Oakland council member wants to house homeless on cruise ship
OAKLAND, Calif. - A proposal by Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan would house roughly 1,000 people on a cruise ship.
Details are still in the works, but Kaplan told the San Francisco Chronicle that cruise ship companies have contacted her about providing emergency housing.
Kaplan told a council meeting Tuesday that the ship would be brought to the Port of Oakland, but port officials said Wednesday the move would be "untenable."
The Chronicle reports the cruise ship would be at no or low cost to the city, with people paying for rooms on the cruise ship based on their income.
Oakland has seen a nearly 50% increase in its homeless population in the past two years, with an estimated 4,000 people considered homeless.
Kaplan says she mentioned the idea at a previous meeting and hopes to bring the proposal to the city council in January.
She said her idea is part of Oakland's permanent accees to housing or "PATH" plan. The goal is to end homelessness in Oakland within 15 years.