The Phoenix, a new 101-unit supportive housing building in West Oakland, is still sitting behind a chain-link fence months after officials cut the ribbon, leaving families and people exiting shelters without the homes they were promised. Outreach workers and neighbors say the structure looks finished but remains locked and empty, and people who were told they were on the tenant list are still living outdoors or in cars while they wait. The lack of answers from developers and city offices has advocates furious, saying the delay is causing real harm to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
Ribbon cutting, then silence
City leaders and project partners held a November ribbon-cutting that officials framed as a major milestone for West Oakland, with Mayor Barbara Lee calling the development a step toward housing justice. The mayor’s office posted a statement celebrating the Phoenix’s opening and its modular construction model, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Hoodline coverage also spotlighted the ceremony and the large murals that now look out over the fenced site in a story on how the Phoenix rises in West Oakland to support low-income families and unhoused residents.
What the project promised
The Phoenix was planned as permanent supportive housing, with roughly 100 units reserved for extremely low-income households and people exiting homelessness, plus on-site services to help tenants stabilize. Developer materials describe it as a 101-unit building along Pine Street in the Prescott neighborhood, with a mix of studios and family units reserved for those most in need, according to EBALDC.
The project’s modular construction approach was billed as a way to deliver deeply affordable homes more quickly, a strategy highlighted in coverage by SF YIMBY.
But it still isn’t open
Despite all of that promise, the building remains closed and empty months after the ceremony, still ringed by fencing and barriers, according to reporting by CBS Bay Area. A contractor told the outlet there is a major dispute over unpaid bills, saying the building is nearly finished but that he planned to file a $2 million lien on the property if he was not paid. City and developer offices did not provide a clear timeline for when move-ins would begin.
Prospective tenants in limbo
People approved for units say they were told to leave shelters and given move-in dates that never materialized. “We’re supposed to be housed,” said Frank Cruz, who told CBS Bay Area he quit his job so his family would qualify and now sleeps in a car with his partner and their 12-year-old. Outreach worker Acee Dunbar said she had been told clients would move in around October, and advocacy groups have called the delay “inhumane.”
Developer partners point to completion
Project partners have pointed back to the November ceremony and described the site as completed and ready for residents. Abode Housing Development and EBALDC both feature the Phoenix on their project pages and note the community and supportive services planned for the building. Abode lists the Phoenix among its completed developments and highlights the site’s intended role in expanding affordable housing in West Oakland, according to Abode and EBALDC.
Why the delay matters
Supportive housing pairs permanent apartments with on-site services, and delays in opening extend people’s exposure to the dangers of homelessness while public dollars sit idle. The Phoenix’s modular construction and neighborhood art were promoted as a fast, community-centered solution when the project was unveiled, but advocates point out that the public benefit only starts once people are actually living inside. Until move-ins begin, the city and its partners will face mounting pressure to explain how a grand opening ended with a locked, empty building…