A PLACE TO CALL HOME

TUCKED under a flyover just beyond a graveyard of charred cars and dumped rubbish, lies an unexpected refuge. There’s a collection of beautiful, small structures built from foraged materials.

There’s a hot shower, a fully stocked kitchen and a health clinic. There’s a free “store” offering donated items including clothes and books, and a composting toilet. There are stone-and-gravel paths lined with flowers and vegetable gardens. There’s even an outdoor pizza oven. This little community in West Oakland in California developed over recent months to provide amenities for those living in a nearby homeless encampment.

Residents, business and those without homes all worked together