A homeless shelter in Oakland called Mandela House is closing on May 29. Its purpose was to get unhoused people into permanent housing. But Residents say they haven’t found housing, and now they’re protesting the program’s closure.
Motel shelter programs like Mandela House are touted as a solution to homelessness in California. The model became popular during the coronavirus pandemic, and since 2020 the state has created thousands of units of transitional housing in old motels.
KALW’s homelessness reporter Alastair Boone speaks with Crosscurrent’s Hana Baba about why programs like this one have such a hard time moving people inside.…