Auckland Introduces Tiny 100-Person Village at Troubled Wood Street Encamp

What was once Northern California’s largest homeless encampment on Oakland’s Wood Street is now made up of tiny houses that can accommodate 100 people. But on the other hand, the clearing of the camp continues.

The camp on Wood Street in West Auckland has been a headache for the city of Auckland for many years, mainly due to the large number of large fires that have broken out there, endangering residents as well as drivers on highway overpasses above it. The camp’s population reached 300 in the summer of 2022, when the city decided enough was enough and began clearing it. But forceful tactics and a lack of proper notice, as well as a lack of other shelter, led to a lawsuit in which a judge delayed clearing the camp in July. However, it was only last week that the courts ruled that the city could resume clearing the camp as the city is believed to be abiding by the rule that they offer an alternative shelter.

And some of these alternative hideouts are right here in the premises adjacent to Wood Street. The Chronicle reports that the city of Auckland has opened a tiny cottage community on the site, accommodating up to 100 people. You see a picture of these tiny huts on the site above, and according to the Chronicle, priority will be given to living in them for people still in the camp.

The cockpit project is not yet fully completed. According to a press release from the City of Auckland, “when the shelter program is fully completed, it will consist of 70 cabins for individuals, 12 double cabins for couples (for a total of 24 people) and six cabins for people with disabilities.”

The release adds that “on site there is a toilet, shower and laundry facilities, electricity, a shared kitchen and eating area, limited secure storage for personal items, security, parking and two meals a day. Each cabin includes a secure lockable door and windows, wall mounted heater, overhead light and at least two electrical outlets.”

The city will also offer residents “housing navigation, employment assistance, case management, counseling and other services.”

The Chronicle estimates that around 70 people are still in the remainder of the Wood Street camp and they will be given priority when settling into lodges. But the cabins aren’t all ready yet, and while the town describes the village as “open,” it’s unclear if anyone else has moved in.

The city of Oakland insists they will eventually build a 170-unit affordable housing complex on the site, and they needed to clear the camp to secure state and federal funding for it.

It is the third homeless tiny home village in Auckland and is seen as a good transitional step towards more permanent housing as the process of getting people to services and/or providing permanent housing often takes time. But these complexes are not without their problems. Last March, a fire broke out in a house near Lake Merritt, raising concerns about the materials used for the construction.

Connected: A Caltrans crew crashed a crane into an Amtrak train while trying to clear a camp on Wood Street in Oakland. [SFist]

Image: City of Auckland