At a city-owned homeless shelter in downtown Oakland, some rooms haven’t had heat for over three years.
The Henry Robinson Center, on 16th and Clay streets, houses up to 137 formerly homeless people at a time in transitional-housing and medical-respite programs. While some rooms have working heaters, others don’t, leaving those residents frigid when the weather gets cold.
“Last winter, multiple patients were coming here complaining of the same thing—about being cold,” said Marea Zimmerman, a nurse at LifeLong Medical Care’s Trust Health Center, which treats homeless patients, including residents at the Henry. That winter was particularly cold and wet, she noted.
LifeLong staff and residents of the Henry told The Oaklandside that they’re concerned about heading into another winter without heat for a population at higher risk for health problems.
Contacted by The Oaklandside, the city confirmed that the heat has been off in parts of the building, including some residences, for years.
“The city recognizes these conditions must be addressed, and has invested in solutions,” said Oakland spokesperson Sean Maher in an email.
In 2021, city leaders budgeted money to replace the HVAC system at the Henry, and in May 2022, the City Council approved a $768,600 contract with S&H Construction. However, work did not begin until August 2023, Maher said.
“The building requires specialized HVAC equipment known to have long lead times for procurement,” he said. Additionally, “this building is an older structure, and it’s common for capital projects in older buildings to run into issues.” Maher said the Henry’s water system appears to be getting in the way of easy installation.
The Henry Robinson Center is housed in the old Hotel Touraine, which was built in the 1910s and hosted both “transient” and “permanent” guests for $1 or $2 a night, according to old newspaper ads.
Maher told The Oaklandside that the city has organized an “on-site inspection” later this week with the property manager and contractor.
The housing program at the Henry is run by the nonprofit Bay Area Community Services, which receives funding from the city. BACS is also responsible for day-to-day management of the property.
Henry Robinson residents who spoke with The Oaklandside said the lack of heat is uncomfortable.
“I sleep fully clothed,” said a resident who wanted to be identified by her middle name, Cherise. There is a heater in her room, she said, and “sometimes it goes, tink, tink—but nothing comes out.”
Another resident, David Williams, has experienced similar problems in his room.
“You hear it, but it doesn’t come out,” said Williams, who’s lived in the shelter for a year. He said there have been times in the past that the heat has functioned, but not during the cold winters.
Dr. Kevin Critchlow, who works at LifeLong’s Trust center, said cold temperatures can aggravate health issues.
“People with respiratory disease like asthma and COPD can have a variety of triggers leading to exacerbations,” he said in an email. “These include not only allergens, dust, smoke, and indoor air pollution, but also temperature.”
In Oakland, all residences are required to have heat.
Zimmerman, the LifeLong nurse, said the organization has contacted BACS multiple times about patients reporting a lack of heat. Henry residents have also told LifeLong that they’re not permitted to use space heaters even if the heat in their rooms is not working.
“I find all these conditions unacceptable,” said Critchlow. “I am really disappointed the heat isn’t fixed after over a year.”
Nora Daly, BACS’ development director, said the organization handles small repairs but doesn’t have control over major building upgrades.
“BACS staff have been consistently advocating (from direct service staff to senior leadership) to the city of Oakland to get the heating resolved,” Daly said in an email. “BACS does not own the building and cannot do any substantial renovations…even though we strongly believe that residents deserve comfortable space to live.”
She said space heaters are not permitted because they overload the electrical system.
Henry residents said there have been other recent issues at the building, including an elevator that was down for at least several weeks. According to LifeLong providers, residents in the medical-respite program were moved to a different BACS facility in response.
Williams, who uses a wheelchair and lost one of his legs in the past year, said it was a challenge to get up to his room on the third floor when the elevator was broken.
“There’s problems with the heat, water, elevator—it’s an old building,” he said.
However, another resident who does have working heat said her room gets hot—so hot that she always leaves the windows open overnight.