In an effort to get people off the streets and shelters during the coronavirus pandemic, the state has moved about 14,200 homeless Californians to hotels and motels since April, Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.
The state has secured more than 15,670 rooms as part of its Project Roomkey initiative, exceeding the goal of 15,000 originally set by the governor. Those rooms are reserved for non-hosted residents who test positive for COVID-19, have been exposed to the virus, or may be more susceptible to the virus due to their age or underlying medical conditions.
“I couldn’t be prouder of an effort in just a few months to get 14,200 people off the streets, out of camps and in units like this,” said Newsom, standing in front of a Pittsburgh motel that currently houses 164 homeless people. .
Sometimes, during his briefing, Newsom would talk about protesters shouting “you don’t care about homeless people” and sounding a loud siren.
About 151,000 Californians were homeless as of last year. Some experts fear that the number will grow in the coming months, as people forced to leave work due to the coronavirus pandemic lose their homes.
Statewide, 85% of rooms reserved for people who don’t have COVID-19 but are more likely to experience severe symptoms if they get it have been filled, Newsom said. In total, 293 hotels and motels have been leased in 52 of California’s 58 counties. And states that include Connecticut and Hawaii are now trying to replicate Project Roomkey, Newsom said.
The California program has rented most hotel and motel rooms since mid-April, but it took some time for counties to fill them. On April 18, of the approximately 11,000 rooms that were ready at the time, only 38% had been filled.
County governments handle the logistics of the program, including renting rooms, moving people, and providing services such as meals. As long as the rooms are home to people who have COVID-19 or are especially vulnerable to the virus (people over 65 or who have compromised immune systems, chronic diseases, or other health problems), the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse governments from the county for 75% of the costs.
Questions remain about what will happen to people living in these hotels and motels once the pandemic ends and tourists return to their rooms.
But the budget Newsom signed on Monday includes $ 550 million to help local governments buy hotels and motels, as well as empty apartment buildings, residential care centers, and small houses, and turn them into long-term homes for the homeless. . Newsom’s budget also includes $ 50 million to help local governments establish services on these newly acquired properties, plus another $ 300 million in general support for homeless residents.
To emphasize the more permanent nature he expects the project to unfold as counties start buying hotels and other buildings, Newsom began referring to his initiative as Project Homekey, rather than Project Roomkey.
The project provides “a sense of permanence,” he said. “A sense of place. An opportunity framework to anchor the progress we’ve made in the midst of this pandemic, and have something very significant to show as it progresses. ”
San José Mayor Sam Liccardo applauded Newsom’s efforts.
“Large California cities feel the crisis of homelessness most acutely,” he wrote in a statement. “In unprecedented and uncertain times, we are grateful for the strong commitment of our elected state leaders to support frontline cities working to end homelessness and human suffering.”
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