Dive Brief:
- Oakland, California, Mayor Barbara Lee on Aug. 26 announced the formation of the city’s Office of Homelessness Solutions to coordinate the delivery of services from government agencies and nonprofits.
- Oakland’s chief housing policy officer, Sasha Hauswald, will lead the new initiative. Measure W, a half-cent Alameda County sales tax that went into effect in April, will be one of the funding sources. The county has allocated 80% of the tax’s revenue to homelessness services.
- Lee also introduced a five-point plan to address Oakland’s homelessness crisis, which consists of additional outreach efforts, rental support, new shelter and interim housing beds and accelerating new housing development.
Dive Insight:
Oakland recorded a 9% increase in its unhoused population from 2022 to 2024, according to nonprofit news site The Oaklandside’s analysis of point-in-time counts, which are conducted every two years. Of the 5,490 people identified as unhoused in the city, approximately 67% were unsheltered, the news report said.
Despite the increase, that’s a slower rate of growth than the city saw previously. Homelessness grew 47% from 2017 to 2019 and 24% from 2019 to 2022, the report said.
California, often considered the epicenter of the nation’s homelessness crisis, reported reductions in homelessness in several major cities and metro areas this year. The city of Los Angeles saw a 3.4% drop in total homelessness and a 7.9% decline in unsheltered homelessness, marking two consecutive years of declines in the state’s largest metro area.
Los Angeles County, like Oakland, announced it would create its own Department of Homeless Services and Housing, also funded by a new county half-cent sales tax. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, likewise established the California Housing and Homelessness Agency for the state in July.
