Stop the eviction of our self-governed community.

Dear Community,

Please support our self-governed commons in our efforts to create our own solutions to houselessness and oppose our eviction.      

                                                                                        ---The Wood Street Commons

The Wood Street Commons (The Commons) is a self-governed community that is empowering unhoused residents to participate in the process of constructing a model eco-village of tiny homes with shared infrastructure, located on land owned by the City of Oakland. The residents have proposed that the the property be placed in a cooperative land trust to be controlled by residents of the Wood Street Commons.

Habitat for Humanity and MidPen Housing have proposed a 170-unit housing project on the same parcel of land that is the home of the Wood Street Commons. Its construction would require the eviction of this community. The housing project will provide only 13 units of truly “affordable” housing. The rest of the apartments would be rented to middle and upper middle class tenants, many with incomes of over $120,000 per year. This is out of compliance with the original mission of Habitat for Humanity to provide housing for those who need it the most. The plan put forth by Habitat and MidPen Housing will make the problem of homelessness worse, while destroying one of its possible solutions.

The Wood Street Commons has already succeeded in building a community where residents feel safe, supported and empowered enough to begin healing from the trauma of living on the streets. It also provides a layout and design that is conducive to cooperative community and self-sustainability.

Their design includes affordable tiny homes, and shared infrastructure such as an outdoor kitchen, showers, a community stage with musical events, a community meeting area, and a soil bio-remediation project. They have organized trash cleanups together with members of the housed community, removed fire hazards from around freeway columns, and installed security cameras and lighting. They have submitted a blueprint and draft proposal to the City of Oakland for a self-governed, tiny home eco-village that will act as a model for a truly humane solution to homelessness.

We ask you to join us in supporting the Wood Street Commons by signing our petition to the City of Oakland, Habitat for Humanity and MidPen Housing asking them to withdraw their development plan for this land and support the Wood Street Commons in its innovative  project.