City of Oakland California

The Community Housing Services Division seeks innovative solutions to hunger and homelessness by:

• Tracking and addressing the changing needs of homeless and at-risk populations
• Enhancing and strengthening Oakland’s network of service providers
• Building a consensus to provide “safety net” services
• Working with regional partners to develop a seamless continuum of housing and service delivery

Oakland’s Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Strategy provides a roadmap for ending homelessness in the City over a period of the next fifteen years. The PATH Strategy is being revisited for review and modification, based on current need assessments.   

PATH is a companion to EveryOne Home, Alameda County’s Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan. The goal of both programs is to solve the problem of homelessness, rather than simply manage it. To make this shift, we hope to transition from emergency shelters and services towards acquiring, developing and operating permanent, affordable and supportive housing.

The Oakland PATH strategy focuses on a Housing First model to rapidly re-house individuals and families currently on the street and without permanent housing.

To end homelessness in Oakland over the next fifteen years, the City needs:

• Approximately 7,000 units of affordable and supportive housing
• Three sources of funding: capital dollars, service dollars and operations dollars.
• County, State, Federal and private funding to leverage Oakland’s local dollars
• Political and business leadership

The Oakland PATH (Permanent Access to Housing) strategy (without Attachments)

The Oakland PATH strategy and its attachments are downloadable as a ZIP file. To download an evaluation version of WINZIP click here.

The program provides brown bag distributions and food for hot meal programs and sponsors special events each year, such as the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Project Homeless Connect. The special events are funded almost entirely through donations and volunteer efforts coordinated by staff.

The Hunger Program distributes emergency food to Oakland residents throughout the year through a designated network of food pantries and community-based organizations known as the Emergency Food Providers Advisory Committee (EFPAC).

To receive immediate assistance with emergency food needs, contact the Alameda County Community Food Bank Hunger Hotline at (800) 870-3663.

• Donate to the Hunger Program

Homeless programs provide housing and services to people in Oakland who are homeless, hungry, HIV/AIDS positive, or living on extremely low incomes.

Community Housing Services recognizes the tremendous need for services specific to the homeless population. We partner with non-profit organizations to assist the homeless and near-homeless community with homeless prevention, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, shelter, transitional/supportive housing and special needs housing. We also provide other homeless support services such as food, employment, physical and mental health, drug abuse and domestic violence programs.

Community Housing Services can provide information and referrals for many helpful programs:

• Homeless Prevention & Rapid Rehousing – Through the City Homeless Prevention Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) provides services and financial assistance to prevent homelessness and to rapidly rehouse persons who have experienced episodes of homelessness. HPRP clients are initially assessed and referred to the appropriate HPRP contrators through Eden I&R’s “211” call and referral service.
• Emergency Housing – Homeless shelters and hotel/motel vouchers provide temporary lodging. 
• Transitional/Supportive Housing –Housing with case management and support services for up to 24 months. Transitional housing programs are designed to help families and emancipated youth experiencing episodes of homelessness to become self-sufficient and transition to permanent, independent living. 
• Special Needs/AIDS – Housing facilities and services for special needs populations, particularly those with HIV/AIDS and their families.
• Homeless Mobile Outreach Program (HMOP) – While committed to mitigating the public health and blight associated with homeless encampments, the City recognizes that homeless persons sleeping outside need help to access City services and housing resources. The HMOP provides humanitarian and survival assistance and encourages people in encampments to seek case management, income, health and housing assistance referrals with the goal of becoming permanently housed members of our community.

• Find information about Oakland shelters
• View HUD - Reference documents