Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Nora Daly, Development and Communications Manager 510-388-7772 ndaly@bayareacs.org News from: Office of Mayor Libby Schaaf MEDIA ADVISORY: March 30, 2020
As City of Oakland Moves to Block Evictions, Keep Oakland Housed Expands to Serve Residents at Risk of Losing Housing Due to COVID-19
Oakland, CA — On Friday the Oakland City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance with the following provisions:
Moratorium on residential and commercial evictions until May 31, 2020.
Moratorium on rent increases above the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (currently 3.5%) during the Local Emergency.
Moratorium on late payment fees for residential rent paid late if due to COVID-19, during the Local Emergency.
Unpaid rent shall be due at the end of the Local Emergency.
Keep Oakland Housed (KOH) applauds elected officials for taking urgent action to prevent Oakland renters from losing their homes. Oakland residents experiencing a housing crisis as a result of the COVID-19 have a place to turn to in this crucial time. Keep Oakland Housed is expanding services to provide crisis stabilization and support, continuing to operate on the front lines of the housing crisis to prevent homelessness before it starts.
KOH is a city-wide collaborative effort made up of Bay Area Community Services, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, and East Bay Community Law Center. The effort is uniquely poised to support the unprecedented number of Oakland community members who are experiencing a housing crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is anticipated that Oakland residents will experience a spike in housing crises, as job losses, furloughs, and other challenges that will make it difficult for individuals and families to afford their housing and utility bills.
KOH partners have decades of experience navigating the housing system, and have built crucial infrastructure over the last two years. The effort is mobilizing to rapidly deploy and support additional funding to more Oaklanders in the coming days and weeks to help people who have become unstably housed as a result of this pandemic.
Bay Area Community Services (BACS) is acting as the lead agency to implement the emergency operations on the ground.
“We want residents to know they can turn to Keep Oakland Housed in this unprecedented moment,” Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It’s a valuable resource for our most vulnerable residents, and we are all working to increase our emergency support services to keep more residents rooted in Oakland.”
“We are so grateful as Oaklanders that Mayor Schaaf, our foundation partners, and our donors are mobilizing to support expanding Keep Oakland Housed so that every Oaklander who needs emergency support will be able to get that support. BACS and Keep Oakland Housed has ramped up our frontline response efforts and we are ready to support anyone in need.” – Jamie Almanza, MBA, CEO of Bay Area Community Services (BACS)
For information about services and support available, or to make a donation to the effort, visit KeepOaklandHoused.org.
About Keep Oakland Housed
Keep Oakland Housed is committed to preventing Oakland residents from losing their housing. Three nonprofit partners — Bay Area Community Services, Catholic Charities of the East Bay, and East Bay Community Law Center — work together to provide legal representation, emergency financial assistance, and supportive services. The program is made possible by funding from Kaiser Permanente and the San Francisco Foundation, which also serves as administrator of the program. The City of Oakland is supporting Keep Oakland Housed with City resources including fundraising and staff support. Learn more at KeepOaklandHoused.org
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