Amid Dwindling Shelter Resources, Oakland Cracks Down On Homeless Encampments

OAKLAND, CA — City crews can now clear homeless encampments and vehicles where people are living without first offering immediate housing options.

The council approved the new Encampment Abatement Policy on Tuesday in a 5 to 1 vote, an apparent change of direction from the city's previous approach to curb homelessness in Oakland and prioritize residents' well-being.

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"Our resources are incredibly constrained," Councilmember Charlene Wang said, according to Oaklandside. "For us to consistently be the region’s social safety net, it’s just not fair."

The new policies will require city workers to give one week's notice to encampment residents before clearing it, only offering shelter to those displaced when it becomes available.

The city will also be able to move more quickly in clearing encampments considered a nuisance or tied to illegal activities.

"This is about providing relief to the neighborhoods that have had encampments in their backyard," Wang added, before saying, "We have to come up with a better shelter plan."

The decision also comes amidst ongoing closures of multiple shelters and the tiny home village across Oakland.

It's unclear how it will coincide with another new plan announced last month that aims to reduce unsheltered homelessness in Oakland by 50% in the next five years.

The plan is contingent on the city doubling down on strategies that have already been working, including preventing more people from becoming homeless and building permanent housing.

Despite more public investment, the data show that homeless populations have nearly doubled in Oakland since 2017. While more people are sheltered than before, the number of unsheltered homeless people continues to grow, according to data included in the new plan.

For every 1,500 people that Oakland's programs help exit homelessness each year, more than 2,500 more people are coming in, according to city officials.

Councilmember Carroll Fife, who abstained from voting on the Encampment Abatement Policy, brought up concerns that the policy does not provide information on where people can go after an encampment is swept or a car is towed.

"I can’t support legislation that’s going to perpetuate racist policies that affect my people,” Fifa said, according to Oaklandside.

In Oakland, Black residents represent 22% of the population but 59% of new homelessness, according to the city.