City of Oakland
The Pitch
The City of Oakland created the Keep Oakland Housed (KOH) program to combat ongoing gentrification and homelessness in the city, preserving affordable housing through renters’ assistance and providing legal support.
The Problem
Gentrification and displacement are huge problems in Oakland, where a legacy of racially exclusionary housing continues to impact residents. Affordable housing options in the area are dwindling, driving up the number of unhoused residents and creating a cycle of suffering that damages entire communities. Because people enter homelessness faster than they can be rehoused, prevention has become the best way to end it.
The Process
- Created KOH by building an infrastructure of organizations and procedures that can quickly provide services to Oakland’s residents
- Provided legal services to prevent residents from eviction (and grew these services during the COVID-19 pandemic)
- Efficiently distributed Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds through KOH
- Helped residents remain in their homes and prevent gentrification by preserving existing affordable housing options
- Negotiated partial repayment of tens of thousands of dollars worth of back rent in exchange for renters signing legally-binding letters forgiving balances owed
The Impact
- Strengthened renter protections: During the pandemic, Alameda County had one of the strongest renter protection programs because of KOH
- Served clients from 21 out of Oakland’s 29 zip codes, impacting 70% of neighborhoods
- Freed many residents from exponentially increasing debt and eviction via rent forgiveness and assistance
- Prevented many families from entering homelessness
- Provides a foundation for stopping gentrification in Oakland and ensuring that people have access to affordable housing
