In an innovative move to address a persistent homelessness issue, the City of Oakland has partnered with a local business owner to erect a barrier of shipping containers at a property located at 4200 Alameda Ave., right next to the High Street Home Depot. 

The project aims to resolve a years-long encampment problem that has plagued the area, despite numerous attempts to clear the land.

Workers began stacking the containers a few days ago. Jeff Alberto, the owner of Oakland Container Services, explained the plan to fortify the area.

"We're lining from the start of the freeway all the way down to the end of the street here. [Each shipping container is] 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and about 6,000 pounds," Alberto said.

The heavy containers will form a sturdy wall around the private lot, preventing RVs and others from returning to the area.

"There's really no dragging it, it's more of like a land anchor," Alberto said.

Alberto, who just recently leased the land from the property owner for his expanding container business, teamed up with the City of Oakland and Caltrans to clear the large encampment, which started last week.

"We'll utilize it as a storage depot. We anticipate having about 250 to 300 containers in here," he explained.

Alberto sees this as a "win-win" situation. He needs the land for his growing business, while the city has been struggling for almost eight years to rid the area of the encampment.

"I put up a fence, a wrought iron fence, and people just ran over it, tear it down like it's no big deal," said Noel Gallo, Oakland's Interim City Council President.

The city has worked with the property owner to clear the encampment at least five times in recent years, but each time, within a couple of weeks, people would return, driving cars to plow over the fences and reoccupy the land. This issue has caused frustration among local businesses and residents, with some threatening to leave the area.

"I'm trying to keep Home Depot here in Oakland due to the job creation that they have," said Gallo, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the businesses in the area.

Taking inspiration from the University of California, Berkeley's use of shipping containers to block access to People's Park during protests, Oakland city leaders are hoping this strategy will succeed where previous efforts have failed. 

Alberto, an Oakland native, has already used the same setup on a neighboring lot for his business.

While neighbors and nearby businesses support the new initiative, they emphasize the need for the city to do more to provide housing for the homeless. Some of the former encampment residents are still awaiting transitional and permanent housing options.

"We don't have nowhere to go. We're looking towards the city for them to come help us find somewhere to go. But since they don't do that, I can even answer that question and tell you where I'm going to go," said Jonniese Dennis, who currently lives in a car.

"I moved my trailer to the next open spot that I can find," said Raymond Hamilton, who is living in an RV.

Councilmember Gallo acknowledged the financial challenges the city faces, citing a significant budget deficit and the lack of funds to provide everyone with permanent housing.

Alberto, understanding the complexities of the situation, remains hopeful about the outcome.

"I appreciate all the support. All I can say is I love my city," said Alberto.

Alberto and the city hope to clear out the two remaining RVs at the site and have all the shipping containers stacked up by Wednesday.

Councilmember Gallo also clarified that the vacant land is not suitable for housing due to its contamination, which would require costly cleanup efforts.

This new approach may help address the immediate issue of the encampment, but the long-term solution for Oakland's homelessness crisis remains uncertain.