. The man was bleeding and was very confused asking police what he had done wrong. Resident Ron McGowan, who lives at the site in question, said there are about 80 people there. In May, city officials told The Chronicle that they dont have enough shelter beds to offer to everyone at Wood Street. They said the city had not fulfilled promises made in connection with the prior lawsuit. The Team provides sanitation services and regular trash pick up. They come in out of nowhere, said Ben Murawski, another Wood Street resident, lamenting how agency employees destroy our homes.. The Encampment Management Team tracks all known encampments and prioritizes interventions based on health, safety, and size issues. The city says it needs to clear the camp to make way for a 170-unit affordable housing project planned for the site. Homeless Encampment Protocol & Reporting Tool The only way to get through involves stepping over bulky items, bbq grills, bikes, tents, and garbage. 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. The encampment is one of the largest in the city and has been plagued with problems such as illegal dumping and fires for years. Local News | Oakland's scathing encampment audit: Officials, unhoused people, and The controversial policy was approved by the City Council last year, but it's largely gone unenforced. Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. Housing | 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.". Police tagged vehicles with illegal parking notices as residents scrambled to move motorcycles, cars and RVs. When could it return? 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. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove debris 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. 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. Federal court order opens the way for Oakland residents to move to new Skinny lives at 37MLK, the homeless encampment in Oakland, California, that was created by community organizers taking over a vacant lot. 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. She started her journalism career reporting on crime and breaking news for The News-Press in Southwest Florida. Oakland will get millions for the 'inhumane' crisis at one huge If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. We do need permanent supportive housing and where is it? The Wood Street homeless encampment once housed 200 people and covered 40 acres. Caltrans crews remove a vehicle from the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland on July 19, 2022. Weve created a system of effective strategies that address homelessness at every step in the cycle. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Homeless Action Center hiring Staff Attorney in Oakland, California The city of Oakland agreed to assist residents on identifying their options. 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.". 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. Over the years, advocates have thwarted city attempts to close the encampment, demanding that the city offer residents adequate shelter or to leave them be. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Some people keep watch out for fires or other dangers. As of last week, the city has offered shelter beds to about 70 people at the Wood Street encampment, according to the court filing. Housing | Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Pushing people with no real and adequate shelter to accommodate them is inhumane and does not solve the larger problem.. Local News | OAKLAND, Calif. ( KRON) Caltrans announced in a press release Friday that it will shut down the homeless encampment on Wood Street. The fire at the Wood Street encampment is sending a plume of smoke over the San Francisco Bay and downtown Oakland. 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.. The city has demonstrated it now has enough shelter beds for everyone who will be displaced by the camps closure, U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled. 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. In May, Gov. Multiple. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group), OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Workers remove a couch 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. At the time, city officials said they didnt yet have a timeline on when the new cabin community at Wood Street would break ground. Caltrans says it's closing Oakland's Wood Street homeless encampment because of safety concerns. Bay, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after recent rainfall, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The Commission shall review relevant financial and operational reports related to the expenditure of the homeless services fund. Nobody who lived in the homeless camp on Wood Street in Oakland was surprised when police cars and helmeted motorcycle officers started driving up and down the block early on a Tuesday. Neighbors tell Da Lin the looming closure is long overdue. Wood Street encampment resident Theo Cedar Jones points to a map of the area hes living near. The spokesperson said officers were at the scene to assist the citys public works department with an intervention and closure of a small part of the encampment. Caltrans plans to clear out 200 homeless people from the sprawling homeless encampment at Oaklands Wood Street by the first week of August, officials said. The city plans to offer approximately 40 emergency shelter beds to residents in the first phase of the closure, though its unclear how many people actually live in the affected area. Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, May 3, 2022. We're not homeless. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing They alleged that there were then 42 residents living at the site and only 27 shelter beds in the entire city. 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. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? Previously, she covered breaking news and crime for The Chronicle. March 23, 2021 6:54 PM PT. Marisa Kendall is a housing reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers homelessness for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? Attorneys for Caltrans said the encampment posed a serious health and safety risk, citing some 200 fires at the Wood Street encampment over the past two years. Tuesday at 3:07 PM. The departments goal is to respond to 90% of calls within seven minutes. He concluded his decision with "I recognize that no party is happy with this order. Both the city and the camps residents have different ideas for what the future should be for the land and the people who live there. Alameda Hot Spot Makes Best Sandwich List, Health Emergency Ends, COVID Vigilance Does Not, American Tulip Day & Free, U-Pick-Tulips 2023: Union Square, San Francisco, St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl: LepraCon San Francisco, Before & After Photos Show CA's Snowpack, Reservoirs After Storms, Best Bay Area Sandwiches + Stranded Hiker Rescued: Saturday Smiles, Sprawling Estates, Suburban Dreams: 11 Featured Bay Area Homes, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk], Monarch Butterflies: Our Fluttery Friends Are Wintering In The Area, Visit CA's National Parks For Free On 5 Fee-Free Days In 2023, Alameda County Gardening: November Checklist, Growing Spinach In Containers: Alameda County Gardening, What To Do In Alameda County Gardens In October. While the city did open a RV safe parking site for 40 vehicles at Wood Street last summer, its struggled to house more residents. In May, city officials put the total number of residents in the encampment at 300 people. 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. 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 In July, Caltrans alerted the residents they would have five days to pack their belongings and leave. 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 . To report an encampment online, please scan the QR code below to access the Reporting Tool page: Or go to the Reporting Tool website: https://reportencampments.tucsonaz.gov/ To report an encampment by phone, please call the City of Tucson Resource Line: (520) 791-2540 Initiation of Protocol An officer will be dispatched to your location. Over the next several weeks, the Caltrans site was cleaned and cleared and the residents moved to other locations and situations. (Beth LaBerge/KQED) 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. In the meantime, residents say they live in constant fear that they will be forced to leave with little notice. A large fire that swept through a homeless encampment underneath the 880 Freeway in West Oakland on Monday destroyed several vehicles and RVs before it was put . Credit: Darwin BondGraham. Residents of the encampment said they know that Caltrans has long wanted to clear them out and plan to resist if the sweep happens. We appreciate your patience; the homelessness@oaklandca.gov service has been restored. The land was mostly owned by Caltrans and after a history of fires on the site and concerns about the proximity of a nearby oxygen production plant on July 15, 2022 the agency gave residents five-days' notice to clear the site. Housing | She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. Large Homeless Encampment in Oakland California. That case was assigned to Judge Orrick, who expressed concern about the short notice and lack of shelter options. Driven by a housing crisis and continuing economic inequality that hits Oakland's most vulnerable. The Oakland women who took over a vacant lot to house the homeless Jones and several residents presented their idea of a self-governed site to city staff and Fife at a meeting last summer. 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. February 22, 2023. 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. When you are dealing with homeless individuals or a homeless encampment, these types of crimes include: Trespassing Public intoxication Public urination You report that you've witnessed a crime to the police or sheriff. The audit found the new policy lays the groundwork for needed change, but implementation has been slow, as the city is inundated with complaints about encampments. Newly formed Oakland homeless encampment on Caltrans property cleared Caltrans crews wait to clear the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022, while residents and advocates block the road. Caltrans to boost California homeless encampment cleanups | The The City has implemented a number of interventions at every step in the cycle. Housing | James Wiseman, leadership genius? 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 was overwhelmed by the crisis, leaving staff working to solve the problem without proper training or resources, according to the report. 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. This chart is updated at the end of each month. Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Gov. Since the restraining order was issued, another 12 fires have broken out on the site, Orrick said at the hearing. 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.". after a two-alarm fire broke out Monday at the site, decried the lack of access to clean water. Their. The city did not say exactly when it planned to begin closing the encampment, but said it would make reasonable efforts to avoid displacing people during excessive rain or very cold weather. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. 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.. I used to frequently take my kids in the stroller on this walk but now in addition to being . 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. Oakland Unveils 100-Person Tiny-Home Village at Troubled Wood Street Encampment What was once northern California's largest homeless encampment at Wood Street in Oakland now has a. Oakland homeless advocates turn underpass encampment - New York Post Homeless Encampment - Issue #13733349 - Civic Center, Oakland, CA Residents, Activists Decry Evictions at Oakland's Largest Homeless City officials have been . Thats on top of nearly 90 fires at the site for the 12 months through March. they paid around $400 a month in public assistance and charged. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? Ramona Choyce lost everything in a fire in March at the encampment, which has seen several blazes in the past year. 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. Caltrans OK to Clear Oakland's Largest Homeless Encampment, Federal The city estimates there are at least 140 encampments scattered throughout Oakland. 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 Oakland city auditor in April released a report that highlighted a litany of problems that plague the city's estimated 140 homeless communities, including: 1,599 interventions for "hygiene . Husbands-Hankin said she saw an officer tase the man and tackle him to the ground. July 11, 2022 / 6:27 PM / CBS San Francisco. 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. Brigitte Nicoletti, an attorney assisting residents in their pro se lawsuit, reiterated that request at the hearing on Friday. 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. A. Workers have been clearing the sprawling camp in phases, a process that started in July. We cant go far, Clutch said. Caltrans to clear Oakland homeless encampment near MacArthur Maze That's higher than what a typical . He says Caltrans has forced him to move several times. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. In the six weeks following the TRO, the city advanced the RV park and cabin community projects to a point where it represented to the judge that it would be able to "hold" enough spots to accommodate all the 1707 Wood Street residents who wanted to be sheltered. They declined to speak to reporters. The Encampment Management Team (EMT) is an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives from Oaklands Public Works Department (OPW), Human Services Department (HSD), Oakland Police Department (OPD), Oakland Fire Department (OFD), the City Administrators Office (CAO), and other consulted departments as necessary (e.g., the Mayors Office, the City Attorneys Office, Parks and Recreation). The Oakland City Council has . Our housed and unhoused residents are counting on us to make this right, Ruby wrote. Its been a struggle just to stand up emergency shelters.. 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. Californias stormy weather is having an unusual effect on S.F. (213) 229-1700. City leaders have been struggling with how to deal with the massive encampment, which has exploded in size over the past seven years.
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