AGENDA REPORT TO : City Council and Members of the Public FROM: At-Large Councilmember Rowena Brown SUBJECT: Centro Legal de la Raza Oakland Housing Secure Grant Agreement DATE: October 1, 2025
RECOMMENDATION Adopt A Resolution: (1) AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE GRANT
AGREEMENT
WITH
CENTRO
LEGAL
DE
LA
RAZA,
INC.
FOR
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
BY
TWO
YEARS
TO
JUNE
30,
2027;
(2) ACCEPTING AND APPROPRIATING ANY ADDITIONAL COUNTY, STATE,
FEDERAL
AND/OR
PRIVATE
FUNDING
THAT
BECOMES
AVAILABLE
FOR
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
DURING
THE
EXTENDED
TERM
OF
THE
GRANT
AGREEMENT;
(3) AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO AMEND THE GRANT
AGREEMENT
TO
INCREASE
THE
GRANT
BY
THE
AMOUNT
OF
SUCH
ADDITIONAL
FUNDS
OR
BY
ANY
ADDITIONAL
CITY
FUNDS
THAT
CITY
COUNCIL
APPROPRIATES
SPECIFICALLY
FOR
THIS
PURPOSE;
AND
(4) DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO PRESENT AN ANNUAL
INFORMATIONAL
REPORT
ON
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
NO
LATER
THAN
MARCH
31 OF
EACH
CALENDAR
YEAR,
BEGINNING
IN
2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY City Council approved the Biennial Budget for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2025-2027 on June 11, 2025 through Resolution No. 90827 C.M.S. Per Attachment A, page 309 of 787 of said resolution, the City Council appropriated $1,100,000 in FY 2025/26 for the specific purpose of eviction prevention
services.
This proposed legislation would amend Resolution No. 90654 C.M.S., which authorized funding for eviction prevention legal and financial assistance provided by a coalition of community-based
organizations
led
by
Centro
Legal
de
la
Raza,
Inc.,
known
as
Oakland
1 Housing Secure, for a total amount not to exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) and grant term
through
June
30,
2025
to:
● Extend the grant term to June 30, 2027; ● Authorize the City Administrator to accept, appropriate, and increase the grant agreement
using
any
county,
state,
federal,
and/or
private
funding
that
becomes
available
for
eviction
prevention
services
during
the
term
of
the
grant
agreement,
without
return
to
Council;
● Authorize the City Administrator to increase the grant agreement during the term using local
funds
that
the
City
Council
has
appropriated
specifically
for
this
purpose;
and
● Direct the City Administrator to present an annual informational report on eviction prevention
services.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY Oakland Housing Secure (OHS) OHS is a coalition of community-based organizations offering free legal and financial help to prevent
the
displacement
of
vulnerable
residents.
OHS
is
led
by
Centro
Legal
de
la
Raza
(Centro)
and
includes
coalition
partners:
Eviction
Defense
Center,
The
Unity
Council,
East
Bay
Community
Law
Center,
and
Asian
Pacific
Islander
Legal
Outreach.
Centro has administered OHS since 2018 when it was established to prevent evictions, streamline
service
delivery,
and
maximize
available
resources.
Centro
was
awarded
funding
by
the
City
of
Oakland
Department
of
Housing
&
Community
Development
for
OHS
through
a
competitive
process:
a
Request
for
Proposals
in
February
2020
and
a
COVID-19
pandemic-era
rolling
Request
for
Qualifications.
OHS Funding City Council approved the Biennial Budget for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2023-2025 on June 26, 2023 per Resolution No. 89804 C.M.S. Per Exhibit 1, page 6 of 20, item #4 of said resolution, the City Council appropriated $1,000,000 annually in FY 2023/24 and FY 2024/25 for the specific purpose of eviction prevention services. Per Resolution No. 89951 C.M.S., the City Council on October 17, 2023 authorized funding for eviction prevention services to Centro for a total amount
not
to
exceed
one
million
dollars
($1,000,000)
and
grant
term
through
June
30,
2024.
Per Resolution No. 90654 C.M.S., the City Council on March 4, 2025 authorized funding for eviction prevention services to Centro for a total amount not to exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000)
and
grant
term
through
June
30,
2025.
On June 11, 2025, the City Council approved the FY 2025-2027 Biennial Budget, allocating $1,100,000
in
the
Affordable
Housing
Trust
Fund
(Fund
1870)
in
FY
2025/26
for
eviction
prevention
services.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES With the lifting of the City of Oakland Emergency Eviction Moratorium in July 2023, the number of
eviction
filings
surged
countywide,
disproportionately
impacting
Oakland’s
most
vulnerable
communities.
According
to
data
from
the
Superior
Court
of
Alameda
County,
unlawful
detainer
(UD;
eviction
lawsuit)
filings
in
Oakland
averaged
206
per
month
between
March
2024
and
April
2025,
a
47%
increase
over
the
pre-pandemic
monthly
average
of
140
filings
(March
2019
–
April
2020).
The
geographic
concentration
of
these
evictions
is
stark:
67%
of
filings
originated
in
Priority Neighborhoods (zip codes: 94601, 94603, 94606, 94607, 94612, 94621), primarily in 2 East Oakland where 54–92% of households in these zip codes are tenants and 53% experience rent burden in which they pay at least 30% of their income toward rent (Housing Initiative at Penn, 2020). These zip codes have disproportionately high populations of tenants who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (66–96%), underscoring the intersection of racial inequity and
housing
instability.
Evictions are a direct means of displacement. When Oaklanders are evicted from their homes, particularly
low-income
and
longtime
residents,
they
are
left
to
contend
with
finding
housing
in
a
rental
market
that
is
unaffordable,
often
moving
far
from
their
workplaces
and
social/cultural/faith
networks,
and
into
a
situation
with
even
more
severe
housing
problems,
such
as
overcrowding,
unsafe
conditions,
and
severe
rent
burden.
Furthermore,
housing
loss
through
eviction
increases
homelessness
risk
and
can
have
a
direct
and
long-lasting
detrimental
impact
on
the
health
and
wellbeing
of
the
people
who
experience
it.
The
impacts
of
evictions,
like
the
impacts
of
displacement
more
broadly,
are
racialized
and
disproportionate.
Oakland Housing Secure (OHS) plays a crucial role in providing eviction prevention services to low-
and
moderate-income
Oakland
residents
including:
● Legal Representation/Consultations o Eviction defense, lease negotiations, habitability dispute resolutions, and document
review
● Emergency Financial Assistance o One-time financial assistance paid to property owners on behalf of tenants, commonly
used
for
settlement
agreements
● Education and Outreach o Multilingual educational tenants’ rights workshops and materials o Outreach partnerships with community-based organizations in neighborhoods with
high
eviction
rates
● Social Work o Individualized housing stability planning, case management, housing navigation, and
referrals
to
benefits
programs
and
other
social
services
Through legal services, emergency financial assistance, community education and outreach, and
other
housing
stabilization
services,
OHS
directly
combats
displacement
while
advancing
the
City’s
priorities
of
housing
security
and
racial
equity.
Without
eviction
prevention
services,
Oakland
risks
increased
homelessness,
worsening
health
disparities,
and
irreversible
displacement
of
its
most
vulnerable
communities.
FISCAL IMPACT Funding for eviction and homelessness prevention services is included in the FY 2025-2027 Adopted
Biennial
Budget,
$1,100,000
available
and
appropriated
in
FY
2025/26
and
$1,390,000
budgeted
in
FY
2026/27,
in
the
Affordable
Housing
Trust
Fund
(1870),
CDBG
Coordination
Organization
(89949),
Third
Party:
Grant
Contracts
Earned
Account
(54912),
Tenant
Legal
Services
Project
(1007111).
This resolution also authorizes the City Administrator to accept, appropriate, and increase the grant
agreement
using
any
county,
state,
federal,
and/or
private
funding
that
becomes
available
for
eviction
and
homelessness
prevention
services
in
a
grant
fund
to
be
determined
(TBD)
and
project
to
be
determined
(TBD).
3 PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST The City Council’s budget adoption process included many opportunities for public engagement on
the
funding
allocation
for
OHS.
COORDINATION This report and resolution were drafted in coordination with the Department of Housing and Community
Development,
the
City
Attorney’s
Office,
and
the
Finance
Department.
PAST PERFORMANCE, IMPACT, AND FY 2025/26 SCOPE OF WORK & BUDGET Past Performance & Impact Oakland Housing Secure (OHS) supports low-income tenants and prevents displacement through the provision of safety-net services including legal assistance, financial assistance, housing stabilization services, outreach, education, and counseling. OHS delivers critical services to tenants facing severe housing insecurity and eviction from their home.
The
effectiveness
of
these
interventions
is
clear.
Client-level
data
show
that
in
fiscal
year
FY
2024/25:
● 90% of households who received legal representation achieved favorable outcomes, such
as
staying
in
their
homes
or
negotiating
a
move-out
with
sufficient
time
and/or
financial
benefit
for
a
“soft
landing”
● 40% of households were Black and 37% Latinx ● 75% of households had annual incomes at or below 30% area median income (AMI) and 18%
had
annual
incomes
between
30%
and
50%
AMI
● 179 households received legal representation ● 228 households received legal consultations ● 407 households received housing stabilization social services ● 116 households were served through case management/housing counseling ● 14 Know-Your-Rights workshops educated 201participants The ability of OHS to serve vulnerable tenants underscores alignment with the City of Oakland’s priority
to
eliminate
racial
disparities
in
Oakland’s
housing
landscape.
Continued
investment
will
amplify
their
ability
to
stem
Oakland’s
eviction
crisis
and
protect
vulnerable
renters
from
displacement.
FY 2025/26 Project Scope of Work ● 370 households will receive an assessment for legal and other housing stabilization services
o 88 households will receive legal representation o 177 households will receive legal consultations o 105 households will receive housing stabilization information & referral/case management
services
● 13 Know-Your-Rights workshops will educate 134 participants ● 11-20 households will receive emergency rental assistance 4 FY 2025/26 Project Budget COST TYPE AMOUNT Salaries & Fringe (direct services & admin. staff) $250,717 Operations & Maintenance $23,000 Indirect $37,607 Centro Subtotal $311,324 Eviction Defense Center $189,420 The Unity Council $167,140 East Bay Community Law Center $162,797 Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach $100,820 Subgrantee Subtotal $620,177 Emergency Financial Assistance $168,499 Emergency Financial Assistance Subtotal $168,499 Project Total $1,100,000 SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES Economic : Housing stability is foundational to economic stability, and keeping residents housed in
Oakland
helps
preserve
the
customer
base
for
our
local
businesses
and
commercial
corridors.
Environmental : Housing loss through eviction often results in displaced households moving farther
from
their
workplaces,
schools,
social
networks,
and
cultural
and
faith
communities,
thereby
resulting
in
longer
commutes
and
higher
emissions
where
public
transit
is
not
available.
Displaced
households
also
often
move
into
poorer-quality
housing
characterized
by
overcrowding
and
residential
health
and
safety
hazards.
Race & Equity : Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color experience the highest
inequities
in
housing
stability
when
measuring
indicators
such
as
homelessness,
displacement,
evictions,
rent
burden,
housing
quality,
overcrowding,
etc.
The
racial
characteristics
of
evictions
are
unknown
as
Superior
Court
data
does
not
collect
demographic
data
on
litigants;
however,
when
considering
the
zip
codes
of
the
tenants
facing
eviction
as
a
proxy,
evictions
primarily
impact
Black
and
Latinx
households.
This
is
supported
by
the
program
data
that
shows
an
Oakland
Housing
Secure
clientele
that
is
predominantly
Black
and
Latinx
(43%
and
37%
respectively).
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL Adopt A Resolution: (1) AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE GRANT
AGREEMENT
WITH
CENTRO
LEGAL
DE
LA
RAZA,
INC.
FOR
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
BY
TWO
YEARS
TO
JUNE
30,
2027;
(2) ACCEPTING AND APPROPRIATING ANY ADDITIONAL COUNTY, STATE,
FEDERAL
AND/OR
PRIVATE
FUNDING
THAT
BECOMES
AVAILABLE
FOR
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
DURING
THE
EXTENDED
TERM
OF
THE
GRANT
AGREEMENT;
5 (3) AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO AMEND THE GRANT
AGREEMENT
TO
INCREASE
THE
GRANT
BY
THE
AMOUNT
OF
SUCH
ADDITIONAL
FUNDS
OR
BY
ANY
ADDITIONAL
CITY
FUNDS
THAT
CITY
COUNCIL
APPROPRIATES
SPECIFICALLY
FOR
THIS
PURPOSE;
AND
(4) DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO PRESENT AN ANNUAL
INFORMATIONAL
REPORT
ON
EVICTION
PREVENTION
SERVICES
NO
LATER
THAN
MARCH
31 OF
EACH
CALENDAR
YEAR,
BEGINNING
IN
2026
For questions regarding this report, please contact Chiamaka Ogwuegbu at [email protected].
Respectfully submitted,
Rowena Brown City of Oakland, Councilmember At Large 6