Our Solutions - Sanctuary Communities Not Sweeps
Wood Street residents have collaborated with affordable housing architect Mike Pyatok over the last year to envision a community-led solution to homelessness which houses teachers, working class families and the unhoused and includes an academy, a jobs program, dental care, health care and mental health care on site.
Send an email to Gavin Newsom based on this template to demand public land for public good. We want the state to surplus four Caltrans-owned vacant parcels to Oakland for housing. Below is an outline of the Wood St Commons proposal for affordable housing designed for these lots.
A complete community with:
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- Housing: 3 sites = 405 affordable apartments for teachers, working class families, and the unhoused community
- The Academy – the heart of informal and formal learning
- Healing clinic – medical, dental, mental/spiritual care
- Fitness Center – physical center
The Details
Site 1: 90 Units- Teacher Housing
- Two buildings:
- 6-story elevator-served building with a 60-car parking garage
- 3-story walk-up buildings
Site 2: The Academy & 175 Units – Family Housing
Housing for Families and Singles.
- 5 floors for 174 affordable apartments for the unhoused or those at risk of houselessness
- Half for singles, half for families
Site 3: Multiple Services & 135 Units – Housing for Singles and Couples:
- 135 dwellings as studios and one-bedroom apartments intended for singles and couples
- Grouped around a landscaped courtyard with vegetable planters, which is located above 2 floors of services
Multi-purpose Clinic (basic health, dental, mental health) – Site 3, Floor 2
40 person overnight shelter & Fitness Center (including physical therapy) – Site 3, Floor 1
The Academy – Site 2:
- The curriculum: GED, healing from drugs, nutrition, gardening, financial literacy, political discussion, music, book club, home + bike repair, and much more. Potential partnerships with Peralta Community College.
- The space: Classrooms, Offices, Computer Lab, Tools and Workshop Space
Neighborhood Ambassadors: The neighborhood security team, staffed by members of the community, dressed much like ‘neighborhood ambassadors.’ 4 residents, in rotating shifts will support residents and visitors alike. Keeping the community safe with Love and Accountability.
Homeless Helping Homeless and All or None
We know what we need. We need to be continuing to do the work because we understand how it feels to be out there, how to survive on the streets and why people are doing the things that they’re doing. – LeaJay
Representatives of the Wood Street Commons, whose ideas, dreams and compassion toward each other and all of humanity, inspired this proposal. -Michael Pyatok, FAIA”