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Fighting Homelessness in Oakland, One Vacant Lot at a Time

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The belongings of people living on a sidewalk in East Oakland sprawl next to an empty lot on Aug. 24, 2018. Homeless advocate Candice Elder, 34, said vacant properties dot the area. “A lot of properties were vacant when I was growing up, and they are still vacant now,” said Elder, a native of the city.  (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)

Oakland sure has a lot of vacant properties, despite being in the middle of a housing crisis. In November, voters will decide whether the city should tax owners of those properties to help raise millions of dollars for homeless services. But how Measure W defines what ‘vacant’ means isn’t exactly clear.

Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED race and equity reporter

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