Neighbors Daylight Conditions At Local Group Home
In Which: Neighbors of a group home complain about lack of City action, I'll be taking a short break, and Updates on things happening this Summer.
Residents At Wits End Over Group Home
Multiple residents spoke at the April 22nd Hayward City Council meeting about an unlicensed group home in their neighborhood. While unlicensed group homes are allowable by State law in any residential area, the residents alleged problematic behavior, including unsafe living conditions, public nudity, and objects thrown at their homes.
Three neighbors spoke about the conditions at a group home on Spring Drive. Multiple residents alleged it was run by either Goldie Homes or Goldie’s Home, though it has been difficult to confirm. There is a website for Goldies Homes, which alleges to run 7 group homes throughout Hayward, but none of the addresses listed are on Spring Drive. Furthermore, each address listed is owned by a different person, trust, or LLC according to City records.
Unlicensed group homes are allowable by State law in any residential area—a fraternity house, for example, would qualify as a group home. However, one neighbor said, “[The] individuals living there appear to need much more care and oversight than they currently receive.” The speakers said that one resident is a sex offender, she had a window broken by a thrown object from the home, and that there have been instances of drug overdoses and deaths.
On top of the effect the living conditions are having on the people living nearby, the neighbors spoke on behalf of the residents themselves. One neighbors said “It is a disservice to the people living in this house who are clearly not receiving the structured care that they need.” Another said, “These homes are serving people with mental health challenges, veterans, parolees.” But the living arrangements are independent, with no oversight. “We’ve reached our limit,” another said.
The neighbors said that they had contacted the City multiple times. “My neighbors and I have exhausted so many avenues,” one said. Another explained that calling the Police was getting nowhere. “I’m really just tired of calling the police and getting no results.”
Evaluating living conditions would usually fall to the Code Enforcement Division, which has been chronically understaffed. On top of that, as was relayed during a previous Council Meeting, Code Enforcement has spent extensive resources policing street vendors at the behest of the Mayor. That enforcement has not only proven ineffective, but has come at the cost following up on hundreds of housing complaints in the last year.
One neighbor relayed that her children said, “The City Councilmembers are going to make the changes for us.” The City Manager said that she would follow up with the residents personally on the matter. Given the budget shortfall, it is unlikely that Code Enforcement will receive any more Staff, but it’s possible that their enforcement priorities may change in the coming months.
What’s Going On At The Herald?
Not much has been going on in public meetings, so I wanted give a small peek behind the curtain. There have been some behind-the-scenes things going on at the Hayward Herald that I wanted to share.
Taking A Short Break
I’ll be taking a short break from reporting for the next week or so. I haven’t taken a day off since January and it’s starting to catch up to me. Luckily, there also hasn’t been much going on at the City recently—at least when it comes to public meetings. I’ve heard some interesting things about the Education City Symposium that happened at CSU East Bay this past Saturday, but I wasn’t able to go.
I plan on posting again next Thursday at the latest, but in the meantime I’ll be working on some long-form stories that I’m hoping to release this Summer. Speaking of which…
The Hayward Night Market
The Hayward Night Market was a People’s Budget Project that brought over 1,000 people to the St. Rose parking lot in District 3—an area that almost never gets big events nearby. And this summer, the Night Market is making a comeback—thanks in part to a substantial grant from the City of Hayward. There will be vendors, and food, and people, and things.
We’re also going to be there! The Hayward Herald will have a booth at the Hayward Night Market on June 28th from 4 to 9:30. Swing by to say hello, ask any questions, or pick up some swag including our first ever print edition.
The Hayward Herald In Print
We’re not at the point where we can print a weekly newspaper—yet, but we’re working on a print edition with some of our most important stories condensed, jazzed up, and available for free to anyone with eyes. We’re not certain what it’s going to look like quite yet, but if you want to find out, swing by our booth at the Hayward Night Market!
If you want to support the print edition, or the Herald in general, I’ve got some news for you.
The Hayward Herald Goes Nonprofit
The Hayward Herald has been an entirely volunteer-run passion project. There are three people on our team, but we’ve always had plans to grow into a more robust newsroom. In order to do that, we want to be able to pay people for their work.
We considered a lot of different structures, from worker-owned co-ops to a regular for-profit model. But after lengthy discussion, and realizing how arduous business taxes are, we decided on a non-profit model so we are primarily funded by and accountable to the residents of Hayward. Media analysts also believe it’s the best option for journalism that serves the public over advertisers.
In an effort to dip our toes in, we’ve become fiscally sponsored by Organize Hayward, a 501(c)3 organization in Hayward that provides fundraising infrastructure and tax-deductible status—I also serve on the Board as the Treasurer. This means we can start asking for donations and subscriptions and use all of that money to grow the Herald, pay contributors, and start becoming the kind of newsroom that Hayward deserves.
If you want to get a head start on supporting us, you can drop a one-time donation. It’s not a subscription—more on that later—and there’s no pressure. But we wanted to put it out there if you wanted to support us ramping up before summer.