Homelessness and Encampment Response
The Encampment Abatement Policy seeks to address the adverse health and safety impacts of unsheltered homelessness, with compassion and care to not criminalize poverty. The Encampment Management Team is responsible for implementing the Encampment Management Policy and directing coordination across city departments.
Current State of Homelessness and Housing Services in Oakland
2026 Encampment Abatement Policy
On April 14, 2026, the Oakland City Council passed Resolution No. 91102 amending Resolution No. 88341, thereby, repealing the 2020 Encampment Management Policy and replacing it with the Encampment Abatement Policy (EAP). The 2026 EAP:
(a) supersedes the 2020 Encampment Management Policy;
(b) defines “encampment” to exclude vehicles and authorizes citation and towing of inhabited vehicles by city departments pursuant to the California vehicle code and Oakland vehicle code;
(c) continues to require 7-day notice prior to non-urgent encampment closures; and
(d) clarifies emergency and urgent health and safety conditions that authorize immediate, 24-hour, or 72-hour notice for encampment closures, including encampments blocking sidewalks.
The EAP is a detailed policy document that spells out the City’s path to manage and addresses homeless encampments and vehicular dwellings on public property and the public right-of-way.
2020 Encampment Management Policy
In October of 2020, the Oakland City Council adopted an Encampment Management Policy(PDF, 336KB) to focus encampment actions on mitigating negative outcomes as they pertain to public safety, public health, and equity outcomes.
The policy aims to:
- Designate high-sensitivity areas, where unmanaged encampments are presumed to cause unreasonably high levels of health and safety impacts due to the nature of the location;
- Designate low-sensitivity areas, where enforcement will not be prioritized.
- Determine findings that will prompt EMT intervention;
- Provide guidance on addressing unreasonable health and safety risks, promoting voluntary compliance, and strategies to address non-compliance.
Encampment Management is necessary to address the emergency needs of our unhoused residents, and serves as one part of the City's overall response to prevent, stabilize and house our community.
Encampment Management Policy(PDF, 336KB)
About the Encampment Management Team
The Encampment Management Team (EMT) is an interdepartmental working group consisting of representatives from Oakland's Public Works Department (OPW), Human Services Department (HSD), Oakland Police Department (OPD), Oakland Fire Department (OFD), the City Administrator's Office (CAO), and other consulted departments as necessary (e.g., the Mayor's Office, the City Attorney's Office, Parks and Recreation). The EMT is facilitated by the City Administrator's Office via the Homelessness Administrator and receives input and advice from the Commission on Homelessness.
The Encampment Management Team tracks all known encampments and prioritizes interventions based on health, safety, and size issues. The Team provides sanitation services and regular trash pickup. When the City decides to close an encampment, the Team makes every effort to relocate encampment dwellers to emergency shelters or community cabins.
Depending on weather conditions and shelter bed availability, some scheduled closures may be converted to deep cleanings except for emergencies. Emergency responses are determined by the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Police Department, and agencies responsible for compliance and life safety.
Encampment Cleanup Operations
The City's Public Works crews visit dozens of known encampments throughout the city on a weekly basis to conduct trash removal and garbage cart, porta potty and hand wash station servicing. There will be ongoing and progressive encampment interventions at the E. 12thStreet Median and MLK corridor (MLK between W. Grand and 27th St). Interventions are subject to available city resources.
Cleanup Schedule(PDF, 99KB)
Completed Encampment Management Operations
This chart is updated at the end of each month.
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Encampment Management Definitions
| Interventions |
Definition |
Frequency |
Application |
| Closure |
Complete clearing of total area without option to return |
As scheduled |
Applied to total area |
| Partial Closure |
Partial clearing of an encamped area without option to return |
As scheduled |
Applied to a portion of the total area |
| Deep Cleaning |
Cleaning of an area with the option to return |
As scheduled |
May apply to a portion of or the total area |
| Health/Safety |
Regularly established garbage clearing and temporary sanitation |
Ongoing |
May apply to a portion of or the total area |
| Emergency Closure
|
Complete clearing of total area without option to return |
*Emergency responses are determined by the Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Police Department, and agencies responsible for compliance and life safety. |
May apply to a portion or the total area. |
Homelessness - Monthly Encampment Management Operations Update
2026 Point-in-Time Count Results
Oakland Homelessness Falls Nearly 20 Percent!
Oakland, CA – The 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count released today by the Alameda County Housing and Health Department found that overall homelessness in Oakland has declined 19.6 percent since 2024, with “unsheltered homelessness” (the number of people sleeping outside, in vehicles, or in other places not meant for human habitation) falling from 3,659 to 2,695— a 27 percent decrease and a reduction of nearly 1,000 people as measured on a single night in January.
For full press release, please click the following link: https://www.oaklandca.gov/News-Releases/Oakland-Homelessness-Falls-Nearly-20-Percent
Point in Time Count Initial Results are available at: https://health.alamedacountyca.gov/data-and-reports/point-in-time-count/
Reporting an Issue
If you or someone you know is hungry, homeless, or housing insecure - Call 2-1-1. To report an issue related to an encampment, please report to 311, and for general inquiries, email Homelessness@oaklandca.gov.
For issues of active violence, active fire, and other emergency matters, the EMT cannot respond to those matters. Call 911 immediately.