Oak Street Community Cabins Program
Oak Street Community Cabins (OCC) is one of six outdoor, 24/7 emergency shelters established by the City of Oakland, and offers 38 beds and up to six-months of stay for the houseless. In partnership with Family Bridges staff, OCC residents are able to stabilize from the crisis and stress of living completely outside, and focus on their journey to obtaining permanent housing.
Why Oak Street Community Cabins?
Our Mission. The mission of Family Bridges’ Oak Street Community Cabins is to restore hope and to help the houseless in Oakland Chinatown and the surrounding area secure and maintain stable housing.
Our Story. Family Bridges’ is deeply rooted in Oakland Chinatown and serves the most vulnerable in our community, including houseless individuals living in and around Chinatown. What started in March 2019 as a pilot outreach project with very limited resources and one volunteer developing trusting relationships and distributing 30 meals a week to the houseless, grew to a subcontract for three paid housing navigation staff at Oak Street Community Cabins (OCC). A testament to effective outreach efforts, staff moved 20 individuals who were living at Madison Park and the streets of Chinatown to OCC on opening day in January 2020; within weeks, OCC was fully occupied with 38 residents. Due to COVID-19, daily operations adjusted and resources pivoted. By December 2020, Family Bridges contracted directly with the City of Oakland to fully operate OCC with housing navigation services and 24/7 site management.
Our Future. We hope to secure funding to more fully develop our pilot workforce development program wherein OCC residents contribute to Oakland Chinatown through community-oriented services while gaining skills and experience that can provide them a pathway to stable employment and housing.
Who does OCC Serve?
We serve adult houseless in Oakland, particularly within the Oakland Chinatown and Jack London Square areas.
What services does OCC provide?
Our services are built on the belief that the houseless are to be treated with dignity and respect wherever they are, and to have access to basic needs of food, shelter, and care. We also help with the following but not limited to:
- Obtaining essential documents, e.g. ID, birth certificate, social security card
- Enrolling in Medi-Cal and selecting a health plan and primary care provider
- Applying for benefits and services, e.g. GA, CalFresh, SSI/SSDI, etc.
- Providing housing navigation and support, e.g. application assistance, limited financial assistance
- Preparing for job readiness, e.g. application and resume assistance, connecting to employment and job development opportunities
Where is OCC located?
Family Bridges’ Oak Street Community Cabins is located at 599 Oak Street, Oakland, California at the corner of Oak and 6th Streets.
How do I contact OCC?
For general questions and inquiries, please contact Sakhone Lasaphangthong at [email protected] or call (510) 239-7381.
For monetary donations, please go here
To donate items or food, please pre-arrange by contacting David Le at [email protected] or call (510) 371-4382. Note: OCC has very limited food storage, particularly of perishable items. Pre-arrangement of food donations is imperative to minimize food waste.