“The City’s homeless crisis is a moral disgrace and a humanitarian issue, and we have to do something…and we must do it quickly.” - Barbara Lee during her Mayoral campaign

When we work together, we can build a city that cares about every Oakland neighbor by investing in solutions that save lives, address racism and poverty, and support our most vulnerable neighbors. By putting resources into affordable housing, healthcare, and community-based solutions, we can break down unfair systems and create healthier, stronger communities where everyone is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. These progressive values are why Oakland voted to make Barbara Lee our Mayor.

This past summer, President Trump signed an order telling cities to crack down on people experiencing homelessness. Soon after, some members of Oakland City Council pushed to rush a change to Oakland’s current encampment rules, calling it a new “Encampment Abatement Policy.”

The Encampment Abatement Policy would:

• punish people for being unhoused by allowing arrests if they return after a sweep, even though arresting people costs more and works worse than helping them find housing.

• make homelessness worse by letting police tow people’s vehicles without notice or shelter offers, forcing people to move suddenly and lose contact with services.

• potentially put Oakland’s state and county housing money at risk, since those funds require cities to focus on housing and outreach, not repeated sweeps. The California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) has stated that the drafted legislation "meets minimum requirements of state guidance, Cal ICH remains concerned about the practical implications of the City’s proposed sensitivity map."

• take money and staff time away from basic city services like fixing streets, towing abandoned cars, and responding to emergencies.

• create a huge volume of new work for OPD, which already reports that, due to staffing levels, they do not have capacity to adequately respond to 9-11 calls. OPD cannot sustain the repeated enforcement necessary to prevent re-encampment, and the Oakland Department of Transportation has stated to the Council that it is already strained beyond capacity on towing vehicles.

What Oakland really needs are meaningful solutions like:

• housing placements

• safe parking sites & safe and organized camping sites

• expanded services

• consistent sanitation & environmental health interventions

• deeply affordable housing

• business corridor support

• stronger protections to keep people from becoming homeless in the first place

Oakland is getting more expensive every year, and there are about 5,500 unhoused residents, and only around 1,300 shelter beds, which is nowhere near enough. As long as leaders ignore the real problem — the lack of housing — the crisis will continue.

With many more Oakland residents at risk of losing their homes because of possible federal housing cuts, the city needs to invest in housing solutions, not punishment. The answer to homelessness is homes. It really is that simple. Oakland wants and needs progressive leadership, not repressive policies that have already been proven to fail.

We are calling on Mayor Barbara Lee to protect Oakland’s most vulnerable residents by publicly opposing this policy and pushing for real solutions. We’re asking the Mayor to direct her new Office of Homelessness Solutions to work with people who have experienced homelessness to create more safe parking & sanctuary sites, with services, in every district, until there is enough permanent housing for everyone.

We are also calling on all members of the Life Enrichment Committee to vote against the Encampment Abatement Policy on February 24th. Let's unite around real solutions that get our neighbors off the streets.