On a recent Friday at the Old Oakland Farmers’ Market, one stall kept people lingering for longer than usual among the rows of vendors offering produce and food. At a table decorated with a large zoning map and a wooden outline of Oakland’s skyscrapers, those who stopped weren’t there to buy but to share their opinion about the state of downtown. The Oaklandside is partnering with Oakland North and Oakland Lowdown to examine what’s working well and what isn’t for…
Lunch, haircuts, health tests, even pedicures for unhoused residents at Alameda County resource fair
Donnie Martin’s first stop at Alameda County’s Homeless Resources Fair on Thursday was at a stall that offered haircuts, manicures and other grooming services. He got his feet done. “They needed it,” he said. “They were looking kind of bad.” Martin, a former basketball player and coach, has been living in Crossroads transitional housing for seven months. He is moving into a new apartment in Rockridge this week and came to the event looking for leads on coaching jobs. “It…