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Agenda Item
6.4 26-0308 Subject: Declaration Of A Local Emergency On Homelessness
From: Office Of The Council President
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Renewing And Continuing The City Council's Declaration Of A Local Emergency Due To The Existence Of The City's Homelessness Crisis
I support the continued declaration of a local emergency. However, Oakland needs to add an urgent PSH acceleration plan. I would like to request that, in addition to generally prioritizing building more permanent supportive housing by approving funding and approvals for PSH projects without delay, there is a need to create an operating-subsidy plan in coordination with OHA vouchers to PSH can actually open and stay open.
In addition, a number of 6.4's resolution statistics are out of date in its numbers. For example: in this resolution, it is noted that the AHAR from 2018 reports that across the United States, 553,000 people were experiencing homelessness in a single day. According to the most recent data, 2024 AHAR's reports that there are 771,480 people experiencing homelessness in the United States.
Alameda County's PIT count in 2017 (as in this declaration) was 5629 people experiencing homelessness in the county; 2024 lists this number now as 9450.
Oakland's PIT count in 2017 (as in this declaration) was 2761 experiencing homelessness in the city; 2024 lists this number now as 5485.
We cannot continue to address these issues in homelessness without the right numbers or without the right plans in place to properly end homelessness in the only effective way we know how to do this: by actually implementing Housing First programs. I ask that Oakland continue to make good on these promises to meaningfully end homelessness.
I support the continued declaration of a local emergency. However, Oakland needs to add an urgent PSH acceleration plan. I would like to request that, in addition to generally prioritizing building more permanent supportive housing by approving funding and approvals for PSH projects without delay, there is a need to create an operating-subsidy plan in coordination with OHA vouchers to PSH can actually open and stay open.
In addition, a number of 6.4's resolution statistics are out of date in its numbers. For example: in this resolution, it is noted that the AHAR from 2018 reports that across the United States, 553,000 people were experiencing homelessness in a single day. According to the most recent data, 2024 AHAR's reports that there are 771,480 people experiencing homelessness in the United States.
Alameda County's PIT count in 2017 (as in this declaration) was 5629 people experiencing homelessness in the county; 2024 lists this number now as 9450.
Oakland's PIT count in 2017 (as in this declaration) was 2761 experiencing homelessness in the city; 2024 lists this number now as 5485.
We cannot continue to address these issues in homelessness without the right numbers or without the right plans in place to properly end homelessness in the only effective way we know how to do this: by actually implementing Housing First programs. I ask that Oakland continue to make good on these promises to meaningfully end homelessness.