Berkeley parking law will force RV dwellers to move on
The new parking law allows vehicles a four-hour time limit, which would force unhoused people to find other spaces to park.
Homelessness
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In brief
No one injured, RV destroyed in West Berkeley fire
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, and no firefighters were injured.
Alameda County gears up for major homeless count
Canceled last year for COVID-19 safety concerns, this year’s Point-in-Time assessment “counts more” than any before it, organizers say.
With $6.6M grant, homeless youth in Alameda County will design programs for their community
Young unhoused people in Berkeley and surrounding cities will lead the decision-making process about how to use the federal grant.
Grayson Street proposal could add to West Berkeley’s life sciences boom
The project is planned for the site of Berkeley’s Grayson Street homeless shelter. City officials have long known the site was only temporary.
Berkeley City Council
Berkeley looks at $7M earmark for expanded mental health services
Most of the money is for a new Specialized Care Unit that would respond instead of armed police to people in crisis.
‘The leadership that came from the streets has been decapitated’: Deaths of 5 homeless advocates in a year leave a void
The loss of so many leading Berkeley activists who worked to give unsheltered people a greater say in their living conditions is sorely felt, but the fight will go on, say advocates.
In brief
Barbara Brust spends her time helping those who are unsheltered. Now she needs the help
Brust runs Consider the Homeless which delivers soup, food and groceries to those living on the streets of Berkeley. She now has advanced cancer and needs funds for her medical care.
Berkeley launches new 3-site ‘respite program’ for unhoused people
The city of Berkeley is set to move dozens of unhoused people into 18 RVs and a rehabbed house as part of a new respite program approved by officials Tuesday night in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Affordable housing
Take a look inside Berkeley’s biggest homeless housing construction project
The housing and services hub at 2012 Berkeley Way is set to open in May 2022.
In brief
Alameda County program aims to match landlords with people transitioning out of homelessness
Berkeley says the initiative means property owners can receive a stable rental income while supporting the health of the community.
‘A mini-urban miracle,’ new Berkeley homeless housing could be model for the state
It’s been a big week for subsidized housing in Berkeley. And it just got bigger.
Berkeley wins $42 million in grants for 150 units of affordable housing
Mayor Jesse Arreguín said it’s the largest amount he could recall Berkeley ever having gotten from the state for affordable housing over his 16 years serving the city.
Coronavirus
Berkeley’s biggest homeless camps were closed. Where are the residents now?
Twenty-five percent of West Berkeley encampment residents are in hotels, 17% were housed and 25% are still on the streets.
Berkeley emergency homeless shelter closes for the season, relocates some residents
The BESS ran from November to April this year, and remained open 24 hours a day with reduced capacity.
How to access your stimulus check if you’re homeless in Berkeley
If you do not automatically receive your payment via direct deposit or in the mail, this guide will help point you in the right direction.
Berkeley mobile clinic offers COVID-19 vaccines at shelters, People’s Park
Several people who received a single-dose vaccine Thursday at People’s Park said they felt relieved to be fully vaccinated.
RV living
Berkeley RVs at 8th and Harrison will transition to new ‘safe parking site’
RV residents are required to move by Oct. 6, but some plan to protest what they see as a rushed alternative.
‘Quarantine Diary’ captures the experience of living in an RV in Berkeley
Multimedia journalist Yesica Prado has spent the past year examining the local culture of vehicle living. She created a short film that documents her own daily life living in an RV.
Council votes to launch nightly RV parking program in some municipal lots
The city of Berkeley is moving ahead with a plan to grant three-month renewable permits to 25 RV dwellers so they can stay overnight at certain municipal parking lots once the program is up and running.
Related stories
The end of the 1960s? Regents vote to put housing in People’s Park.
About 1,100 students will be housed in two buildings in the long-contested park.
Homeless residents at Ashby-Shellmound encampment allowed to stay for 6 months, judge says
Where Do We Go Berkeley argued that the residents have disabilities that make shelter options unsuitable.
Hit-and-run crash killed man found in South Berkeley median, autopsy shows
The man’s death first appeared to have been due to a medical emergency. On Wednesday, police asked for help to find the driver who hit him.
4 stories shorter: UC Berkeley drops height of People’s Park student housing complex
But construction won’t start until the 50 or so people living at People’s Park have been housed or offered services, chancellor says.
