OAKLAND — The In Oakland, there are two homeless shelters located on Wood Street, and those who are already residing there will have a little bit more time to have a roof over their heads.
Residents have been informed that they are permitted to remain at the Wood Street community cabin site and secure RV parking lot until the 30th of June, contrary to the rumours that circulated that both locations would close down on Monday, March 31.
Mr. Jared Defigh, who resides in a cabin, stated that the situation has been chaotic.
Approximately two years ago, he relocated to a cabin not long after it had opened its doors.
The individuals who lived in the old Wood Street Encampment, which had been the largest encampment in California at one point but had been shut down in April of 2023, were the intended recipients of this new facility.
According to Defigh, there are occasions when he experiences feelings of unease. He said that there has been a substantial shift in the staffing situation, as well as in the resources, since he came.
“We don’t have shower heads anymore; we have to bring our own,” stated Defigh in response. That was not the situation when we first started out. In addition, we are required to bring our toilet paper for a lengthy period of time, in addition to other items.
He mentioned that a significant portion of the upkeep is being carried out by one of the residents.
The non-profit organisation known as Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, or BOSS, is in charge of managing the website.
A request for comment from CBS Bay Area was not met with a response from BOSS. However, the organisation did inform the San Francisco Chronicle that the city of Oakland was approximately one million dollars behind on paying payments, and that the site will be shut down on March 31 if they did not receive cash.
Regarding the date of March 31, Defigh stated, “That is obviously not the case anymore for the time being.” It was the staff who informed us. What transpired was that they were given a notice of two weeks’ duration from BOSS itself, which I presume was not being funded by the city. Subsequently, the city had a conversation with them and informed them that, contrary to belief, they were able to be paid for the remaining period. When I questioned an employee after that, they informed me that they would continue to do so until June.
However, Defigh is holding out hope that he may be able to remain even longer.
“I’m working with others draughting a proposal to city council and also to Fred Craves, the man who owns this land,” Defigh explained to reporters.
The city has informed him that the lease will be terminated at the end of the year, and he is requesting that it be renewed. Next, he intends to establish a site that is jointly controlled by the city council and organisations that engage in the production of affordable housing, such as Rise Housing Solutions.
The words “actually, create a place where people will grow into a new life rather than waiting to be put in a box, which has been happening a little too much,” were spoken by Defigh in reference to his aspirations for the future.
When or if this location is shut down, many of the tenants are uncertain about where they will go or whether the city will assist them in finding other housing.
Oakland Wood Street homeless shelters delay potential closure date to end of June.
