Oakland Mayor, City Council Offer ‘Radically Different’ Plans for Reducing Homelessness

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is hoping to plot a new course for the city when it comes to homelessness, reports Grant Stringer for The Mercury news. While other cities  around the Bay Area and California are conducting more sweeps of encampments, Lee wants to focus the city’s efforts on improving sanitation around encampment sites and creating incentives like paying unhoused residents to collect litter.

Lee’s proposal would mark a shift for the mayor, who oversaw the closure of an average of 91 encampments per month, up from 17 camp closures under her predecessor.  “The strategy she expects to unveil in March appears to be radically different from neighboring leaders — and with the Oakland City Council’s own vision for homelessness. Its members are pushing legislation to accelerate encampment sweeps and eliminate a longstanding local requirement that the city offer shelter to residents when forcing them to move.” 

The Council proposal championed by Councilmember Ken Houston could gain approval without giving the mayor a chance to veto it. Meanwhile, the city has cut funding to its community housing services division by 41 percent and plans to close two interim housing sites in March.