Latest news with #encampment
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oakland clears homeless encampment, moves 70 to shelter — but advocates say city's outreach efforts fell short
The City of Oakland has cleared a large homeless encampment on East 12th Street, relocating about 70 people to the Mandela House — a former hotel turned shelter, now funded through a state grant. The move marks one of the city's most visible steps toward addressing homelessness, a crisis that has more than doubled in Oakland over the past decade. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Driven by rising rents, stagnant wages and a chronic shortage of affordable housing, more than 4,000 people in the city are currently unhoused. Oakland officials say the clearance is part of a broader push to connect unhoused residents with long-term housing support. It follows Governor Gavin Newsom's rollout of a model ordinance aimed at helping cities respond to what he calls the 'dangerous' and 'unhealthy' conditions of encampments. 'There's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,' Newsom said in a press release. 'Local leaders asked for resources — we delivered the largest state investment in history.' As Oakland aligns with statewide efforts to address homelessness, the impact of encampment closures — and whether they help — remains at the center of the conversation. California's homelessness crisis has reached a breaking point. According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 187,000 people were homeless in the state last year — nearly 24% of the entire nation's unhoused population. The pressure is mounting on state and local leaders to act fast. In response, Newsom announced $3.3 billion in new funding to help cities expand access to housing and treatment for the state's most vulnerable. Cities like Oakland and San Francisco are rolling out targeted interventions. San Francisco's newly elected mayor, Daniel Lurie, has pledged to tackle homelessness head-on. Oakland is already home to the Community Cabins program — a shelter initiative offering small, two-person cabins built on public land. These temporary shelters focus on stabilization and connecting residents to long-term support. The program has seen high participation rates, largely because cabins are built near existing encampments, allowing people to stay close to familiar spaces. 'Oakland's Cabin Community model is one of the most promising and cost-effective homeless shelter innovations I've seen,' said Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it City officials say closing the East 12th Street encampment is a step forward, but community reactions suggest a more complicated reality. Some residents and business owners say they're relieved to see the area cleared, calling it a long-standing source of frustration. "I was driving by, and I was shocked to see the whole encampment was clean," said Veleda, an Oakland resident, in an interview with Fox KTVU. "It was an eyesore, and it was very hard for them to tackle it." But homeless advocates say that while shelters like Mandela House or Community Cabins represent a step in the right direction, the process of clearing encampments often unfolds with little warning and limited resources. "People lost medication, people lost their IDs, people lost their phones, people lost their clothing, their food," Needa Bee, director of the homeless advocacy group, The Village, told Fox KTVU. According to Bee, she was able to reconnect with 54 individuals from the East 12th encampment — none of whom were offered housing options before the site was cleared. The city maintains that shelter space was made available at Mandela House. But advocates argue the outreach efforts fell short, and question how effective these emergency responses really are in the long term. With growing pressure to 'clean up' encampments, cities risk swapping long-term solutions for short-term optics — and sidelining the very people these efforts claim to support. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Dismantled ByWard Market encampment highlights need for housing, advocates say
A new encampment in the ByWard Market has a local councillor calling for long-term strategies from the city and the Salvation Army. CTV's Katie Griffin reports. A small encampment in the ByWard Market that was dismantled Friday is highlighting the urgent need for housing and permanent solutions to a growing crisis in Ottawa and across the province. Three tents were set up on a median on George Street between Cumberland and Dalhousie streets across from the Salvation Army. 'They've been there, I believe, since Wednesday last week and the encampment has grown,' said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stephanie Plante. Plante spoke with those living in the tents and says they're clients of the Salvation Army. George Street encampment Three tents have popped up on the median across from the Salvation Army on George Street. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa) The encampment was taken down on Friday, but Plante says action should have been taken sooner. 'Our dismantle policy at the city is to be offered housing but that doesn't stop the Salvation Army from asking them to leave as well,' she said. Encampment dsimantled Workers dismantle a tent encampment on George Street in Ottawa's ByWard Market. May 30, 2025. (Andrew Adlington/CTV News Ottawa) The Salvation Army says it shares Plante's concerns about people living in tents. 'The Salvation Army's Outreach and Housing Services program operates 24/7 across Ottawa, and we have recently expanded staffing specifically to enhance our presence in the downtown core and ByWard Market,' it said in a statement. It went on to say the 'outreach team remains in daily contact with those sheltering in tents to offer support, service navigation, and, where possible, connections to housing.' On Thursday, groups including the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa and Encampment Justice Coalition rallied at Ottawa City Hall against a provincial bill that would crack down on encampments and public drug use. 'Where do we expect people to go? There's no place safe if they are using to use, with the closure of the supervised injection sites,' said Kaite Burkholder Harris, the executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. 'And just as much as I realize the intention of these bills, none of this is going to help people. It's going to displace people and the 'problem', and a lot of people are going to be harmed by it.' Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr says there are encampments in almost every ward. 'It is a lack of investment that has happened in housing and mental health and treatment for many, many years,' Carr said. 'This is a public health crisis as much as it is a homelessness crisis.' The city says those living in encampments are offered 'shelter services, health and social supports, and assistance in securing safe, stable housing.' 'The decision to dismantle an encampment is only made once all efforts to support the person have been exhausted,' said Kale Brown, the interim director of Housing and Homelessness Services. Plante says long-term solutions are urgently needed. 'Nothing that's happening right now is not solvable. But it just goes to show that we need all levels of government to really, really prioritize housing and whatever budgets they're putting forward on this file.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
ByWard Market encampment to be dismantled Friday
A new encampment in the ByWard Market has a local councillor calling for long-term strategies from the city and the Salvation Army. CTV's Katie Griffin reports. A small encampment in the ByWard Market that is set to be dismantled Friday is highlighting the urgent need for housing and permanent solutions to a growing crisis in Ottawa and across the province. Three tents are currently set up on a median on George Street between Cumberland and Dalhousie streets across from the Salvation Army. 'They've been there, I believe, since Wednesday last week and the encampment has grown,' said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stephanie Plante. Plante spoke with those living in the tents and says they're clients of the Salvation Army. The encampment is set to be taken down on Friday, but Plante says action should have been taken sooner. 'Our dismantle policy at the city is to be offered housing but that doesn't stop the Salvation Army from asking them to leave as well,' she said. The Salvation Army says it shares Plante's concerns about people living in tents. 'The Salvation Army's Outreach and Housing Services program operates 24/7 across Ottawa, and we have recently expanded staffing specifically to enhance our presence in the downtown core and ByWard Market,' it said in a statement. It went on to say the 'outreach team remains in daily contact with those sheltering in tents to offer support, service navigation, and, where possible, connections to housing.' On Thursday, groups including the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa and Encampment Justice Coalition rallied at Ottawa City Hall against a provincial bill that would crack down on encampments and public drug use. 'Where do we expect people to go? There's no place safe if they are using to use, with the closure of the supervised injection sites,' said Kaite Burkholder Harris, the executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. 'And just as much as I realize the intention of these bills, none of this is going to help people. It's going to displace people and the 'problem', and a lot of people are going to be harmed by it.' Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr says there are encampments in almost every ward. 'It is a lack of investment that has happened in housing and mental health and treatment for many, many years,' Carr said. 'This is a public health crisis as much as it is a homelessness crisis.' The city says those living in encampments are offered 'shelter services, health and social supports, and assistance in securing safe, stable housing.' 'The decision to dismantle an encampment is only made once all efforts to support the person have been exhausted,' said Kale Brown, the interim director of Housing and Homelessness Services. Plante says long-term solutions are urgently needed. 'Nothing that's happening right now is not solvable. But it just goes to show that we need all levels of government to really, really prioritize housing and whatever budgets they're putting forward on this file.'
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Maintenance workers blocked from accessing garbage bins and portable toilets at Kitchener encampment
Tents and temporary structures were seen at the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener, Ont. on May 29, 2025. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News) Maintenance workers and bylaw officers experienced some unexpected complications Thursday morning while they were trying to remove garbage from an encampment in Kitchener. According to a statement from the Region of Waterloo, contracted service providers were attempting to complete regular maintenance at the 100 Victoria Street North site. However, when they arrived, access to the garbage bins and portable toilets was limited by tents and temporary structures. 'Advance notice was provided to those at the site in preparation for this cleanup,' the statement from the region said. The region said the structures will need to be moved so the work can be completed. 'Regular maintenance of the site is essential for the health and safety of the residents of the site,' the statement concluded. Encampment concerns The garbage bins and a trailer were brought onto the site last month. Some residents of the encampment raised concerns, telling CTV News they were unsure what was going on. However, the region said they had warned residents, and the trailer was put there to 'facilitate meetings with residents.' The changes come as the region announced they were moving forward with plans to build a new transit hub. That plan will require all the people living at the Victoria Street encampment to find somewhere else to live. According to the region, the encampment must be cleared by Dec. 1, 2025. To achieve this, the region is proposing a site-specific bylaw covering Victoria Street between King Street and Weber Street. If approved by council, anyone living at 100 Victoria Street North must leave by the end of November. If new tents or shelters go up after that, they will be removed by the region. 'The bylaw does account for the current residents there as of today and provides time to facilitate their transition to new accommodation,' said Fiona McCrea, the region's acting regional solicitor. 'But the bylaw does not permit new people to come and reside at 100 Victoria Street.' The region said in the lead up to the deadline, outreach staff will be ramping up efforts to place encampment residents in alternative housing. 'We have many options available to us that we will utilize. Specifically, we will be looking at rental supports and transitional supportive housing. It'll be important that we add social supports for individuals,' said Peter Sweeney, the region's commissioner of community services." However, advocates have raised concerns with the move. 'We know that this isn't a solution,' Ashley Schuitema, executive director of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, said in an interview with CTV News last month. 'The amount of people experiencing homelessness in our community compared to the spaces that we have available for people, there's a huge gap. All this will mean is people will be tenting and moving around, tenting and moving around. Which is harmful.' Schuitema also raised legal concerns with the region's choice. In 2023, the region lost a bid for a court injunction to evict residents. Justice M. Valente declined to declare that the people living there were in breach of a regional bylaw. The ruling read, in part: 'The region does not have adequate, accessible shelter spaces for its homeless population of some 1,100 individuals'. The judge went on to say that the bylaw the region had used to enforce encampment orders 'deprives the homeless residents of the encampment of life, liberty and security of the person in a manner not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice and is not saved by section 1 of the charter.' Schuitema said a similar legal battle could be looming. 'I think the region will have to go back to court to get permission to move forward with their plan as set out in their bylaw, which they've indicated that they understand they need to do,' Schuitema said. 'There are some previsions in this bylaw which would violate the existing court order.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Halifax Regional Municipality closes Geary Street encampment site
An encampment for people experiencing homelessness is seen in Dartmouth, N.S. The Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is closing and de-designating the Geary Street green space in Dartmouth, N.S., on Wednesday, according to a news release. The city has issued notices to vacate the site to those sheltering in the space. They have until June 22 to relocate and remove all their belongings from the site. The municipality said it is directing people sheltering at Geary Street to one of the available spaces at provincial shelters or another designated space. The municipality said it will offer resources and supports, including transporting people to other provincially-funded housing options or designated locations in HRM. It will also transport or store their belongings. HRM said the Geary Street site is the least-used designated encampment in recent months after three years of consistently low numbers. Service providers will work with people sleeping rough to determine which shelter is best for them, said the release. As of Friday, municipal housing and homelessness staff determined there were 51 tents and four trailers in the city's remaining designated locations. Those locations, established in July 2022, were always meant to be temporary, said the release. HRM said more designated locations will close and be de-designated as more indoor shelter spaces and supportive housing options become available. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
