Councilmember Kalb's Homelessness Resource and Information Page

Oakland is working to alleviate the homelessness crisis as much as possible focusing on:

  • Prevention
  • Crisis management
  • Long-term deeply-affordable housing.

Visit the Oakland Homeless Response Website

Councilmember Kalb's homelessness priorities

  1. Prevention strategies to keep people from becoming homeless -- the most effective and cost-effective strategy to address homelessness:
    • Increased (and on-going) outreach about Keep Oakland Housed services to those most at risk of losing their homes.
  2. Emergency strategies to shelter and rehouse households and improve health and safety on the street:
    • Creating standards for upkeep and cleanliness of encampments, including:
      • Trash collection at least three times per week at larger encampments and twice per week at smaller one
      • Regular servicing of portable toilets AND hand-washing stations at all encampments (three times/ week)
      • Regularly scheduled deep cleaning
      • Keeping encampments to one side of the street to allow safe passage
      • Preserve retail corridors by encouraging encampment to other locations
      • No encampments at City-owned parks unless specific park site is intentionally designated for that purpose by City Administrator—and only as a last resort if alternative is considered much more problematic (parks with tot lots shall NOT be designated as such)
      • Enforcement to prevent serious criminal activities at encampments
  3. Creation of affordable and permanent supportive housing units prioritized for households experiencing homelessness -- the ultimate solution, and the most resource-intensive:
    • Prioritizing affordable housing, especially deeply affordable housing
    • Consistently looking for new pathways and funding to create new below-market housing projects or repurpose existing buildings for that purpose
    • Boomerang funds – making sure that funds ‘boomeranged' from Redevelopment Agencies funds to affordable housing

Information About Oakland's Response to Homelessness

Links Description
2019 Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Framework Update Adopted by City Council in December 2019, the PATH is Oakland's 5-year strategy to address homelessness and the additional resources needed for a comprehensive response
2019 City of Oakland Point in Time Count Every two years, communities across the country conduct comprehensive counts of the local population experiencing homelessness in order to measure the prevalence of homelessness in each community.
Emergency Homelessness Taskforce Established in May 2020 in response to COVID-19 to promote harm-reduction strategies, provide linkages to essential health and human services, and reduce encampment footprints where waste and debris are jeopardizing public safety and public health.
Homeless Encampment Clean-Up Schedule(PDF, 92KB) As a part of the broader City of Oakland effort to address homelessness, Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful provides clean-up services at encampment locations.
Keep Oakland Housed A coordinated strategy and partnership to help Oakland residents at risk of losing their homes
Bay Area Homelessness Report Bay Area Council report providing regional perspective on the homelessness crisis

Resources for Unsheltered Residents

Link Description
211 - Alameda County Resource Finder A one-stop for resources to find everything from affordable housing, available shelters, and transportation to tax and legal assistance
Homeless Action Center The Homeless Action Center (HAC) provides no-cost, barrier-free, culturally sensitive legal representation that makes it possible for homeless men and women to access the maze of social safety net programs that provide a pathway out of homelessness.
Homeless Shelter Listings Database with over 3,000 listings and includes emergency shelters, homeless shelters, day shelters, transitional housing, shared housing, residential drug alcohol rehabilitation programs and permanent affordable housing.
Keep Oakland Housed - how to get help Access to legal and financial support for low-income households
Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Homelessness prevention programs, rapid re-housing, targeted outreach for people experiencing homelessness, and recovery-oriented behavioral health services
Operation Dignity Serves the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, including veterans and people living in encampments.
East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) Represents tenants in eviction lawsuits to keep people housed in their current apartments
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