Cut homelessness by 50% in Oakland? A new plan says it's possible

"I wish that we could have said we're going to get to functional zero in the next five years. Not to mince words, but we don't have the resources. It would cost $3.2 billion beyond what the city and county already spends to abolish homelessness in five years."

"Despite a substantially increased pace of encampment closures in 2025, reported encampments still rose. The city lacks shelter and housing to meet the needs of unhoused individuals and without an indoor place to move, most individuals simply self-relocate to another Oakland location."

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee established the Office of Homelessness Solutions to address the city's homelessness crisis. The office released a draft strategic action plan aiming to reduce unsheltered homelessness by 50% over five years. The plan identifies a $284 million annual funding gap and proposes strategies to increase city resources. Oakland currently has approximately 3,659 unsheltered residents and 5,485 homeless people overall, with numbers growing significantly over the past decade. The plan acknowledges that increased encampment closures in 2025 have not reduced overall encampments, attributing this to insufficient shelter and housing options. The office leader stated that eliminating homelessness entirely would require $3.2 billion beyond existing spending, which the city lacks.

Read at The Oaklandside