Yesica Prado

Protesters gathered outside Berkeley’s old city hall building on Sunday to urge the city to open more emergency warming shelters for unhoused residents as intense winter rains and an atmospheric river continue to sweep the city.

Berkeley opened the city’s first Safe Parking lot on Wednesday as part of the Horizon Transitional Village to provide 40 secure parking spots for those living in RVs and other large vehicles for 11 months.

At a Clean California project Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a statewide day of action and an initiative that will allocate $1.1 billion to state and local beautification.

Berkeley’s first 24-hour sheltered space for the unhoused community is opening July 1 in West Berkeley, operated by Dorothy Day House in partnership with Rebuilding Together East Bay-North and the city of Berkeley.

In addition to the increased difficulty of accessing shelter, unhoused individuals and families have been impacted by issues such as an incomplete census due to a delay in Berkeley’s point-in-time count, exclusion from certain programs and a scarcity of basic necessities and resources.

In response to the COVID-19, or the new coronavirus, pandemic, Berkeley City Council approved a recommendation to develop strategies to address the needs of vulnerable populations, including the homeless community, on March 17.

The decision to remove the encampment was initially made by the city manager, but the decision has since been reversed. Instead, K-rails are to be placed to protect the encampment’s residents from vehicles.

Berkeley City Council passed a resolution to provide up to 25 overnight residential vehicle, or RV, parking spots at designated city-owned parking lots at its Feb. 11 meeting.

Somewhere in Berkeley, a mother and daughter are sharing one room with an air mattress. Somewhere else, a single mother lives in a vehicle where she used to live with her son before he was taken away because she was unable to find housing.

The city of Berkeley held a public hearing Wednesday evening at the South Berkeley Senior Center, during which Berkeley community services specialist Rhianna Babka presented initiatives aimed at alleviating Berkeley’s housing crisis and heard community members’ concerns regarding homelessness, among other issues.