City of Oakland nears deal to transform dormitory into transitional and affordable housing

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The city of Oakland is nearing a deal to transform the Clifton Hall dormitory at the California College of the Arts into transitional and affordable housing.

Clifton Hall is a four-story vacant dormitory building with 63 units in the Rockridge neighborhood of North Oakland.

The top two floors of the building will provide 42 units of permanent housing for seniors experiencing homelessness and at high risk of contracting COVID-19. The second floor will become the permanent home for a 20-household family shelter.

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On the ground floor, the building will house the offices of Family Front Door, which serves as the hub for the Coordinated Entry System (CES) for homeless families in Northern Alameda County.

Occupancy will begin by moving the Family Matters Shelter from its temporary location in Emeryville to its permanent location in the Clifton Hall building.

Ten families will move to the new space from its current location. Additional homeless families will quickly be referred from the family CES to ensure that the building reaches 50% occupancy.