Pop Up Care Village at Oakland’s Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on Wed. Dec. 4, 2019

Pop Up Care Village at Oakland’s Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on Wed. Dec. 4, 2019

Plus an inside look at the struggle over tiny homes for the unhoused

By Lynda Carson - November 30, 2019

Oakland - For the unhoused neighbors and residents who are needing services in Oakland, there will be a "Pop Up Care Village at Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza" on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, from 11:00AM to 3:00PM that will be delivering mobile hygene & critical services to those who are in need.

The Pop Up Care Village includes free food, clothing, showers, haircuts, acupuncture, art & music, animal care, mental health services, social services, medical services, legal aid, and harm reduction.


An inside look at the politics and struggle over tiny homes for the unhoused:


Below are some emails from earlier today that may help to shed some light on the politics, struggle, and discussions involving tiny homes that are needed to house the unhoused.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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Re: [oakland-hawg] SPECIAL MEETING ON HOMELESSNESS ISSUES ... LIFE ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE ... THIS WED DEC 4 6:00PM ---QUESTION ABOUT CODES
Inbox

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


7:40 AM (10 hours ago)


to James, oakland-hawg, Margaretta, Rolf

Dear HAWG allies:

YSA folks were disappointed to miss the last HAWG meeting and felt very sorry not to be able to come out to witness and support HAWG this week at City Hall. We know what has happened has been super devastating and that folks are going through a ton. We will be able to hopefully be active after we complete/get our youth tiny house village up and running.

YSA is right now prepping/organizing youth and our base to go to Berkeley City Council on Tuesday night. We really need Berkeley funding/additional tiny house village supports as we prep for move in July 2020. For YSA, the tiny house village development has simply been a ton of work on top of the work running our agency, with all the youth involved, their challenges, and our core program to maintain. But we dont see a way to ignore youth's giant need for housing when our youth are miserable staying in the shelter and often on couches.

Related to the Life Enrichment Comm. meeting, am wondering if I could ask a question about where you guys are, or if there's a REAL process taking place by the City of Oakland with efforts to get a tiny house code, both for tiny houses w bathrooms and kitchens, and ones without these at this point? I know this comes up with Joe every time he comes to HAWG. Is it being discussed at Life Enrichment?

Oakland had told us months ago that the code was being worked on by an intern. We met yesterday w Michele Clark at YEP who has capacity to generate tiny houses if given the money and a code. And we have also met w Rising Sun about this related to our "100 homes for homeless youth campaign." All of us need the Land Trust to buy land for legal villages and we need a group who can build/churn out legally/code acceptable houses. YSA is very interested in our youth having a "lease to buy" option when living in the tiny house village but they need someplace to take their houses after leaving our village. Berkeley is also NOWHERE and pressure needs to be maintained that this has just got to get done. It will be a game changer on so many levels.

Vacant properties are an interesting option in Oakland with the new vacant property tax. But also for potential back yards you need legal, cheap tiny houses w kitchens and bathrooms if people who own property will be able to or want to rent space to folks w tiny houses. The tiny houses need access to bathrooms and showers.

Even two sentences answering this would help. I still think we need an East Bay conference on these issues. Akonadi should fund one.

In solidarity for justice,
Sally


On Fri, Nov 29, 2019, 4:17 PM jamesevann via Homeless Advocacy Working Group wrote:

TO: HAWG ADVOCATES

SPECIAL MEETING ON HOMELESSNESS ISSUES ... LIFE ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE ... THIS WED DEC 4 6:00PM

The Life Enrichment Committee is holding a special meeting this Wednesday, 6:00pm, totally on "Homeless Issues."

Item 1. The City's "PATH" ( Oakland's "Permanent Access To Housing") -- Strategy Plan & Objectives

Item 2. Report on the City's "EMT" (Oakland's "Encampment Management Team") -- Report in response to CM Nikki Bas' Questions

Item 3. Staff's Update Report in Response to CM Rebecca Kaplan's Questions and Directives on "Additional Approaches & Solutions"


Individuals Can Sign "Speaker Cards" Online & in Advance by Registering at:

https://solar.oaklandca.gov/Speaker/form

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Mike Lee


8:10 AM (9 hours ago)


to Sally, James, HAWG, Margaretta, Rolf

In my humble opinion the city will string the tiny house proposal along continuing to give it lip service. Way before you showed up there were 3 efforts that were perfectly viable. Definitely way more developed then what you are selling. Presently the village is still trying to acquirer land. Nothing else just a spot. To date they have been stonewalled. In fact a campaign of terror and destruction has targeted any future action. The City of Oakland is taking your proposal and leveraging it against other pre existing projects as a basis to deny them funding as well as physically destroy what they build. Sunday's shock and awe campaign sent a clear message that the city will use what ever means necessary to crush projects which they do not favor.

It is the same in Berkeley. In fact it is inappropriate to ask for Berkeley funding for an Oakland project. That will only be supported by 2 maybe 3 Council members just to make you go away. Council member Drotsie for one has opposed such a scheme in the past and will do so in the future.

At this point at least in Berkeley the only way tiny houses arw going to get built is through direct action. Starting to install one by one on existing occupied land at Seabreeze. This sends a clear message throughout the State that vacant unused Caltrans property must be used for homeless services.

In the spirit of total resistance
Mike Lee
510 501 4717

To view this discussion on the web visit

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMGmyTzbEBzSi%2BggV2Cf1e70zisep1UMcUWdwidOqdPZ5Zg%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


8:43 AM (9 hours ago)


to HAWG, Mike, James, Margaretta, Rolf
Mike:

YSA's project increases the number of desperately needed dedicated units of affordable transitional housing units for Berkeley TAY by 30 percent, adding 11 units when there are now only a total of 24.

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396

http://www.youthspiritartworks.org

Like us on Facebook!!

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392

To view this discussion on the web visit

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL5J0260Osa7Yv8yWAT03wRL_kFff%2BsJtz1pwmAE1z1ttQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


9:08 AM (8 hours ago)


to HAWG, Sally, James, Margaretta, Rolf

11 units at a cost of at last count $600,000. Now somebody help me out here cause my math isn't very good. By my ciphering that's over $54,000 a unit. Lets see average rent in Oakland for a 2 bedroom is about $3,000 a month $36,000 a year (https://www.rentjungle.com/average-rent-in-oakland-rent-trends/). Let's see what's more cost effective $54,000 or $36,000.
Bottom line is this. The city is using this project to subvert 3 other pre existing projects.

To view this discussion on the web visit

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMG%3D5B%2BZi3QisiqTb9kqB93wQ-d-hdMswr0zA0STHb-kQrQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


9:29 AM (8 hours ago)


to HAWG, Mike, James, Margaretta, Rolf
Mike, what $600,000? We are raising the entire cost of construction for the village from private sources. Why in a million years would you be criticizing a youth led project trying to house homeless youth? It makes no sense.

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396
http://www.youthspiritartworks.org
Like us on Facebook!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL4%3D4TF_5g5B8UBbfipi538CnaafRfGbOrstt%3DNpfXS3QQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


9:46 AM (8 hours ago)


to HAWG, Sally, James, Margaretta, Rolf

That's according to your statement.

Because this is being used to subvert work which is already in progress. It is not self replicating. It is fiscally irresponsible. It does nothing to change the dominant narrative.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMG%3Dsf0rapwLiyxJpr_5PS5gNtRBfwL-H9jhD1jPvkqK3Dw%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


to Mike, James, HAWG

Mike, am not going to continue to dialogue on this thread. It doesn't seem fair to the group. My question was about the work on codes. YSA, with the Youth Tiny House Village, is working as hard as we can to serve as a model assisting and supporting further work on developing tiny house villages. We do believe this work can be translatable to the encampments and for development of other tiny house villages and we hope to encourage sharing lessons as much as we can. Am attaching a list of the seven ways the team is trying to use this as a model.

Reminding you, there are as yet NO legal tiny house villages in the East Bay, or SF. So it would seem any project that manages to get permission to operate legally is going to be helpful for others.

In a state with 123 billionaires I hope we can fight to avoid a "scarcity lense" and viewing efforts by allies as competition. It's utterly unproductive to do that and also move things forward. There are far too few groups trying to do the very hard work we are all attempting. One of the reasons we are going to private sources to pay for construction costs is in order to steward some of our housed privilege.

Also sending along some of the pro bono architects drawings from Seth Wachtel's USF class work this fall.

In solidarity for justice,
Sally

Sally Hindman
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
1740 Alcatraz Avenue
510-282-0396
http://www.youthspiritartworks.org

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To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL4TPAvsxQzL6CBbCYEga%2Bw3z89VBTN5u9cdQ_Hein0g%2BQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


10:41 AM (7 hours ago)


to Sally, James, HAWG

No you are not willing to continue this conversation because im pointing out some very obvious things and asking some tough questions.

Your statement about seeking private donations is only partially true. You are also begging at Berkeley's door step. The last time for $250,000 on consent calendar sponsored by CM Bartlett and Davilla. This is how you roll with half truths and no documentation. Unfortunately HAWG just accepts your legend at face value. If they really examined the destructive collaboration you have formed you would be shown the door.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMGnjTNaRwUevm%3Dap5CrZKX4g%2BCup5fK31okz-eDtHvQQpw%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


10:52 AM (6 hours ago)


to HAWG, Mike, James

One more clarification, YSA is seeking $78k for the tiny house village project in new Prop P services money from Berkeley. The total request is $163k and that includes reinstatement of our $84k in long time community agency funding that was eliminated in June.

The $760k tiny house village construction costs are all being sought from private sources and the Services (78k) and Operations (360k) funds from govt sources. Services=Berkeley and Operations=we received from Oakland.

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396

http://www.youthspiritartworks.org
Like us on Facebook!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL5qwBn5BEivH5_8KpAzbxt6gFfRq3CD52gZ9VNdT-LPkg%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


10:58 AM (6 hours ago)


to HAWG, Sally

The Arreguin mob will give it to you because it's politically correct. I find it interesting you only sent this yo me. Lack of transparency.
On behalf of all the disabled homeless seniors sitting in the rain we want to thank you for taking money we need here to give to oakland.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMGmXvVHWrqbLC8928-1ZJe4TExYLbEkMaNrmZiscZWU%3D4Q%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


11:00 AM (6 hours ago)


to James, HAWG, Mike

P.S. With 26 people living in the village total, the average cost per person (and this includes food and utilities) is $730/month.

Sally

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396

http://www.youthspiritartworks.org
Like us on Facebook!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL4YFC3i_ZyqE%2B%2B6U6VeHpNG6T%2BMuE7c67qjLSoaBrDP5g%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


12:23 PM (5 hours ago)


to HAWG, Sally, James

Oh please. Where did you come up with this? You're asking Berkeley for almost $200,000 from measure p funds.
According to your figuers which im going to round up to an even $1,000 a month time 11 is $11,000. Multiplied by 12 is $132,000.
To date you stated contributions are
$350,000 City of Oakland
$250,000 private
$600,000 total

Lets say it costs $20,000 to build each house total of $220,000. Add $132,000 operations for a total of $352,000. Where's the rest of the money.

Oh wait it gets better yet! Lets say you get another. $100,000 from the arreguin mob. Where is the $348,000? Oh that's right for all those lunches at the Vault!


To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMG%3DMP4-1TRjA64z7oYMzmJAxWC%2Bng8fLUUaXGPNK%3DkW4FQ%40mail.gmail.com.

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anita de asis


1:09 PM (4 hours ago)


to James, Homeless, Margaretta, Rolf, Sally

When we started this work in 2016, the existing ADU codes were being used for tiny houses that were not on wheels. for tiny houses on wheels it was the state's recreational vehicle codes that were being used. Why did this change?

What Joe has done - and whatever people in City Hall who are working with Joe have done- is create a huge bureaucratic wall that should have never been created in this crisis. if they were truly about solving this crisis and ensuring every unhoused Oaklander had adequate shelter, the existing ADU codes whoch were damn near no barrier and the state's recreational vehicle codes should have been sufficient. all this b******* - and it is b******* - about needing extra codes for tiny homes is nothing but trying to stop the community from moving forward with real solutions that could end the suffering of our folks on the streets and possibly save lives

Once again - Joe DeVries is anti-homeless. and so is his entire encampment management team. They have no business leading a solution or approaches during this crisis and Beyond. As long as they're in charge they're going to keep on putting walls up to solve this crisis and they will continue how to keep thousands of our people in misery or Worse death on the streets

What does happening is nothing short of criminal and abuse of power

On Sat, Nov 30, 2019, 7:40 AM Sally Hindman wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAEp1qm8bD5gaSimA30_gDf0dFkRXtVt%3DYPWj%3DYfDSJ0M2WNrqw%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


1:15 PM (4 hours ago)


to Mike, James, HAWG
Mike:

You are trying to pit homeless young people against homeless adults? You are attempting to pit two of the most progressive groups in the community against each other? Why would any of this be constructive? The very small number of organizations with huge commonalities in philosophy and goals need to work together, not battle for one to wreck the other.

Your math is incorrect.

Each house costs $12,500 to build and we are constructing 26 houses, 11 for Oakland youth, 11 for Berkeley youth and 4 for Resident Assistants who are graduates of our program. All of the money spent so far has been from private sources and used to engage youth in organizing efforts and to pay tiny house construction costs.

No funds raised have been used to pay me or for food I eat anywhere, since I am still working at a max. $10,000 each year salary and nearly every pay period as a volunteer director. Some funds have paid our part-time Interfaith Organizer salary.

We have nearly or fully completed 15 tiny houses and 4 more are in the process of construction. So we have a total of 7 more houses yet to build in the spring to finish the village, in addition to the yurts and bathroom buildings.

This is the last email on this thread.

Sincerely,

Sally

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396
http://www.youthspiritartworks.org
Like us on Facebook!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL6%3Dj%3D_Ka5%2BxVFLjeE7vJFbbH%2Bcihu6Mzb8J7_X_YNFO_g%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


1:35 PM (4 hours ago)


to anita, Margaretta, Rolf, Sally, James, Homeless

Thanks for the reminder. In Berkeley we ran into the same thing. Our limited research discovered a wide disparity between the two.
You are correct in the City's role specifically that of Dracula Joe. They have seized the opportunity which Hindman's proposal represents and used it to subvert the work of the village specifically. HAWG has not taken the time to investigate this matter. Why is it the City was so quick to extend $350,000 to Hindman while other projects were shoved aside?

The answer is self governance. The present dominant narrative is based on the misconception un housed people are helpless. That they need to be taken care of told when to go to bed or how to behave. Any project which solidly counters this legend will be opposed by the powers that be.

The absolute violation of people's civil rights on Sunday and the subsequent level of violence used demonstrates clearly the government is the problem and not the solution

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMGnAQ8Pp_kbxxneqGzva%3Dwmme%2BMciuGS%2BqX%2BWa6BpJNhqw%40mail.gmail.com.

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Sally Hindman shindman [at] youthspiritartworks.org via googlegroups.com


3:19 PM (2 hours ago)


to Mike, Homeless

Mike:
The Youth Tiny House Village involved more than 100 homeless & unstably housed young adults to date in:
--initiating the project;
--designing the prototype;
--building the prototype;
--designing the Program Model;
--planning all elements of how the village will work day to day;
--making decisions related to the Master Plan;
--constructing houses at the builds;
--creating their covenant & restorative justice model.

Is there no youth power or governance in all that youth leadership?

Last year more than 40 youth attended nearly 100 total meetings with City Council members, funders, and congregations to secure funds and gain needed support.

But additionally,

--31 congregations are partners in the Youth Tiny House Village project;
--More than 100 congregation volunteers attended meetings as allies with the youth;
--More than 800 people volunteered this fall in YSA's "builds" of tiny houses.

The way you are characterizing the project is inaccurate. It significantly distorts the facts.

If there were two things that helped with our securing funding they were the religious leadership and the youth leadership.

Rather than focus on hating on YSA, and on "Hindman", why not focus on how we can integrate these efforts and involve the interfaith religious community in helping move tiny houses forward as a solution, to everyone's advantage. Focus on how this base of concerned folks can be positively activated to do even more to support folks in the encampments?

For example, 20 people from the interfaith religious community slept out in solidarity with homeless folks on Nov 16th--at Here/There Community. That was a first effort as YSA has been made aware of concerns--to start bridging these projects/concerns. It was just a first start with the deeper bridging that can be done.

To me all this "hating" and attempts to pit people against each other distracts from creative envisioning of how we can work together to mobilize people so that everyone can benefit.

In solidarity for justice,
Sally

Sally Hindman
(pref pronouns: she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Youth Spirit Artworks
510-282-0396
http://www.youthspiritartworks.org
Like us on Facebook!!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8857392
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAMMoPL5mKcBxYYPfO4EvOc%2Bu5zLUWGUjaEH6-v-s_%3DOD84zz2Q%40mail.gmail.com.

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Mike Lee


4:26 PM (1 hour ago)


to Sally, Homeless

LOL there's not enough room at here there for 20 extra people.
I object to your continued denial about subverting work which was already going on. This is how this whole project got started by you subverting an idea for your own purposes.

I find it disingenuous to talk about all this support when you are begging money from the city.

It may not be popular but I'll say it again. The amount of money spent vs the people actually helped is not sustainable neither is it fiscally responsible.

My question is this. What are you going to do when Dracula Joe gives you a thumbs down. He'll string you along and then boom. Are you going to return the money? Are you going to park tiny houses in Berkeley. Secondly. How do you prevent the city from conducting massive sweeps if your project gets installed.
I find it really interesting you have houses built that are left vacant. How does this make you any different then a speculator like wedgewood.

To view this discussion on the web visit

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/oakland-HAWG/CAOamMGmraF80KN2J8kzQ92iO6JH28-YfMU8%3DewxKV%2BPvM71ssA%40mail.gmail.com.

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