Mayors want jail converted to shelter
Plan for closed Oakland lockup draws concerns
Struggling with an unprecedented surge in homelessness, mayors in the East Bay are calling on Alameda County to convert a former jail into a shelter that could house hundreds of people.
If approved, it could be the first jail facility to be turned into a homeless shelter in California. But advocates for the homeless voiced concerns with the proposal, and one called it dehumanizing and immoral.
The Alameda County Sheriff ’s Office closed Glenn E. Dyer Jail last month as a costcutting measure amid declining inmate populations and rising incarceration costs.
The mayors from 14 cities proposed the jail conversion this week at a meeting with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, where they asked for more support from the county in dealing with the homeless crisis. The number of shelter beds available is not enough, they said.
“This is an incredible opportunity because it’s this huge piece of land in little downtown Oakland with multiple buildings that could be redeveloped,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín. “I do think given the severity of the crisis, we do have to think outside the box. We’ve seen a significant increase in unsheltered homelessness. We need more space for shelter. We
need more expanded mental health services.”
The homeless population in Alameda County rose by a staggering 43% since 2017, and all cities in the county saw significant increases. Oakland made up nearly half of the county’s homeless population with a 47% increase. Berkeley’s homeless population increased by about 13%. Emeryville and San Leandro had a steep growth with 513% and 283%, respectively.
In Oakland, the number of people without shelter rose from 1,902 in 2017 to 3,210. In Berkeley, it increased from 664 to 813 and from 55 to 344 in San Leandro. The plan shocked many advocates who said housing unsheltered residents in a former jail is the wrong answer.
“I’m flabbergasted,” said Candice Elder, executive director of East Oakland Collective. “Housing our unhoused brothers and sisters in what is a closeddown jail is inhumane. I think it’s immoral.”
A similar venture was considered for the Santa Ana City Jail, but a report commissioned by the City Council found that using the facility as a shelter wouldn’t be feasible. Last March, a jail in Seattle opened a homeless shelter for 40 people in an unused wing after doing an extensive $2 million remodel. The move drew concerns from advocates, but city leaders said they have a moral obligation to use “empty space” for a growing homeless population.
At the meeting of mayors and county officials on Monday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the jail was an “obvious” option because it offers toilets and plumbing. The jail is equipped to hold more than 800 people.
“If converting the jail into a place of hope turns out to be the quickest, most costeffective and compassionate way to move people off of the streets and into safety and services, then it should be explored,” Schaaf told The Chronicle.
Over the past 10 years, the jail — a concrete and steel building near the Oakland Police Department and courthouse — housed about 400 people, said Alameda County Sheriff ’s Sgt. Ray Kelly.
“It has its own kitchens, clinics, cafeteria, laundry,” Kelly said. “Obviously, there are individual cells there and rooms. It has a good amount of office space, administrative space. It’s in a primo spot there in Oakland. It’s got a beautiful view of the bay and downtown.”
But for formerly incarcerated people, that description of the facility doesn’t ring true. John Jones III, director of community and political engagement at the Dellums Institute, was incarcerated from 2016 to 2017 at the Glenn E. Dyer Jail. He said the jail could be described as “depressing.”
“It feels like there is this gloomy cloud hanging over you once you enter,” Jones said. “The smell is the most memorable thing: a combination of fear, mold and faint cleaning solutions.”
Jones applauded the county and cities for working together to come up with solutions to address homelessness, but said that using a jail as a shelter could retraumatize people living on the street who are formerly incarcerated.
“Obviously, we are hoping they’re not just going to throw folks into a cell and say, ‘OK they’re housed,’ ” Jones said. “Even if it’s no longer a jail, psychologically speaking, that could still be traumatizing.”
Nino Parker, a homeless advocate who lives in an encampment in Oakland, said he
“Housing our unhoused brothers and sisters in what is a closeddown jail is inhumane. I think it’s immoral.” Candice Elder, East Oakland Collective executive director
encourages any effort toward building more housing for the homeless, but felt skeptical the jail was a costsaving option as opposed to other buildings.
“A lot of the rooms would have bars on them so you’d have to remove the bars,” he said. “You don’t want to be in a jail room that has bars on it. I would hate to see the homeless dollar get spent on revamping a facility and getting used up when you can have something that is easier to fix up.”
Supervisor Keith Carson said using a jail for a homeless shelter gives him some pause.
“As it currently stands, meaning with bars ... which makes it look like you’re incarcerated and feel like you’re incarcerated, (that) is not something I personally would want to happen,” he said.
Transforming the building into a homeless shelter would require a major retrofitting, he said, that would be “pretty expensive.” He said he hasn’t received a formal request from the mayors to use the building as a space for the homeless. Carson was present Monday at the meeting of county and city officials.
Supervisor Wilma Chan said Monday the county has been in discussions about converting the jail into a homeless facility, but it would take time. The board is reviewing any outstanding contractual obligations it has before coming up with a plan for the building, she said. Discussions on the future of the jail could resume as early as the fall, Chan said.
Elder said advocates have been encouraging cities and the county to look into vacant properties to house the homeless, but a jail was never on the table.
“That is taking an easy way out when there is a ton of other properties that the city and the county can use,” she said.