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The Oakland City Council unanimously passed a new homeless encampment policy Tuesday, more than 10 hours into a meeting where dozens of members of the public spoke passionately about the proposal and protesters rallied outside two councilmembers' homes. The city may now post notices of the closure and shall give individuals at the encampment at least seven days notice before the closure begins, Orrick wrote. Caltrans announced it is closing the entire Wood Street . We are in a catch-22., Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. In an earlier statement, Caltrans said it planned to clear the camp to address the increasingly serious safety risks to life, property and infrastructure at the encampment. The agency said it was coordinating with the city and the county to offer residents shelter. A large fire broke out at the encampment on Monday,. that was may . He found that the plaintiffs raised at least a significant question about whether the doctrine applied to them and concluded that under all the circumstances, including the weather and the ongoing "tripledemic," it was appropriate to issue the TRO, though he telegraphed that the pause on eviction would not be unlimited. In the meantime, residents at Wood Street say few officials have come to consult with them on relocation plans. View the map in a new window. He said his latest order could be rescinded if the city fails to provide enough shelter beds or fails to make outreach workers available to help displaced residents find alterative shelter. A large column of black smoke rises Tuesday, April 5, 2022, from a fire at a homeless encampment next to West Grand Avenue and Wood Street in Oakland's Prescott neighborhood. You can report an encampment at the following locations: Bridges Highways Parks or playgrounds Outside of residential and commercial buildings Roadway tunnels Streets and sidewalks Subway stations Report an encampment. Our housed and unhoused residents are counting on us to make this right, Ruby wrote. When could it return? To address the growing problem, the city in 2017 established its interdepartmental Encampment Management Team to respond to various issues at homeless camps. 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. 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. (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. Thank you for your patience while we work to restore services. Dozens of Caltrans workers and California Highway . What Happens Next Officers from your local police precinct will respond within 4 hours. Several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland are currently impacted or offline. Workers have been clearing the sprawling camp in phases, a process that started in July. If you would like to report new concern, please use the TacomaFIRST 311 online system or call 3-1-1 within city limits or (253) 591-5000 outside the city. The plaintiffs and all living at the Wood Street encampment must make immediate plans to move.". Gavin Newsoms office publicly excoriated Oakland officials for failing to cooperate and threatened to withhold state funds. On Monday morning, workers removed vehicles, furniture and other items from the encampment on Caltrans property underneath the MacArthur Maze. 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. PUBLISHED: February 27, 2023 at 4:49 p.m. | UPDATED: February 28, 2023 at 1:58 p.m. A federal judge on Monday ruled the city can resume efforts to remove dozens of people from a large homeless. The homelessness crisis also has taken a toll on Oakland's public parks, according to the audit. He dissolved the TRO immediately, conditioned on the city's representations that there would be sufficient shelter options for the displaced residents. Home used to be a tent at the 77th Street homeless encampment, where they had to fill two . We cant go far, Clutch said. Among its recommendations, the audit found the city should ensure staff members are trained in crisis management and interacting with traumatized encampment residents. Copyright 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Antioch council to discuss new liquor stores ban, homeless housing. 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. To report an issue related to an encampment, please email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov. She previously covered startups and venture capital for the Bay Area News Group and prior to that court cases for The Recorder in San Francisco. Officials said they do not know when construction on a community cabin site would begin. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. And Caltrans officials said the vehicles would be too difficult to move. City staff were there to clear out residents from the northern part of the encampment, near the city-sanctioned RV safe parking site. City lawyers had no comment on the ruling. And Orrick agreed. . The only way to get through involves stepping over bulky items, bbq grills, bikes, tents, and garbage. Cars, RVs and debris burned Monday, sending a giant cloud of smoke into the sky, and freezing highway traffic in the vicinity. By City News Service on . Caltrans crews wait to clear the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022, while residents and advocates block the road. The city spent $12.6 million over the past two fiscal years, mostly unbudgeted, to manage the camps that have spread across city streets, sidewalks, parks and open spaces, according to a report released Wednesday by the city auditor. Ramona Choyce recounts the moment when an April fire killed one person at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. The Oakland City Council voted Monday to open a co-governed homeless encampment to provide shelter for 40 people in West Oakland making it potentially the second site that residents and. 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 . Orange County Sheriff's Department. 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. 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. Complete clearing of total area without option to return, Partial clearing of an encamped area without option to return, Cleaning of an area with the option to return, May apply to a portion of or the total area, Regularly established garbage clearing and temporary sanitation. The city's lawyers had no comment on the ruling. The city also spent money on contracts, legal costs, towing abandoned cars and police and fire responses to encampment emergencies. Report the issue to our encampment management team at homelessness@oaklandca.gov. He concluded his decision with "I recognize that no party is happy with this order. Encampment Management is necessary to address the emergency needs of our unhoused residents, and serves as one part of the Citys overall response to prevent, stabilize and house our community. Specifically, the audit found the City lacked an effective strategy for dealing with the growth in encampments and did not provide sufficient policy direction or adequate funding at the onset of this crisis, the letter continued. Call Taker: Is the homeless encampment within 500 feet of a waterway (creek, lake or bay)? She graduated from American University with a BA degree in literature with a minor in journalism. 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. Sign up for our daily newsletter. NO Share; Weve created a system of effective strategies that address homelessness at every step in the cycle. But the city didnt give the team the resources it needed including a budget, according to the audit. She graduated from American University with a BA degree in literature with a minor in journalism. Oaklands biggest homeless encampment could massively shrink with planned sweep of 200 people, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. What could reparations mean for Black residents of Alameda County? 211 West Temple Street. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! It dissolves a restraining order that previously halted Caltrans plans to clear the camp and allows the city to begin a phased closure of the encampment. Over the past seven years, Oaklands Wood Street encampment has exploded in size. 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.". 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. July 11, 2022 Updated 3:24 PM PT. A burned-out van amid charred rubble of where Ramon Choyce once lived at a homeless encampment on Wood Street in Oakland. Homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years. Caltrans plans to clear 200 homeless people from the sprawling site by the first week of August, officials said. A day later, tensions escalated when witnesses said Oakland police tased an encampment resident. Housing proposal for unhoused leaves Santa Clara residents sharply divided She joined The Chronicle in 2016 after graduating from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. But Orrick told the agencies to work it out. The final 2019-2021 budget allocates $32 million to address homelessness by: expanding health, sanitation, safety services for unsheltered residents funding self-governed encampments and temporary housing options such as tiny homes, shipping containers, and mobile homes. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? Multiple fires have erupted at the citys largest homeless encampment, which extends for several city blocks and has been home to hundreds of people. People are seen in a homeless encampment on Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) SAN FRANCISCO (CN) A temporary restraining order put in place last month to protect the unhoused residents of an encampment the city of Oakland had hoped to clear to make way for new affordable housing has been dissolved. Walters: Is ending Californias homelessness just a matter of money? The Administration is grateful that the City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive, citywide Encampment Management Policy last October, and are now beginning to identify the necessary resources to support this important work with an understanding that even more is necessary, Reiskin wrote in an emailed statement. The report lays out 26 recommendations, all of which the city has committed to following, according to the auditors office.