14 22-0459 Subject: Former Oakland Army Base As A Homeless Intervention Site
From: Human Services Department
Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report On The Feasibility Of Establishing A Temporary Homeless Intervention Site, To House At Least 1,000 Individuals, At The North Gateway Parcel Located At The Former Oakland Army Base; Including A Fiscal Analysis, Environmental Assessment, Associated Timelines For Standing Up The Site
I'm fully supportive of setting up a temporary location on the base, and believe the MLK/West Grand encampment, as it is stated in the EMP, should be the first wave and proof of concept for this plan. Let's stick to the policy that was already unanimously approved by the council. It's an easier way to centralize resources and aid, whether that be food or shelter, an address for employment search, social services, or even security. The base is is the best alternative to the drug and drug dealer infested camps that exist today in the neighborhoods that we all have to share, and that many of us pay expensive property taxes to live in. Waiting until Oakland can secure enough housing is completely non-viable. It shoulders only specific neighborhoods with the entire burden of enduring these encampments. That is not just inhumane, but it's unfair.
It's $8,000 for each encampment clean-up (ref City Finance Dept presentation in Jan), which does utterly nothing for the sanitary conditions, or cleaning up the trash and filth that trails out across our neighborhoods. Multiply that by 4, and that's what it cost to give a weekly cleanup to one encampment ($32,000). Multiply that by 300, and that is your monthly cost to maintain those encampments that currently don't have running water or utilities.; $9.6MM per month, or $112MM per annum. Could Oakland use even half of those dollars to secure permanent housing faster? I think so. Please get this implemented now.
I'm fully supportive of setting up a temporary location on the base, and believe the MLK/West Grand encampment, as it is stated in the EMP, should be the first wave and proof of concept for this plan. Let's stick to the policy that was already unanimously approved by the council. It's an easier way to centralize resources and aid, whether that be food or shelter, an address for employment search, social services, or even security. The base is is the best alternative to the drug and drug dealer infested camps that exist today in the neighborhoods that we all have to share, and that many of us pay expensive property taxes to live in. Waiting until Oakland can secure enough housing is completely non-viable. It shoulders only specific neighborhoods with the entire burden of enduring these encampments. That is not just inhumane, but it's unfair.
It's $8,000 for each encampment clean-up (ref City Finance Dept presentation in Jan), which does utterly nothing for the sanitary conditions, or cleaning up the trash and filth that trails out across our neighborhoods. Multiply that by 4, and that's what it cost to give a weekly cleanup to one encampment ($32,000). Multiply that by 300, and that is your monthly cost to maintain those encampments that currently don't have running water or utilities.; $9.6MM per month, or $112MM per annum. Could Oakland use even half of those dollars to secure permanent housing faster? I think so. Please get this implemented now.