The Oakland City Council approved nearly $7 million in funding to convert the Jack London Inn for the Emergency Homelessness Services program. Oakland is closing one of its largest homeless shelters and opening another at 444 Embarcadero West, Oakland.
The Housing Consortium of the East Bay (HCEB) is the project developer.
The scope of the project includes leasing the Jack London Inn. Jack London Inn has 110 rooms which will all be converted into housing units for individuals and families facing homelessness. The project will offer housing to Oaklanders who are medically fragile and/or age 55 and older. There are 80 parking spaces available for staff and participants. Additionally, it has an adjacent dining area, formerly a restaurant that may be used as a multi-purpose space.
The estimated annual cost for the Jack London Inn and the adjacent diner space is approximately $4,700,000, a considerable decrease from the nearly $6,000,000 annual budget for the Lake Merritt Lodge (LML) lease. The Lake Merritt Lodge, a COVID-era shelter, is closing.
The goal is to have a signed lease on June 1, 2024, to successfully relocate participants to the new program site before the end of the LML lease. A meeting was held on May 7, 2024.
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A horrible and fraudulent waste of taxpayer’s money. The city is spending millions on a scheme to lease not buy the property at a rate that equates to a daily rate of renting a hotel room.
This will cost $7 million to create 110 units of housing for chronically homeless elderly people with disabilities, that is a steal. There are single family homes a couple miles away in piedmont that cost more than that. It would easily cost $50-$100 million to build a similar building in this area from scratch and would take several years at best. This is an amazing deal that will quickly provide a place for some extremely vulnerable people to live!
This is a huge scam. 110 Units at 4.7 million a year is an outrage. There’s no incentive to solve this problem if it can line the pockets of nebulous interests. I don’t care about its location, as there’s only benefits to housing the unhoused. What’s clear, however, is there are individuals directly profiting from the crisis, and expecting moneyed interests to not do what they can to keep the cash flowing is grossly naive.
There goes the neighborhood (such as it is). One more reason not to go out for dinner or entertainment at Jack London Square.
This will be housing for elderly and disabled homeless people. Housing for elderly disabled people who are currently living on the street without adequate facilities to help them… and you think that is a bad thing?… what?
Freeze on housing usa
In my opinion everything the city does turns to 💩 and the taxpayers will be held holding the bag! And one of the last successful business will pay the price.
Chris, do you really think the right place for emergency senior housing is smack in the middle of an entertainment and dining district? Please, run for city council—you’ll fit right in :-/
Putting myself in the shoes of a homeless senior, I understand that anything safe, sanitary, and warm or cool would be welcome. However, that is not the complete picture, and only seeing that is how you end up with situations like Oakland’s. For the economic success of our city, this location needs to be used to pull in as much revenue as possible. That’s how you pay for social safety nets, Chris.
I literally live next to senior housing for the formerly unhoused, so don’t even try to value shame me. I support emergency housing, and I support a city that is economically solvent.
Hello,
I hope this is a temporary location. When will the city of oakland learn? You can’t force people to shop or socialize in areas they perceive as unsafe. Oakland lost the emeryville development because you tried to force the developer into east oakland, and they refused. As a oaklander, I will drive to areas that I feel safe and comfortable socializing. I am not goting to invite my friends to socislize and spend money near a homeless shelter. The voters need to make the city council jobs a volunteer job and take away the pay. They should only receive a stipen. You act as if your actions don’t have consequences. Why would a business hold their dinner meetings in jack london square? For once do the right thing and find a way to integrate this population into a neighborhoods as a smaller group through out the city with goal of finding permanent housing. Your job should be to eventually go out of business with a better plan to house people permantly instead of creating a revolving door.
Name any city, top tier or even 2nd tier in which they put a homeless shelter in the middle of an economic hub. You can’t, because it’s dumb. This literally waterfront property 🤦🏽♂️
The minute we start seeing more unhoused wandering around Jack London, the minute folks will stop going there to dine and spend money.
This City Council is over its head and never not run for another office position.
The city is doing the wrong thing for placing the homeless in the jack London sq All Restaurants will Leave