April is Fair Housing Month, commemorating the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 which made discriminatory housing practices illegal. That was nearly 60 years ago, yet our society still struggles with a housing justice issue of monumental proportions—over 700,000 people across the U.S are unhoused. The housing crisis, economic pressure and a myriad of other factors continue to force people onto the streets and into our urban wildland spaces, including along our urban streams, where they are put in harm’s way as climate change makes flooding more intense. While mainstream discourse acknowledges this humanitarian crisis, efforts to address it are often piecemeal and inadequate. Creative solutions are needed to help people on the path to housing and sustainable livelihoods, while supporting urban stream health.

The CCRCD is a partner on the Resilient and Equitable Urban Stream Corridors Project, which seeks to find these sorely needed solutions. This two year project investigates the intersection of urban streams, the effects of climate change, and residents of streamside encampments. UC Davis researchers, led by Professor Greg Pasternack, have developed a stream classification system for the entire Bay Area, and plan to relate this system to analyses of potential flooding and fish habitat. A team from San Jose State, led by professor Costanza Rampini, has conducted over 200 interviews throughout the Bay Area to develop a holistic understanding of encampment residents and their lives, including why they choose to live in stream corridors.

In seeking creative solutions, the CCRCD will embark on the “Pinole Creek Unhoused Stewards Pilot Project” starting in May 2025. Ten residents of local encampments will take part in an eight-week eco-literacy and habitat restoration workforce development program. Participants will develop knowledge about various ecological and environmental topics and gain hands-on experience implementing a habitat restoration project on Pinole Creek. Three individuals will continue on for a twelve-week work experience program. This program is in partnership with Safe Organized Spaces (SOS) Richmond, an organization that serves unhoused folks  with mobile showers, wellness centers, and an extensive job readiness program. SOS’s continued provision of quality social programming creates an opportunity for a rich collaboration that will serve folks living in encampments through environmental education and workforce development. Participants will develop knowledge and skills that can be leveraged into jobs in habitat restoration or adjacent fields. Our hope is that through further collaboration with other organizations, this project will provide a model for the rest of the Bay Area! In this way, we at the CCRCD are doing our part to provide pathways to housing for our creekside neighbors.