Albany Bulb & Shelter Update: Resistance Event, Rules, First User

Opponents of the City of Albany plan to evict the Albany Bulb encampments are planning a three-day "No Thanks Resistance Festival" beginning Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

Activities at the Bulb include a "solidarity campout," an "Art Walk," and several workshops, including "Direct Action Training," "Towards An Ecological General Strike" and "Labor, the Working Class, and Housing."

More information can be found on Indymedia and the festival's Facebook page.

The city has been planning for several months to remove the longstanding illegal shelters and tents that are currently home to about 50 people on the Bulb. Opponents of the plan have filed two lawsuits against the city and staged a number of protest actions, including a short-lived barricade of rocks across the two dirt roads leading onto the Bulb last week.

The city – seeking to realize its longterm goal of making the Bulb part of McLaughlin Eastshore State Park – has developed as "Transition Plan" that includes offering assistance to Bulb dwellers in finding alternative housing, setting up a temporary homeless shelter that opened last Friday near the Bulb entrance, enforcing the city's no-camping ordinance and removing the encampments.

Temporary homeless shelter

No one stayed at the 30-bed homeless shelter on the first four nights, and one person stayed on Tuesday night, according to City Clerk Nicole Almaguer. No citations for violating the no-camping ordinance had been issued so far, she told Patch this morning, Wednesday.

There have been some complaints and questions about who's eligible to stay at the shelter and reports of people being turned away.

One of the shelter rules posted Friday says, "Priority will be given to people transitioning off the bulb until 6:30 PM. After 6:30 PM, available beds will be provided to others who are homeless in Albany."

Almaguer said that anyone who wishes to check in to the shelter is asked to fill out a form, which includes a question about where the person has been living. For those who indicate they've been living on the Bulb, she said, their information is to be verified in one of three ways:

1. Staff compiled a list of people living at the bulb. This list can be used to help verify when a person is indeed transitioning from the Bulb to the temporary shelter

2. The person can also allow Berkeley Food and Housing Project to verify that the person has been living at the Bulb

3. The person can show their previous campsite to city staff to verify they have been living at the Bulb

ALBANY TEMPORARY TRANSITION SHELTER RULES

• These rules are not intended to be all inclusive; areas not addressed will be addressed by the on-site staff as needed. We ask for considerate, safe behavior from all shelter participants to ensure everybody's safety.
• The shelter doors open for clients at 5:30PM and close at 8:30AM. Priority will be given to people transitioning of the Bulb until 6:30PM. After 6:30PM, available beds will be provided to others who are homeless in Albany.
• Dinner is served between 6:00PM and 7:00PM. Lights are turned off and quiet time must be observed at 10:00PM. Breakfast is served between 7:00AM and 8:00AM. All clients are required to exit the premises at or before closing time.
• Clients must be 18 years or older and sign in at evening arrival and out at morning departure.
• There are no in and out privileges. Should a client leave and not return by 8:00PM, the client will not be admitted in the shelter.
• Personal belongings must be kept to a minimum. Participants may ONLY bring in one bag of personal belongings in the living quarters. Shoes, medications and items of value must be stored in the provided lockers. Additional belongings will be stored in a designated protected and locked area outside the shelter. The shelter will not be responsible for any items that are lost or stolen. Items remaining inside the shelter longer than (7) days by shelter participants after they have left will be considered abandoned. Shelter staff are not permitted to keep money or personal belongings for residents.
• Showers will be open between 8:30PM And 9:30PM. Showers and towels are available for clients' use. Showers may be required by staff.
• Proper attire is required at all times. No bare chests, short shorts etc. Further definition is at the discretion of program staff.
• Staff will work to support and accommodate special needs within the limits of the shelter.
• Pets are permitted in designated enclosures outside the shelter on a first-come first-served basis until capacity is reached. Owner is responsible for picking up after his/her pet.
• No smoking is permitted inside the shelter or within 30 feet of the shelter entrance.
• No visitors are allowed on the premises. 

Participants are expected to treat other participants and staff with courtesy and respect.

The following will be cause for IMMEDIATE EXPULSION from the shelter and any additional action that necessitate police intervention:

o  Alcohol, drugs, or weapons WILL NOT be allowed on shelter property or on person.

o  Physical or verbal violence towards other participants, or staff

o  Lack of cooperation and/or compliance with shelter rules or staff.

o  Theft

o  Sexual harassment, sexual activity and/or inappropriate sexual behavior involving other participants or staff are not permitted in the Shelter or on the property.

For more information on the city's plan for the Albany Bulb and protests by opponents of the eviction, see our list of recent Patch articles and reader posts about the issue:

• News Articles & Community Posts about Albany Bulb