City Council
July 5, 2022
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Estelle Clemons
City Administrator Interim Director, Human
Services
SUBJECT: Plumbing for Interim Homeless Sites DATE: June 27, 2022
City Administrator Approval Date: Jun 28, 2022
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report On Providing Plumbing To Interim Homeless Sites.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report will discuss the estimated cost of providing plumbed bathrooms and showers at five interim Community Cabins/Pallet Shelter sites across the city, serving over 200 people.
Estimated costs include construction expenses to purchase the units, complete site construction, put in water and sewer infrastructure, where needed, and the installation of the units.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The City of Oakland is experiencing a crisis of unsheltered individuals on the streets of Oakland.
Between 2017 and 2019 the number of unsheltered people increased by 69%. As part of the response to this crisis, in late 2017 the City of Oakland “City” opened the first Community Cabin site to provide a safer and healthier alternative to living in an encampment. Due to the continued homelessness crisis and increased numbers in street homeless, there are currently seven Community Cabin/Pallet Shelter sites, serving over 300 people at any given time. None of the current Community Cabin/Pallet shelter sites have plumbed bathrooms. Each site provides drinking water, portable toilets, and wash stations. Mobile showers are offered nearby, at minimum, two times per week.
In fall 2021, staff worked with Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods to create estimated budgets to install plumbing and bathroom/shower units at most interim sites across the City. These costs are estimated because actual costs will be dependent on the bathroom/shower unit purchased, availability of parts, and other potential cost changes since fall 2021. The information below provides City Council estimated cost for implementation if additional funding is identified.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Plumbing for Interim Sites
Date: June 27, 2022 Page 2
City Council
July 5, 2022
Site Project Status ESTIMATED
costs of site
construction
and installing
units
ESTIMATED
Unit Costs
Total Projected
Cost
5 Community
Cabin Sites
Unfunded $750,000 (5
sites @approx.
$150,000 each)
$375,000 (5
units approx.
$75,000 each)
$1,125,000
E 12th-
Lakepoint
Unfunded TBD $75,000 $75,000
3rd & Peralta Funding
identified by
CAO
N/A $75,000 $75,000
Totals $750,000 $525,000 $1,275,000
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Since the first Community Cabins site opened in 2017, staff have had to make the hard decisions about how to spend limited funding. The competing priorities included spending funds on more beds (serving more people), putting in more site infrastructure (plumbed bathrooms, full electricity), or funding greater services/exit resources to more quickly assist people to move to housing. From 2017 through 2021 creating as many interim beds as possible was the Council’s priority. In spring 2022, the City Council directed staff to improve the infrastructure at current and future interim sites. The addition of this infrastructure enhances the quality of life for individuals living in these sites and better supports their ability to engage in outside services.
Improving infrastructure at Community Cabin sites will contribute to the City wide priorities of holistic community safety and housing, economic, and cultural security. The purpose of these interim program sites is to offer respite, stabilization, linkages to health and human services, and to assist individuals end their unsheltered status. The sites reduce the public health concerns for both unsheltered and housed neighbors and provide a cleaner and safer environment for all. These sites are effective and compassionate interventions focused on quickly increasing people’s health, stability, dignity, and safety.
Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) section 2.04.050 requires advertising and competitive bidding for contracts for the purchase of services, supplies or combination required by the City in any one transaction which exceeds $50,000, and the award to the lowest responsible, responsive bidder if award is made. However, OMC section 2.04. 050.I.5 provides that the Council may waive advertising and competitive bidding requirements for construction contracts upon a finding by the Council that it is in the City’s best interests to do so.
Should funding be made available, the City Administrator would recommend waiving advertising and the competitive bid requirements for a construction contract for purchasing and installing plumbed bathrooms and showers at City-owned and/or leased parcels designated for homeless interventions programs, and would recommend the City Council award an as-needed construction contract with Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods to perform such improvements for a term through June 30,2023 in an amount up to $1,200,000. Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods has done similar Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Plumbing for Interim Sites
Date: June 27, 2022 Page 3
City Council
July 5, 2022
site preparation and improvements work for the City for over four years, is familiar with City construction programs, policies and procedures, therefore, waiver of competitive bidding requirements and authorizing negotiations with this licensed contractor will maintain continuity and expedite the City’s improvement to existing intervention sites without the need to conduct a lengthy advertising and bidding process which would take considerable time and delay these urgently needed bathroom and shower unit installation projects for the homeless.
Please note that Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods is a certified Local Business Enterprise and meets all the requirements of the City’s Local and Small Local Business Enterprise Program.
EXEMPTION FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
If funding is identified, this Project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan or Zoning), 15301(c) (Existing Facilities, Highways and Streets), 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), 15303 (Small Structures), 15304(h) (minor alterations to land), and/or 15061(b)(3) (No Significant Effect on the Environment); each of the aforementioned provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
FISCAL IMPACT
This is an informational report and the project is currently unfunded.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No outreach was deemed necessary for the proposed policy action beyond the standard City Council agenda noticing procedures. Community input from advocates and others such as Community Council members have advocated for providing this type of infrastructure.
COORDINATION
This informational report has been reviewed by the City Administrator’s Office Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Plumbing for Interim Sites
Date: June 27, 2022 Page 4
City Council
July 5, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That the City Council Receive An Informational Report On Providing Plumbing To Interim Homeless Sites.
For questions regarding this report, please contact C’Mone Falls, Acting Community Housing Services Manager, at 510-238-6186.
Respectfully submitted,
ESTELLE CLEMONS
Interim Director, Human Services Department
Prepared by:
C’Mone Falls, Interim Manager
Community Homelessness Services