October 12th, Santa Rosa, CA

Greetings!

Sonoma County received notice this morning of an $11 million award from the State of California to purchase the Azure Hotel for permanent supportive housing for Covid-19 at-risk homeless, previously housed at non-congregate shelters.  A portion of $650 million distributed over the past four weeks, it is intended to secure the housing by December 31st.

Governor Newsom Announces Release of $147 Million in Fourth Round of Homekey Awards

Published: Oct 09, 2020

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$147 million in fourth round of awards provided to 12 applicants for 20 projects totaling 1,109 units

Nearly $600 million in Homekey awards issued to date for communities across the state

Governor also announces $45 million in philanthropic commitments to fund Homekey operating costs

Today’s awards include six projects in the City of Los Angeles totaling 243 units and two projects in the County of Los Angeles totaling 145 units

Sacramento’s Women Escaping a Violent Environment (WEAVE) will provide nine permanent manufactured units and services for women and children escaping unsafe housing situations

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the release of $147 million in the fourth round of awards for Homekey, California’s innovative, nation-leading $600 million program to purchase and rehabilitate housing – including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties – and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The most recent round of Homekey awards were provided to 12 applicants for 20 projects totaling 1,109 units.

The Governor also announced a partnership with Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to developing affordable housing, to distribute $45 million in funding – $20 million from Blue Shield of California and $25 million from Kaiser Permanente – to support operating subsidies for Homekey projects. This funding will provide critical support to local jurisdictions to ensure that those housed through this initiative receive critical services like case management, job training, substance abuse counseling and more.

“Behind every allocation we make for Homekey is the story of a Californian who will no longer have to sleep in a tent, in a car or on the street,” said Governor Newsom. “The partnerships with local leaders and their innovative approaches to homeless solutions are inspiring. From helping victims of domestic violence, to LGBTQ youth, to seniors, we’ve seen bold proposals that help a cross section of Californians struggling to find permanent housing.”

The fourth round of awards includes projects in the following communities:

• The City of Sacramento has been awarded more than $1.5 million for Women Escaping a Violent Environment (WEAVE) to acquire nine permanent manufactured housing units for women and children who are escaping unsafe housing situations, and to provide them with ongoing services.
• The County of Fresno has been awarded $15.3 million to acquire 204 units for its innovative Crossroads Village project, which will provide permanent housing solutions for more than 200 individuals who have been staying in emergency shelter beds.
• Los Angeles County has been awarded $16.1 million for two projects totaling 145 units that will leverage Measure H resources and other state and federal funds to provide supportive services and rental subsidies to residents.
• Orange County has been awarded more than $23 million for two projects totaling 132 units. One project will house those experiencing or at risk of homelessness who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic before being converted to permanent supportive housing. The other will be immediately rehabilitated and rapidly occupied as interim housing, then renovated and converted into permanent supportive housing.
• Ventura County has been awarded more than $11 million for a 70-unit property to house extremely low-income individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It will provide non-congregate sheltering during the COVID-19 pandemic and then transition to permanent supportive housing.
• Marin County has been awarded more than $3.7 million for an 18-unit property that will initially provide interim housing for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, serving those with a pathway to exit to permanent housing through the county’s well-established Coordinated Entry System. The units will be converted to permanent housing over the next three years.
• The City of Los Angeles has been awarded more than $39.5 million for six projects totaling 243 units, including five motels and a multi-family property with more than 40 units. All will be used immediately for interim housing before being converted to permanent housing.
• Nevada County has been awarded nearly $2.8 million to purchase a hotel that will be converted into interim housing for unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness. The project will include a navigation program that will offer immediate safe, service-enriched housing by December 15, 2020.
• The County of Sonoma has been awarded nearly $11 million for a project that will convert a motel in the center of Santa Rosa into interim housing with a path to permanent supportive housing. The site is in close proximity to services and will give priority to transitioning individuals housed at non-congregate shelters who are at risk of COVID-19.
• San Bernardino County has been awarded more than $12 million for two projects that will eventually house nearly 270 people. One of the facilities will house up to 133 people while the other will house up to 135 people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and who have been impacted by COVID-19.
• The City of Salinas has been awarded $9.2 million to acquire a motel that will be converted to interim housing within 30 days and converted to permanent supportive housing in its second year. Salinas has about one-third of Monterey County’s population but almost 50 percent of the county’s homeless population.
• Placer County has been awarded $1.4 million to rehabilitate a 14-unit motel in the Tahoe Basin that will provide housing to individuals experiencing homelessness who have mental health issues. It is within walking distance of several amenities, including social services and food distribution.

“Confronting and ending homelessness is a team effort, demanding attention, resources, and investment from cities, counties, and our state — and I want to thank Governor Newsom for his commitment to this cause across California,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Los Angeles has taken full advantage of Homekey, submitting applications for 16 properties which, if approved, will add hundreds of permanent supportive housing units to our stock and allow us to bring more of our most vulnerable neighbors indoors.”

“I applaud Governor Newsom for his unwavering leadership and investing much needed resources to combat this crisis within a crisis – homelessness amid a pandemic,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “Project Roomkey enabled LA County to bring 4,000 vulnerable people indoors in just months – an unprecedented accomplishment that protected their health and that of the larger community while simultaneously providing a lifeline to struggling businesses. We are ready for the next phase, Homekey. We have eight motels lined up to be converted into affordable apartments with services, a key component of our COVID-19 recovery rehousing plan.”

“With the unwavering support of Governor Newsom, Los Angeles County has taken many actions to reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “Project Roomkey has enabled us to immediately bring some of our most vulnerable unhoused individuals indoors to protect them from contracting the virus and to set them on a path to permanent housing. I remain committed to finding a housing placement for Project Roomkey participants in the County and look forward to working with the other cities and communities to make Project Homekey a successful housing endeavor.”

“Here in Ventura County, we were able to serve over 400 of our most at-risk homeless individuals. On top of that, we were able to transition 80 of those individuals successfully into permanent housing. It just shows that when there’s this commitment community-wide to do this hard work, you can get the results you need,” said Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere. “Homekey is going to help us continue to save lives. We’re going to work with our housing authority and local affordable housing developers to get the projects we need to continue this successful transition from sheltering into permanent housing.”

The three previous awards can be found here:

• September 28, 2020
• September 21, 2020
• September 16, 2020

Building on the success of Project Roomkey, Governor Newsom in July announced the availability of $600 million in funding for Homekey, the next phase in the state’s response protecting Californians experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, following approval by the Legislature as part of the 2020-21 annual state budget. Of that, $550 million will be provided to cities and counties by California’s direct allocation of the federal Coronavirus Aid Relief Funds, with an additional $50 million provided by the state to supplement the acquisition and provide initial operating funds. The Homekey funds are being expended in compliance with federal regulations in response to COVID-19.

HCD began accepting applications for Homekey on July 22, 2020. Additional awards are expected weekly until all $600 million has been awarded. The response from local governments and housing providers was significant – demonstrating the strength of these state-local partnerships. By the application deadline of September 29, a total of 147 applications had been received from 73 entities statewide, with over $1 billion requested.