Homeless Action Center

Congratulations to our two newest staff attorneys, Rithu Gurazada and Jackie Rourke, who were sworn into the state bar today by Managing Attorney, Kyle Kitson. We are so glad to have you both at HAC!

Please join us in wishing the very best to our Senior Managing Attorney, Amy Orgain, on her last day at HAC.

Amy has served clients and the agency with care, compassion, and strong leadership for over 11 years. While we are sad to see her go, we are excited to see what the future holds for her next chapter.

Thank you for everything, Amy! You will always be a part of the HAC family. Wishing you all the best!

https://projects.propublica.org/homeless-encampment-sweeps-taken-belongings/

Swept Away: What Cities Really Take When They Sweep Homeless Encampments People say having their possessions — from birth certificates to loved ones’ ashes — taken in “sweeps” traumatizes them, exacerbates health issues and undermines efforts to find housing and get or keep a job.

HAC’s response to the Supreme Court’s opinion City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson

The Homeless Action Center (HAC) unequivocally opposes today’s decision where the Supreme Court issued a cruel 6-3 opinion in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson et al allowing states and cities to punish unhoused people who are sleeping outside even if they have no place to go. The decision permits local municipalities to fine and imprison unhoused individuals simply for being unhoused. At a time when homelessness is at an all-time high and affordable housing is woefully inaccessible and unavailable, it is sickening to see the highest court in the land empower local governments to criminalize community members for merely existing.

Justice Sotomayor wrote a strong and compassionate dissent: “Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime. For some people, sleeping outside is their only option. The City of Grants Pass jails and fines those people for sleeping anywhere in public at any time, including in their cars, if they use as little as a blanket to keep warm or a rolled-up shirt as a pillow. For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless. That is unconscionable and un-constitutional. Punishing people for their status is “cruel and unusual” under the Eighth Amendment.”

Cities can now use this ruling to offer no services to those sleeping outside but instead bring in cops to force them to go elsewhere, even though there is no place elsewhere available. Using law enforcement in this manner is traumatizing for unhoused people. Sweeps of encampments cause people to lose property and documents that they need to get out of homelessness as well as to lose contact with community and service providers. Further, weighing people down with fines and a criminal record will only make it harder for them to get into housing. Notably, this ruling will have a disproportionate impact on BIPOC individuals and communities. According to the point in time count , 70% of those experiencing homelessness in Oakland are black, and thus the racial impact of this decision will be disparate and devastating.

To be clear: Criminalizing an unhoused individual for existing does nothing to address any of the root causes of homelessness; instead, it only traumatizes and harms an already marginalized and vulnerable population while creating even more barriers for them to obtain stability. A carte blanche on sweeps may temporarily clear encampments, but will ultimately only increase homelessness and all of the concerns this ruling purports to address.

Sotomayor’s dissent concluded on a hopeful note stating: “This Court, too, has a role to play in faithfully enforcing the Constitution to prohibit punishing the very existence of those without shelter. I remain hopeful that someday in the near future, this Court will play its role in safeguarding constitutional liberties for the most vulnerable among us.” HAC implores state and local governments not to embrace the cruel and dehumanizing mindset that the Supreme Court took today, and instead approach our unhoused neighbors with compassion, support, and solutions. HAC will continue to fight for all of our clients and to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/housing/newsom-s-proposed-cuts-to-homelessness-disability-services-face-opposition/article_a31ded10-24b8-11ef-a7f0-279b0651d084.html

Newsom’s proposed cuts to homelessness, disability services face opposition Gov. Gavin Newson’s recent revision to the proposed 2024-25 state budget threatens to cut housing services for homeless and disabled community members.

Urgent advocacy needed!

Please join us in congratulating Managing Attorney Heather Freinkel, who was recently named as one of the recipients of the Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless G.G. Greenhouse 2023 Community Hero Award. This award is so well deserved. Congrats, Heather!

The ACHCH G.G. Greenhouse Award is presented in honor of Gretel (G.G.) Greenhouse. G.G. was a true community hero, living a full life in struggle for justice, equity, and health. As a child she integrated schools, lived through a life-threatening illness, and used social work to change the world. In 1990, G.G. became the founder and director of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless and contributed to its growth until her retirement twenty years later. With her passing in 2021, ACHCH decided to present the G.G. Greenhouse Community Hero Award each year in her name.

Heather works as the HAC’s Outreach Team Supervisor. She strives to remove barriers to services by meeting clients where they are at, visiting multiple encampments and other sites in Oakland each week, providing all the services that clients would have access to when visiting HAC’s drop-in centers at their West Oakland and South Berkeley offices. She provides benefits advocacy to make sure clients are accessing the income, health care, and food assistance programs for which they are eligible. Heather provides housing case management services, including moving clients into shelters and other temporary housing, helping them access the county’s list of permanent affordable housing opportunities, and getting them “document-ready” so they can move into housing. Heather works tirelessly to serve the community, as an ally, advocate, and champion for people experiencing homelessness.

At HAC we love a good swearing-in ceremony! Congrats to our three newest staff attorneys: Annie, Kelsey, and Natasha. And thank you to Managing Attorney, Kyle Kitson, for doing the swearing in.

"The essence of harm reduction in practice is centered on the person receiving the services, their interests, their goals."

Read more - blog post by HAC Managing Attorney Danny Homer:

Why am I here? – Homeless Action Center October 16, 2023 By Daniel (Danny) Homer, HAC Managing Attorney When new people start at HAC, sometimes I hesitate to tell them I’ve been at HAC for almost 15 years. Other times I tell them 15 years out of sheer and utter joy. It just depends on the day of the week, my workload, and stress level. ...

HAC Senior Managing Attorney Amy Orgain was quoted by the SF Chronicle in its recent article on high storage fees:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-self-storage-not-affordable-18360179.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2JheWFyZWEvYXJ0aWNsZS9iYXktYXJlYS1zZWxmLXN0b3JhZ2Utbm90LWFmZm9yZGFibGUtMTgzNjAxNzkucGhw&time=MTY5NDk3Mzc5NTM3OQ==&rid=ZTk3YzFjZTAtMTFkNy00NGNjLWIxNGYtNjIxNjEwNTMzODdi&sharecount=MQ==

"We have people who drive for Lyft or Uber or Grubhub so their car has to be free of stuff,” said Amy Orgain, senior managing attorney, at the Homeless Action Center of Alameda County. “They sleep in their car at night and basically live out of their storage units.”

Clients often have trouble paying for storage, either because of rate hikes or if their benefits get interrupted, she said.

“People are panicking and will come asking for help,” she said. “They’re really scared their stuff will get destroyed.” Her organization can help with small stipends or by contacting the storage owners and asking for an extension.

Self-storage prices are soaring to unexpected highs — even for the Bay Area Self storage is booming, benefiting from Americans’ love of stuff and people’s life...

"The CARE Act creates a brand-new court process by which people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders can be mandated to participate in a court-ordered plan of treatment. It is advertised as providing the most vulnerable Californians with access to critical behavioral health services, housing, and support. However, this Act does not create any new resources or housing opportunities. This is a huge flaw, as what the majority of these “most vulnerable” people need is housing. We have seen time and again that HAC clients who have access to stable, affordable housing are less likely to face ongoing crises and are proven to stabilize across the board. They are more likely to access regular medical care voluntarily and reduce any substance use."

Read the full blog post:

Taking Action Against CARE Courts in California – Homeless Action Center August 21, 2023 By Meghan Pluimer, Managing Attorney at HAC On October 1, 2023, seven California counties (San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Glenn) will roll out the first CARE Courts under Governor Newsom’s CARE Act, which was signed into law last September.1h...

"With each of my 11 years at HAC, I become prouder of the work we do and the ways we unequivocally convey our love to our clients and each other through action. As the Director of DEI and Social Impact, I certainly recognize that our work is never done. However, it is so very important to celebrate the victories, big and small, and to slow down enough to be mindful and remember our reasons for doing this transformative, life-sustaining work."

Read the full blog post: https://homelessactioncenter.org/diaspora-chronicles-equitable-and-inclusive-roots/