HOMELESSNESS

California's housing crisis was built by policy: redlining, covenants, urban renewal, and decades of disinvestment, much of it aimed at shutting Black families out of homeownership and stable neighborhoods. Oakland has lived this history, and instead of repairing the harm, the city has too often chosen to police the people it failed to house.

Cities across the country are proving there's another way. There are pilot programs for safe parking sites, low-barrier shelters, and permanent supportive housing that meet people where they are while building toward something lasting. Oakland can do this too. We need both: immediate solutions like safe parking and shelter that get people stability now, and the long-term housing investment that ends the crisis instead of managing it.