In California, Democratic leaders who previously tolerated homeless camps have lost their patience for the tent villages and blocks of trailers that proliferated during the pandemic. Homeless camps are being cleared in California. What happens next?
Jeremy Beebe copes with flooding at the Wood Street encampment after a winter storm, in Oakland, Calif., Jan. 29, 2023.
What happens after the closure of Wood Street and other camps in California will serve as the latest test of how effectively the state is addressing homelessness. Nearly half of the nation’s unsheltered population — those who sleep on the streets, in tents, in cars or in other places not intended for human habitation — resides in California, according to last year’s federal tally of homelessness. The state makes up about 12% of the country’s overall population.
Some also took drugs together, and when campers overdosed, their neighbors tried to help them, former residents said. There also were thefts, shootings and, according to the California Department of Transportation, which owns a portion of the land, more than 200 fires, including one that turned fatal.
Outside the former encampment, displaced residents relocated a gazebo as a gathering point that they call Wood Street Commons. There, they hold meetings with lawyers, and volunteers drop off sandwiches, medicine and clothes. “This is a very difficult population to serve, with very complex needs. And if we can bring someone inside even for a little bit, that’s a victory for that person,” said Jason Elliott, deputy chief of staff for Newsom. “We may not have permanent housing stick the first time, or the fourth time or the fifth time, but we’re going to keep trying.”
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