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OPINION: California Should Fund All Pending Homekey Projects to House the Homeless Now

In response to the mounting challenges around homelessness, California launched its Homekey program, allocating funding to local public agencies and community organizations to buy available buildings, which can be used to immediately house people (including dorms and hotels) and use available properties to develop a broad range of housing types for permanent and interim affordable housing. Yet, while there are many excellent projects pending which could house thousands of people – the State so far has left many unfunded.

Published

4 years ago

May 5, 2022

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan

By Rebecca Kaplan

California is facing a housing crisis with housing costs exceeding growth in wages, and inadequate housing supply, particularly for low-income households. In California, approximately 2.5 million low-income households lack adequate affordable housing.

The high cost of housing is a significant contributing factor to California’s homelessness crisis. This causes many challenges, as homelessness has long-term and serious consequences to people’s health and safety. As of the last point-in-time count, California has approximately 161,500 individuals experiencing homelessness, which represents 20% of the total homeless population in the country. This statistic is even more stark given that California’s overall population only represents 12% of the country’s total population.

In response to the mounting challenges around homelessness, California launched its Homekey program, allocating funding to local public agencies and community organizations to buy available buildings, which can be used to immediately house people (including dorms and hotels) and use available properties to develop a broad range of housing types for permanent and interim affordable housing. Yet while there are many excellent projects pending which could house thousands of people – the State so far has left many unfunded. In order to respond to the magnitude of the crisis we face – I introduced a resolution that was heard by the Oakland City Council on April 19. It urges the state to fund all pending Homekey applications.

The rising homeless crisis warrants a substantial and urgent response, commensurate with the magnitude of the crisis. Given that the state is anticipating a $45.7 billion surplus for the 2022–23 fiscal year, and $20.6 billion will be available for discretionary use, my resolution strongly urges the State of California to fund all pending Homekey Applications in order to promptly house people. With multiple pending Homekey applications awaiting awards statewide, a substantial number of individuals could be helped off the streets and into better facilities for a cost that would be a tiny fraction of the State surplus.

The state of California and the City of Oakland, and others, have declared that we are facing a homeless crisis, and lack adequate affordable housing. Oakland has sought to remedy this crisis by dedicating public lands and other resources to providing affordable housing. In that same vein, the City Council in December 2021 and January 2022 adopted resolutions that authorized the City Administrator to jointly apply for, accept, and enter into standard agreements as a local agency partner for funds from the State’s Homekey Program with several projects.

The State Homekey Program is currently in the process of awarding approximately $1.45 billion in grant funding to local public entities to sustain and rapidly expand housing for persons experiencing homelessness or who are at-risk of homelessness. State leaders should immediately increase the amount available now, to fully cover all pending projects (estimated to be a few hundred million more – a tiny fraction of the surplus).

Although the State of California has issued multiple Homekey awards to other jurisdictions, there are many excellent projects, both in Oakland and elsewhere, which have not yet been approved for funding. California needs to fully fund all Homekey projects in Oakland and throughout the state so we can bolster the fight to take people off the streets and give them the security of a home with a key.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.