In January 2025, the City of Berkeley launched an innovative program to resolve the 2nd Street encampment by combining a low-barrier motel shelter with cash payments for residents’ RVs. Outreach workers built trust and tailored policies—allowing pets, partners, and friends—to boost participation. So far, 36 people and 26 animals have moved into the Capri Motel, and only three RVs remain on site. “The city designed this to really gain people’s trust and to make sure that people were not left worse off than they were when they started,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, calling the program “quite innovative.” BHHI is independently evaluating its impacts to inform future strategies.

A new BHHI report sheds light an oft-misunderstood subpopulation of unhoused people.

BHHI conducted in-depth interviews with 48 people living in their vehicles in Oakland. This report sheds light on the needs and challenges of vehicle residents and provides recommendations on how the city can better serve that population.