Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Oakland’s mayor wants you to house the homeless
San Jose Mercury-News ^ | November 21, 2017 | By Marisa Kendall

Posted on 11/21/2017 9:13:58 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

OAKLAND — For everyone who has ever passed one of this city’s sprawling homeless encampments and wondered how to help, Mayor Libby Schaaf has an answer — open your door to someone in need of shelter.

The Oakland mayor is asking residents to offer their spare rooms, Airbnb units and rental properties to the city’s homeless, a radical proposition that has prompted both cautious optimism and scathing criticism from her constituents.

In her annual “State of the City” speech, Schaaf challenged Oakland residents to “give up that Airbnb. Fix up that back unit,” and offer the space to people in need.

“I hear so many times every day people ask me, ‘how can I help the homeless?'” Schaaf said in an interview. “And so this is an inspirational example of how already more than 100 landlords are helping.”

“It’s a last-resort idea,” said Oakland homeowner Rebecca Chekouras, 66, “and I think it doesn’t make sense for anyone involved.”

There are plenty of Oaklanders with extra space, but many say they rely on rental income from those spare rooms to help pay their own living expenses. There are 2,761 homeless living in the city, according to the most recent count, though experts agree that number is likely low.

Some in the community argue Schaaf should set an example by opening her own home.

“Why would anyone else do it if she wasn’t willing to do it?” asked 48-year-old Judy Elkan, owner of the Mary Weather clothing store and art gallery in Oakland, and a member of the local Homeless Advocacy Working Group.

But Schaaf won’t be signing up her own home anytime soon. She says she doesn’t own rental property or a secondary unit, and has no space for tenants in the house she shares with her husband and two children.

(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: bluezones; homeless; liberals; oakland; poverty; progressives; urban
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last
To: hal ogen

A homeless person is less likely to grope your womenfolk.


21 posted on 11/21/2017 9:28:29 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

First thought: You first, Mayor.

Second thought: That picture? It looks like somewhere in the Third World. How could the politicians there let it get to that point? They need a Rudy Guiliani over there; clean up that cesspool.

You’d be doing those residents a favor as well. If a person lives in such depressing conditions, they must feel pretty awful.


22 posted on 11/21/2017 9:28:42 AM PST by proud American in Canada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hal ogen

I’d rather have a homeless person in my house than a politician...

You got me there.


23 posted on 11/21/2017 9:29:01 AM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

I actually feel bad for political satire writers. Because the real things liberals say is crazier than anything a writer could come up with.


24 posted on 11/21/2017 9:29:33 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

there’s very VERY little good about Oakland these days, but this mayor lady has given everyone a damned good laugh! (imagine the IQ of her electorate, couldn’t be above 13)


25 posted on 11/21/2017 9:29:40 AM PST by faithhopecharity (“Politicians aren’t born, they’re excreted.” - Marcus Tillius Cicero (3 BCE))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Signalman

Yes, sadly, homeless have mental and other problems.

Why do you think they ended up homeless?

I often wonder how they got to where they are? They grew up i families, have a hometown somewhere, went to school, had family and friends at some time. What triggered their lives to go in a downward spiral so that they have no money and no place to live, no ability to hold a job, no ability to live in civilized society?

But I also think, that you have to address whatever problems they have, whether it’s mental problems, substance abuse, anti social behavior, whatever causes them to be unable to live normally.

You can’t just have some idiot liberal mayor say, take a homeless person into your spare room.


26 posted on 11/21/2017 9:30:01 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

The mayor says she’s got no room in her place to do what she’s preaching, with a husband and kids and all. Looks big enough to me:

http://www.streetstoriesoakland.com/items/show/68?tour=13&index=4


27 posted on 11/21/2017 9:31:01 AM PST by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hal ogen

> I’d rather have a homeless person in my house than a politician. <

Tough call. The homeless person is capable of extreme violence at the drop of a hat. But the politician will (legally) steal from you everything you’ve got.


28 posted on 11/21/2017 9:31:23 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

Mayor Libby Schaaf has an answer — open your door to someone in need of shelter. ................................... LOL, you can’t rent a porta potty in CA, the rents are so high. have an extra room, I’ll give you 1500-2000 a month to rent it. Yeah, good plan! ???


29 posted on 11/21/2017 9:32:07 AM PST by Bringbackthedraft (Damn, the tag line disappeared again? Coursors!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

And exactly how many homeless are at your house, Mayor?


30 posted on 11/21/2017 9:32:30 AM PST by freedumb2003 (Every Californian who supported "sanctuary state" has blood and ashes on his/her hands)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AngelesCrestHighway
Oh jeez!!! What could go wrong with this brain fart idea?

LOL! No kidding. I guess the mayor is okay with murders, rapes, theft, etc. How convenient she "has no room."

31 posted on 11/21/2017 9:32:57 AM PST by proud American in Canada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: RJS1950

> The difference here is that for the moment they don’t have the power (yet) to take your homes by force. <

I wonder if, down the line, they’ll try some sort of eminent domain scheme. They won’t take your whole house. Just any “spare rooms” you might have.


32 posted on 11/21/2017 9:34:05 AM PST by Leaning Right (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Lent

I have spare rooms. I’m sure most of you have spare rooms in your homes. Theoretically, the homeless would disappear if everyone with a spare bedroom or pull out couch in the living room, took someone off the streets.

But, even if this could magically happen, in Oakland or elsewhere, the problems in life which caused these people to be homeless would not be solved.

Another question for idiot mayor — are we supposed to feed the homeless too? Do we have to take them grocery shopping with us, and feed them?

I have to make a political statement too. Liberals believe in a government program for every conceivable social problem. I know there are government programs for homeless assistance. What does it say about the liberals who run such programs, that clearly the programs they have for the homeless clearly have not solved the problems???


33 posted on 11/21/2017 9:34:19 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
I think this has been tried before, don't remember what city.

The city took over abandoned property and turned it into free housing, but couldn't get the bums to stay!

Turns out the good panhandling locations and soup kitchens were too far away. They quickly tired of trying to commute and moved back "home" downtown.

34 posted on 11/21/2017 9:35:51 AM PST by ZOOKER (Until further notice the /s is implied...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer

Mayor Libby Schaaf

I confess. I expected an overweight Black female.

35 posted on 11/21/2017 9:36:13 AM PST by blam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txrefugee

All part of the homeless plan. The major plan. Destroy this country filling it with homeless while the gov officals make 137k a year on homeless issue boards.


36 posted on 11/21/2017 9:36:34 AM PST by ColdOne ((I miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11~ Best Election Ever! It is offical, we are at war!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: AustinBill

“Schaaf was born in Oakland, California, on November 12, 1965. Growing up in Oakland’s District 4, Schaaf attended Head-Royce School and Skyline High School, both in Oakland. She holds a B.A. in political science from Rollins College and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.

Schaaf is Jewish.”

So what we have here is just another Secular Progressive Jew intent upon spending other people’s money to solve a Law Enforcement Problem.


37 posted on 11/21/2017 9:38:29 AM PST by vette6387
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Oldeconomybuyer
“Why would anyone else do it if she wasn’t willing to do it?”

That's a really good question. The mayor is a typical liberal; blind to her own hypocrisy.

38 posted on 11/21/2017 9:39:40 AM PST by henkster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: left that other site

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq__Z-Z_Ofs

“More Just”


39 posted on 11/21/2017 9:40:03 AM PST by left that other site (For America to have CONFIDENCE in our future, we must have PRIDE in our HISTORY... DJT)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Leaning Right

This was posted a few weeks ago. The FReeper knowledge base brought up the cray-cray Kali eviction laws as to why you don’t even want to think about inviting a homeless/destitute person into an abode you own or rent.


40 posted on 11/21/2017 9:40:37 AM PST by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson