Oakland's per-capita homeless rate is higher than San Francisco and Berkeley

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Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Oakland's per-capita homeless rate is higher than San Francisco and Berkeley
Oakland has a homeless population of 4, 071 people, according to data collected by Oakland and Alameda County officials.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- According to data collected by Oakland and Alameda County officials: Oakland has 4,071 homeless.

"Oakland is answering to this crisis with a sense of urgency and innovation," Mayor Libby Schaaf said during a press conference.

Mayor Schaaf reiterated the city's plan to add a total of 700 beds by the end of 2019 for the homeless community.

Last month Oakland opened its first safe RV parking site and announced two more are under development.

The city of Oakland has four sites the Mayor calls "Cabin Communities", offering beds in backyard sheds to 118 transitioning from homelessness. A fifth site will open in September.

RELATED: Community of Tuff Sheds in Oakland helping homeless get back on their feet

Joe DeVries, assistant to the city administrator said more needs to be done.

"In the county, we need 6,000 more shelter beds. In Oakland we probably need about 2,000 more even after the efforts the mayor talked about that we've been working hard on opening," he said.

The city of Oakland extended its shelter beds by 100 at the St. Vincent De Paul location and added 90 beds for transitional housing at the Holland Center.