Homeless camps swallow an Oakland playground near West Jefferson Street. Despite the city’s effort to close these camps, they continue to resurface around the city.
EveryOne Home reports more than 4,000 people are homeless in Alameda County. More than 2,000 live within the Oakland city limits. The City of Oakland is stagnant in a state of crisis with only 300 to 400 shelter beds available. Options remain few for the homeless community.
So where can the homeless go?
“I think we really need to think about what moving these bodies means,” said East Oakland resident LaTasha Monique. “The city keeps fencing up known areas where the homeless population is known to set up community. There are no resources, no safe housing, places to eat, brush their teeth and so forth. So I think that if they find purpose in this children’s playground, we need to embrace that until we can think of more supportive ways to support our homeless population."
