Offhand and off-color remarks don't make great government policies.
That's why when Oakland, California's City Council President Rebecca Kaplan casually suggested that housing homeless folks on a cruise ship might be a good idea, people were rightfully perplexed. But now that "some folks with cruise ships" have reached out to Kaplan to collaborate on the ridiculous idea, people should be
downright worried.
Sign the petition and demand that Oakland, CA, allocate its budget for homeless services and affordable housing to real, permanent solutions - on land!Oakland is experiencing one of the worst homelessness crises in the nation. Between 2017 and 2019, the city saw its
homeless population double to 4,071 individuals. The budget for the next two years of homeless relief and affordable housing development is just over $87 million.
Not one penny of this budget should go towards the impermanent, dangerous, and downright ridiculous idea of floating 1,000 homeless individuals into the Port of Oakland. For starters, the Port of Oakland released an official statement insisting that the safety and security issues of such a proposal would make the project insupportable. And even if there were a place to dock this cruise ship, its living quarters would make terrible homes. These ships are designed with tiny living quarters in order to encourage cruise-goers to spend less time in their rooms and more time mingling about the ship.
Estimates suggest that almost a quarter of the homeless population in the United States is suffering from a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder. Given the U.S. current healthcare system's flaws, it is hard enough for an individual with a home, job, and even healthcare to gain access to treatment - consider how unimaginably difficult it is for a homeless person. These people need permanent housing and appropriate mental health care, not to be packed like sardines into tiny quarters.
It is admirable that Rebecca Kaplan wants to find solutions to Oakland's homelessness crisis. But this plan is ludicrous.
The homeless community cannot simply be floated out of sight. They deserve structural solutions to help them thrive in their own city.
Use your voice and tell Rebecca Kaplan and Oakland's City Council to use their budget to build permanent, affordable housing and NOT to buy a cruise ship. Sign the petition today.