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Birmingham’s planned Oasis resource center for people experiencing homelessness is facing delays after plans for its original location changed.
The Birmingham City Council approved $850,000 for the Oasis in July, with plans to have the center open by the end of September.
The daytime center is designed to provide basic needs while connecting people experiencing homelessness with services and a path toward housing. Plans for the Oasis include access to food, showers and restrooms, along with help connecting people to service providers.
But the project faced pushback from business owners near its original location, leading to a change in site.
Now, as September comes to an end, the new location is still being prepared.
Artie Gilbert, Director of the Birmingham HEART program, at microphone, during press conference at City Hall. (File, The Birmingham Times)Artie Gilbert, director of operations for Birmingham HEART, said finding the right location has been part of the delay.
“We have to take time to put everything in place,” Gilbert said. “That’s why, if you notice, it kept getting put off, it kept getting put off, and it kept getting put off because we needed to find a location — the right location — because the right location is about the people.”
Gilbert said several things still need to happen before the Oasis can begin serving people, including preparing the ground and sewage system, setting up utilities and security cameras, and making sure police and fire crews can access the site.
He said people could begin seeing development at the site in November, but he did not give a firm opening date.
Urban Alchemy, a company based in San Francisco, is partnering with Birmingham on the Oasis. Some have questioned how a company based across the country plans to make an impact in Birmingham and who will ultimately oversee the project.
Gilbert said Urban Alchemy is there to support the work, but the city is leading it.
“Urban Alchemy from California is not running anything,” Gilbert said. “The mayor and the city of Birmingham is running everything. We are just participants.”
Gilbert said most of the people working on the program will be hired locally, with him being the only person coming from California. He said some of those hired have also experienced homelessness themselves.
Safety has also been part of the conversation surrounding the Oasis.
Gilbert said staff will monitor the site, use security cameras and work with Birmingham police. He said Urban Alchemy has operated similar programs in other cities and expects its presence to reduce problems around the Birmingham site.
“We guarantee that the crime rates will go down. We guarantee that the drug use will go down. We guarantee there will be no tents around,” Gilbert said.
Beyond getting the center open, another question is how Birmingham and its partners will determine whether the Oasis is actually working.
Gilbert said the plan is to look at the number of people experiencing homelessness in areas around Birmingham now and return to those same areas after the Oasis has been operating for a year.
“If it was 50 and in a year if we down to six, I think that’s pretty good,” Gilbert said. “I mean, we’re showing progress.”
The Oasis itself is not permanent housing. The goal is to connect people with resources that can eventually help move them from the street into shelter or permanent housing.
For now, the focus remains on getting the new site ready. And with Gilbert saying the city is leading the project, Birmingham will play a central role in what happens next.
