This week City of Oakland continued the court-authorized work to close the Wood Street encampment, remove trash and debris, and transition residents and their pets to safe shelter programs with supportive services.
48 people have so far relocated from the City-owned Wood Street parcel, including 36 who have accepted shelter at the new Wood Street cabin program and seven who have enrolled in the Safe RV Parking program.
The Wood Street cabin program and the Safe RV Parking program continue to have plenty of capacity for Wood Street residents.
“The City is taking a thoughtful, deliberate and compassionate approach to closing the Wood Street encampment,” said LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator and Acting Homelessness Administrator. “We are grateful for the cooperation of the advocates who have been providing additional support to residents during this transition. With that collaboration, each day the City moves further towards our resolve of sheltering interested residents and ultimately delivering permanent affordable housing.”
City crews have removed a total of 300 tons of trash and debris. Staff from OakDOT’s Vehicle Enforcement Unit have towed a total of 29 vehicles, including six stolen vehicles. Teams from Oakland Animal Services have rescued a total of 40 animals from individuals requesting assistance.
City outreach teams continue to engage with encampment residents one by one to offer a range of housing and shelter options, employment support, and other services and programs. Teams are working with residents to identify items that can be taken to storage in accordance with the City’s Encampment Management Policy.
The City is closing the Wood Street encampment to enable the City-owned parcel to be developed for 170 units of permanent affordable housing.