Oakland creates “Office of Homelessness Solutions,” unveils five-point plan

What’s new

Aug. 26, 2025 – Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is creating a centralized Office of Homelessness Solutions to coordinate encampment response, shelter operations, and data tracking — work that’s currently spread across multiple departments. The office will be led initially by Sasha Hauswald as interim chief homelessness solutions officer and is expected to launch with 8–9 dedicated staff, including two new leadership roles. (The Oaklandside)

The office is paired with a five-point strategy the mayor announced this week:

1. Keep renters housed (prevention)

2. Expand street outreach

3. Add rapid rehousing/rental support for people who recently became unhoused

4. Build new shelter and transitional capacity

5. Accelerate permanent housing production.

(The Oaklandside, CBS News)

Where the money comes from (and doesn’t)

A major funding backdrop is Alameda County’s Measure W, a 10-year, ½-cent county sales tax approved in 2020. After litigation froze the money for years, supervisors voted in July to dedicate 80% of the revenues to homelessness/housing via the county’s Home Together Fund, set aside 20% for other “essential services,” and create a $170 million reserve. Total collections are projected at $1.8+ billion through 2031, with roughly $1.4 billion for homelessness/housing. (KQED)

Oakland’s share. Because about 58% of the county’s unhoused residents live in Oakland, city leaders, including Lee and the county’s mayors, lobbied for allocations based on need. Oakland is “expected to receive a little over half” of Measure W funding as programs roll out, though final splits are still being implemented. (The Oaklandside)

Important correction. While a CBS segment suggested Measure W is funding the new office itself, Oaklandside’s report, updated with a correction, says the office will be established with existing city funds; Measure W dollars will bolster programs and services. (CBS News, The Oaklandside)

Why city hall is doing this now

Oakland’s most recent Point-in-Time data shows ~5,485 people experiencing homelessness in the city, 67% of them unsheltered; Black residents are disproportionately represented. City and county leaders say centralizing operations and aligning with Measure W is meant to scale prevention, interim placements, and permanent housing. (Homelessness Solutions)

What the new office would actually do

According to the mayor’s announcement and city statements, the office will unify encampment operations, shelter management, and data/reporting under one strategy; finalize an organization chart and budget; and execute the five-point plan (prevention, outreach, rehousing, interim shelter, permanent housing). A longer strategic homelessness plan is forthcoming from the administration. (The Oaklandside)

Policy crosswinds: encampment rules are tightening

District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston has introduced an Encampment Abatement Policy that would move most sidewalk encampments into an “emergency” category eligible for immediate closure and make it easier to tow vehicle dwellings. After initial debate, a special committee hearing was set for Sept. 10; expect a heated discussion about how this meshes with the mayor’s prevention-and-housing emphasis. (The Oaklandside)

These local moves come after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling (June 2024), which gave cities broader legal latitude to restrict public camping even when shelter is scarce, a decision many municipalities have treated as a green light for stricter enforcement. (SCOTUSblog, Supreme Court)

What advocates and officials are saying

In interviews with CBS Bay Area, an advocate named Freeway urged a “humanity-first” approach and an end to disruptive sweeps, while Councilmember Houston praised the plan’s focus on prevention and behavioral health supports. (CBS News)

Separately, regional leaders, including Oakland, pushed county supervisors to direct as much of Measure W as possible to homelessness. A joint letter from the Alameda County Mayors’ Conference explicitly backed 100% for homelessness, with distribution “based on need.” (The Oaklandside)

A little history: Oakland has tried “czars” before

This isn’t the city’s first attempt at a single point of coordination. In 2020, Oakland hired Daryel Dunston as its first homelessness administrator; he left after less than a year. His successor, Daniel Cooper, was later released from employment, contributing to the churn that the new office is meant to stabilize. (San Francisco Chronicle, The Oaklandside)

What to watch next

• Org chart & budget details for the Office of Homelessness Solutions (staffing, reporting lines, and how encampment and shelter teams are integrated). (The Oaklandside)

• Program targets tied to the five-point plan (e.g., households prevented from eviction, placements from street to interim/permanent housing, average time to permanent placement). (The Oaklandside)

• Measure W allocations between countywide programs and Oakland-run services as the Home Together Fund begins to spend at scale. (KQED)

• September encampment policy hearing and whether the council adopts Houston’s abatement proposal. (The Oaklandside)

Sources

• Oaklandside, “Mayor Lee announces new Oakland office focused on homelessness” (Aug. 26, 2025) — role of the new office, staffing, five-point plan, and correction re: funding. (The Oaklandside)

• CBS San Francisco/KPIX, “Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee introduces five-point plan to address homelessness” (Aug. 27, 2025) — advocate/council reactions; note discrepancy on office funding. (CBS News)

• Oaklandside, “Alameda County charts plan for hundreds of millions… from Measure W” (July 23, 2025) — 80/20 split, reserves, Oakland’s share expectations. (The Oaklandside)

• KQED News, “Alameda County Officials Will Dedicate Nearly $1B to Homelessness…” (July 24, 2025) — totals, Home Together Fund, reserve. (KQED)

• Alameda County (official), Measure W presentation (July 22, 2025) — background/context (official BOS materials).

• Alameda County, Oakland 2024 PIT infographic — 5,485 total; 67% unsheltered; Oakland’s 58% share of county homelessness. (Homelessness Solutions)

• Oaklandside, “Oakland councilmember seeks crackdown on homeless sidewalk camps and vehicles” (July 24, 2025) — Houston proposal and Sept. 10 hearing. (The Oaklandside)

• SCOTUSblog & U.S. Supreme Court, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (June 28, 2024) — legal context for encampment actions. (SCOTUSblog, Supreme Court)

• SF Chronicle & Oaklandside, prior coverage of Daryel Dunston and Daniel Cooper — leadership turnover history. (San Francisco Chronicle, The Oaklandside)