Tell the Council to Turn the Tide & Fund Anti-Displacement Efforts to Prevent Homelessness

TONIGHT, Monday, June 26, you are invited to take a stand for justice in Oakland in a CALL TO ACTION!

The ReFund Coalition is a community-labor coalition which organized to get a just budget approved in Oakland. This fair budget represents the needs of impacted, working-class communities, workers, and in particular Black and other communities of color.  Rally with with us at Oakland City Hall at 4pm to speak in support of a People’s budget.

CALL, TWEET, EMAIL the council members. Sample scripts, emails and tweets below

This week Oakland City Council will decide whether our city’s housing affordability crisis for renters will continue to soar or whether they will act and dedicate funding for anti-displacement efforts.

We want City Council to represent ALL the values of Oakland residents — We call on council members to not approve  the budget until $2 Million more is included to fund anti-displacement and homeless prevention.

Background

In May, in a major omission, the Mayor’s budget did not allocate ANY funds for anti-displacement and homeless prevention services and programs.

None of Oakland’s $1.2 BILLION in the General Funds is being proposed for anti-displacement or homeless services. And, in a classic divide and conquer tactic, the Council President has proposed a budget that pits the needs of tenants facing evictions against homeless residents.  The Council President’s proposed budget only allocates $1.77 million over 2 years, out of a small housing pot, for anti-displacement—much less than the budget proposal from the City of Berkeley, with only 1/4 of Oakland’s population!

Oakland residents identified anti-displacement and homelessness as their top priority in an online survey administered by the mayor – it has been the top issue for the past 3 years in two separate surveys! Yet this administration remains tone-deaf.
 
Tell the council that if they do not include at least $3.77 million in funding to prevent displacement, they are anti-progressive and anti-democratic.

Oakland developed a comprehensive plan for an anti-displacement safety net with proven strategies of coordinated housing counseling, legal services, and emergency housing funds for low-income tenants and elderly homeowners. City quarterly reports showed that INVESTING IN PREVENTION WORKS to keep people in their homes and out of homelessness. But the city is ignoring the plan and leaving our people to be kicked out, then left to live in tents. Our neighbors are being left for dead.

Let’s turn the tide on Oakland’s displacement and homeless epidemic! Tell the Council to invest in preventing more human suffering.  That’s how we’ll build an equitable and inclusive Oakland for All.

CONTACT the Oakland City Council by email, twitter & calls to their office

Council President Larry Reid, District 7, 510.238.7529,
Twitter: .lreid@oaklandnet.com

CM Lynette McElhaney, District 3, 510.238.7003, lmcelhaney@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@lynetteGM

CM Desley Brooks, District 6, 510.238.7006, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@desleyb

CM Dan Kalb, District 1, 510.238.7001, dkalb@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@DanKalb

CM Annie Campbell-Washington, District 4, 510.238.7004, acampbellwashington@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: @annieforoakland

CM Rebecca Kaplan, At Large, 510.238.7308, rkaplan@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@Kaplan4Oakland

CM Abel Guillen, District 2, 510.238.7002, aguillen@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@abel_guillen

CM Noel Gallo, District 5, 510.238.7005, ngallo@oaklandnet.com
Twitter: .@NoelGallo5

 

CALL SCRIPT (priority calls to Annie Campbell-Washington, Noel Gallo & Dan Kalb)

Hello, I want to tell Council Member ________ that I stand behind the ReFund Coalition and funding anti-displacement and homelessness is my top priority for the Oakland budget.

I urge you to not rush through the budget vote tonight until the budget meets the needs of all Oakland residents. Voting tonight on an anti-progressive budget is NOT democratic.

DO NOT approve the budget until it includes 2 million more* necessary to FUND ANTI-DISPLACEMENT AND HOMELESS PREVENTION needs in Oakland.

Thank you,

_________________
your name, district

*Additional to the $1.77M to be used over two years from a small housing pot of funding that is already dedicated to anti-displacement services.

EMAIL SCRIPT (priority emails to Annie Campbell-Washington, Noel Gallo & Dan Kalb)

Hello Council Member ______,

I urge you to NOT APPROVE THE BUDGET UNTIL IT INCLUDES $2 MILLION MORE TO FUND ANTI-DISPLACEMENT AND HOMELESS PREVENTION.
I understand that the Council President has allocated $1.77 for anti-displacement
$1.77 million over 2 years, out of a small housing pot, for anti-displacement but that is not enough. Anti-displacement and homelessness is my top priority for the Oakland budget.

We can PREVENT evictions! 70% of low-income tenants going through legal evictions have no lawyer or other support. We can reach 3,000 tenants who don’t know that they have a right to stay.

Thank you

Tweet samples: (Priority tweets: .@annieforoakland .@DanKalb .@NoelGallo5 )
.@DanKalb  .@NoelGallo5  .@Kaplan4Oakland .@desleyb .@annieforoakland  .@abel_guillen .@lynetteGM

 

.@DanKalb Voting tonight on an anti-progressive budget is NOT democratic. #Preventhomelessness @ReFundOakland

.@NoelGallo5 Voting tonight on an anti-progressive budget is NOT democratic. #Preventhomelessness @ReFundOakland

.@annieforoakland Voting tonight on an anti-progressive budget is NOT democratic. #Preventhomelessness @ReFundOakland

.@DanKalb Represent all Oakland, fund anti-displacement and homeless prevention via the @ReFundOakland Coalition budget platform #OakBudget

.@NoelGallo5 Represent all Oakland, fund anti-displacement and homeless prevention via the @ReFundOakland Coalition budget platform #OakBudget

.@annieforoakland Represent all Oakland, fund anti-displacement and homeless prevention via the @ReFundOakland Coalition budget platform #OakBudget

More tweets

#1 – Do not rush through the budget vote tonight until the budget meets the needs of all Oakland residents. #OakBudget

#2 – Voting tonight on anti-progressive budget is NOT democratic.

#3 –  Represent all Oakland, fund anti-displacement and homeless prevention via the @ReFundOakland Coalition platform

#4  – Do NOT pit the needs of tenants facing evictions against homeless residents, fund the ReFund Coalition budget platform

Hashtags: #FundAntiDisplacement #Preventhomelessness #Oakbudget #Oakmtg #ImwithOakland #ReFundOakland