Innovative initiative combines employment, housing support, job training, and case management to create permanent pathways out of homelessness
Mayor Barbara Lee announced on Tuesday a $1 million grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation to launch the Workforce Development and Interim Housing Pilot Project. The initiative combines low-barrier employment with housing support to strengthen Oakland’s homelessness response while cleaning public spaces throughout the city.
Grant funding provides recipients with:
- Part-time paid work focused on citywide sanitation and trash clean up, with pathways to permanent, full-time employment
- One year of interim housing support
- Comprehensive job training and wrap-around supportive services
- Tailored case management designed to transition participants into permanent housing
“This pilot program gives us an essential tool to drive change for all of our neighbors affected by homelessness, including our Black and African American population who are disproportionately impacted,” said Lee…