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L.A. County considers expanding Project Roomkey

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Project Roomkey was launched in March 2020 as state and county officials sought to find short-term shelters for homeless residents, hoping to keep them safe from the spread of the coronavirus. [Image via LaCounty.gov.]
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to consider expanding its Project Roomkey program now that the Biden administration has increased the federal reimbursement rate to 100%.

Supervisor Janice Hahn suggested taking another look at the plan to house homeless individuals in empty motel and hotel rooms, even as California has rebranded to Project Homekey and focused on more permanent solutions.

“Master leasing hotels and motels through Project Roomkey has been one of the most effective tools we have had to combat homelessness,” Hahn said. “If this new FEMA funding means we can expand this program, get more Project Roomkey sites up and running, and get more people off the streets, we absolutely should. This was the right thing for the Biden administration to do, and we should take full advantage of it.”

Project Roomkey was launched in March 2020 as state and county officials sought to find short-term shelters for homeless residents over 65 or with serious health conditions — hoping to keep them safe from the spread of the coronavirus. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursed 75% of those costs under the Trump administration, but in late January, President Joe Biden issued an executive action to fully reimburse the cost.

The board directed county CEO Fesia Davenport and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to report back in 15 days with opportunities for extending, renewing or expanding county-contracted Project Roomkey sites, including hotels and motels with fewer than 100 rooms which had not been eligible for the program. Supervisor Hilda Solis co-authored the motion. [View it here.]

“The program has served as a beacon of hope, enabling us to immediately bring some of our most vulnerable indoors to protect them from contracting COVID-19 and to set them on a path to permanent housing,” Solis said. “We must continue to use every resource to protect the health and safety of our unhoused neighbors.”

The county will also ask the administration to speed reimbursement, which has typically taken a year or more. The board separately voted to receive and file, without comment, a long-postponed report on progress in providing more affordable housing countywide. According to a summary of that report provided by Davenport and dated June 12, 2020, Los Angeles County needs to add an estimated 509,404 affordable homes to meet demand.

The gap between demand and supply had dropped from 2014 levels by more than 72,000 homes, which reflected both the addition of new affordable units and an overall drop in the number of very low-income renter households, according to the summary. Even so, the small dent in the big shortfall over more than half a decade makes clear just how difficult it will be to solve the problem.

While 8,205 affordable homes were added in 2019, another 8,900 units are at risk of reverting to market rate housing when funding expires. The CEO’s letter highlighted the costs of the pandemic, which had been underway for roughly three months at that point.

“The public health and economic crises created by COVID-19 have resulted in severe revenue loss to the county; therefore, near-term planning will be dependent upon imminent needs and available resources,” Davenport wrote. “Moving forward and looking to the longer term, the county will continue to build upon regional efforts and partnerships to address the affordable housing shortage.”

The expressed goal of the 130-plus page report is to help the board allocate resources across new and existing housing programs. An accompanying presentation from the California Housing Partnership offers detailed data on a wide range of metrics, including the rental cost burden experienced by households by race and over a range of income levels.

About 36% of Black households are “severely cost burdened,” meaning they pay more than 50% of their income for housing. That compares with 29% of white, Latino and Asian households that fall into this severely financially stretched group of households based on 2019 data.

While the numbers are dated, they seem unlikely to have improved over the balance of 2020. For more information on Project Roomkey, visit: https://covid19.lacounty.gov/project-roomkey/.

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72 comments for "L.A. County considers expanding Project Roomkey"

    • That’s democrat Dave for you. Long before President Trump was burn, it’s Marjorie Merriweather Post who bequeathed Mar a Lago its sobriquet.

  2. Things are so bad here in Gavin Newsom’s Mexifornia, even the election-rigging democrats are leaving, for greener red-state pastures.

    • America’s red states aren’t exactly thrilled, their communities overrun by hedonistic, self-important, morally bankrupt California democrats.

      • You are mistaken, those are the Republicans moving out of California. Our most right leaning just appear to be very moderate compared to most states east of us.
        Not to worry more Republicans are ‘fleeing’ this state every day… because they do not understand to win means staying around and sticking to your arguments.

  3. Yes, so true. The CEO of the group that gets reimbursed by FEMA for Project Roomkey is a Trump loyalist and is a member of the elite Mara Lago social circle. Very interesting.

  4. Governor Newsom standing in front of a famous motel chain talking about Project Roomkey is owned by a Republican group, Trump loyalist CEO. Go figure commenters. Maybe you can write this group letting them know how unhappy you are with them contracting out their rooms to a vulnerable segment of our society.

    • Please provide a link or name on this, Claire. I’m sure we’d all be very interested to discuss that tidbit, if accurate.

      • @Stinger… I tried several times to post the name of the group and the motel, but my post was rejected every time. The group owns that famous chain motel (blue with a number), you know, Newsom was standing in front of this location. As I said in another post the CEO is a staunch Trump loyalist and is a member of Mara Lago.

  5. The Blackstone Group owns Motel 6 which is a Trump supporter. Motel 6 provides rooms for the vulnerable during this pandemic. I suggest instead of wasting your time complaining about the filth you experience in any of the motels you stay at, write the owners (Republican owned).

  6. Just another in a long list of reasons why I moved out of California. Vote Democrat,, keep the train wreck going!,, Gavin Newsom for President in 2024!

    • The election rigging Democrats dominate and control everything, here in California. When their democrat policies inevitably fail, it’s back to the democrat politics, back to the democrat conspiracy theories, foisting blame, upon the racist, NAZI, terrorist Republicans. The latest from the democrat party, it was a Republicans conspiracy, luring Governor Newsom to the French Laundry restaurant.

      • Well, Manny, stop being “racist, NAZI, terrorist Republicans” and you won’t have to worry about getting blamed for it… Oh, and you forgot liars, insurrectionists, and a few other similar type descriptions, to your otherwise accurate titles.

        1) Return to objective reality and admit there is a problem within your party.
        2) Clean house in your party to get rid of autocratic and racist/nativist tendencies (aka: trumplicans), starting with your false orange god, Trump.
        3) Return to actually respecting the Constitution over party loyalties.
        4) Restore your plank to something resembling the big tent of the Reagan Era, but keeping honesty in your dealings (Reagan did have a few faults there).

        Start with these things IF you want the Republican party to continue. Don’t do them and your party will fall apart into at least two factions (as is already happening).

    • Bet u still check out your ex’s facebook pages too. If u were so unhappy here why in the world do u keep checking out this site. Doesnt concern u anymore.

  7. Project Roomkey, the Governor and California’s state legislature violate local city and county building and safety code. City and county democrats are sitting on their hands, looking the other way.

    • All those Route 66 motel archetypes we’re never conceived, much less zoned, for government subsidized long-term multiple family residency. By now, those motels are likely uninhabitable.

  9. Isn’t Sierra Highway sort of a Project Turnkey operation anyway? You can rent by the hour. Allegedly.

    • Hallmark indication you’ve inadvertently wound up in a Project Turnkey motel:

      – cigarette burns atop furniture and countertops
      – carpet soaked in urine
      – used condoms stuck to the walls
      – ring around the toilet bowl
      – damp mattress
      – plumbing issues
      – patched holes in the drywall
      – soiled and stained linen
      – looks as though housekeeping maids were overwhelmed, the room too filthy to service the room

  10. If any of you have an issue with motels being trashed or Project Roomkey, take it up with the Republicans that own these motels such as the Blackstone Group; they own Motel 6 and others, and they are Trump loyalists. Funny how stuff works, right?

  11. I urge everyone to watch The Florida Project or any other short documentary in regards to a similar issue Floridians are facing.

  12. Project Room Key launched in March 2020 under Trump administration, with FEMA providing 75% reimbursement.

  15. … the brotha in room 740 would like fresh flowers, a fruit basket, cocktails for two at 5:30, extra set of linen, and the concierge to have his clothing laundered and pressed before 8:00pm, in time for his night on the town –

      • Rent an RV. Do not (NOT) stay at a motel. Teeming with bacteria, risk is too high. Project Turnkey motels are breeding grounds for disease, illness and virus. Bad policy.

          • Claire, please dont bring facts to a debate with Republicans, they just call it fake news when they dont like it remember. Or maybe u remember my personal favorite, don’t believe everything your eyes and ears are telling you.

      • Barbi: If you’re unhappy with the Republican CEO, Trump loyalist contracting with FEMA, why don’t you write him? You can use your computer to see where you can write, and maybe you might accomplish something.

  16. “About 36% of Black households are “severely cost burdened,” meaning they pay more than 50% of their income for housing. That compares with 29% of white, Latino and Asian households that fall into this severely financially stretched group of households based on 2019 data. ”

    How are they “cost burdened” when Section 8 pays the majority of their rent?

    • Wow… what an ignorant comment… I understand why you think the way you do.. because it’s obvious that you have extreme prejudice… but not everyone allows their biases to cloud them to the point of making blanket statements that are obviously not only wrong but show how sadly limited a knowledge they actually possess…

      • You’re calling the person “ignorant”, but you can’t actually refute what they’ve said. The burden is on you to prove them wrong. As of right now, it’s you who is looking like you don’t want to acknowledge some ugly truths, as uncomfortable as they might be?

        • These people vote ladies and gentlemen. Marco, in order for Bill to be correct, all African Americans are on welfare. The burden of proof is on him to prove that statement. Unless u take that at face value and is already true to u. This article has 0 to do with section 8. I think the ugly truth that needs to be faced is that u might be a little more prejudice that u might think due to u subconsciously associating the two.

    • It’s very obvious that you either didn’t read the article or can’t comprehend what you read. How does paying 50% of one’s income equate to Section 8? People like you (racist) often stereotype without any factual proof. Also, Latino and Asian households are often multi-generational and share housing costs.

      • BIack households are “multigenerational” too. Grandma will have the housing voucher and her kids and grandkids will all be living there. There was even a scam where grandparents were turning in their adult children into Social Services who would then come get the grandkids and place them with grandparents so they could then collect extra $$$ as “guardians”.

    • They don’t look cost-burdened when they show up to the Pawn Shops along Sierra Highway after the 1st of the month to buy gold necklaces and rings. “cost burdened” my @$$ ! give me a break.

    • Part of the incentive program for reformed gang members, our section 8 neighbors we had down the street, they’re so happy. They were recently upgraded to a bigger residence, around the corner, with more bedrooms, and a swimming pool. They were also given a brand new Chrysler mini-van. They get everything for free.

  17. This program is such an awesome success! Just look at what it has done to that hotel on Avenue K and 17th Street West, behind IHOP…

    It is little more than a flee bag motel, with cops being called all of the time, junkies, people dumping trash over the wall in the desert, shopping carts everywhere, drug use in the parking lot.

    Yes! By all means…keep funding this disaster !

    • I’ve personally suffered, first-hand, what project Roomkey democrats have done, trashing asunder our California motels. Walking barefoot from my bed to the bathroom, I looked down to discover the carpet was so filthy, I’d tracked mud into the bathtub.

      • What are you talking about? Filthy carpets? Flea bag hotels? Homeless encampments? Trash in the desert? There’s nothing like that down here. In fact, there’s nothing quite like a beautiful ocean sunset viewed from a beach mansion in Laguna.

      • I can empathize. On short notice, I inadvertently booked a Project Roomkey motel for an overnight stay in Inland Empire.

        Seemed like a very nice place. My room appeared clean. Turnaround time between checkout and check-in insufficient to adequately clean up after these people, my mattress reeked of alcohol and body odor.

        Things to lookout for, dead-bank giveaway it’s a Project Roomkey motel:

        1). cigarette butts
        2). opened doors
        3). fold-up chairs outside the rooms
        4). littered parking lot
        5). sun-parched vehicles in disrepair
        6). absence of rental cars in the parking lot
        7). prostitutes
        8). gang-banger black punks leaning over the rail, cat-calling your wives and daughters

        Mission creep issue with the Project Roomkey initiative, more vouchers are being doled out to prostitutes, convicts and welfare recipients, than the homeless.

        • Clean up after these people? I know this much Samuel, you’re no better than those people, even though you think you are better. There are plenty of people that drive rental cars, have a roof over their heads, own more expensive fold-up chairs, have gang-banger attitudes (any skin color), wealthy wives and husbands prostituting themselves, tossing cigarette butts, etc. I think the only difference is you do all this behind closed doors.

        • Do you notice how whenever you post a legitimate experience or concern, they always come back with labels to throw out like “prejudice” “racist”, “bigot” etc.

          Either that, or they’ll say “….but whites/Asians/rich/hispanics do it too”

          Of course, they can never offer any actual proof.

        • Nationalizing California motels, trashing them out, is the lazy democrat’s solution to solving homelessness in America –

        • Probably too difficult for whacked-out democrats to understand, try to avoid walking barefoot in motel rooms. Carpet tends to be so filthy from these homeless people, it turns to mud when you track it into the tub.

      • They urinate on the carpet. Walking barefoot across the room, dirt’s not the only thing you tracked into the shower.

        • Seven, eight, nine people to a room? After a month’s time, so filthy, no housekeeping maid on this planet is properly skilled or sufficiently equipped to turn that room around, for travelers. Skilled crew, top-down renovation, everything in that room replaced, at least a week’s work, cost to the innkeeper, off the top of my head, bout US$15k –

    • It’s an absurd, disgusting policy. Arbitrarily nationalizing motels, the state of California stands in violation of its own commercial building and safety codes. Those motels are environmentally and socially inappropriate for long-term lodgers.

      • … motels and hotels were never conceived, for long-term occupancy.

        Innkeepers are not apartment managers. Sending in the maid to tidy the room, is one thing. A whole ‘nother thing entirely, turning around a furnished apartment for long-term renters — sanitazation, plumbing, paint, new carpet, appliance, cannot be done by a maid, and it cannot be adequately done, in a short 4 hour checkout, check-in time-span.

        No variances in place, regulating long-term sequent occupancy at short-term commercial hotels and motels, the California governor’s and California’s legislature are violating county commercial building and safety codes.

        County and city government democrats, are looking the other way, these motels rooms are turning up filthy; teeming with bacteria; a fertile breeding ground, for disease, illness and virus.

        Which is why, a happy coincidence, the RV business is booming. For what you squander, picking up the motel tab? You could otherwise grant the homeless, a tangible asset –

        • And guess what those RV’s look like now. Bad behavior continues in those RV’s too!
          If these people lived in another country they would be used as organ donors.