On Thursday, the Newsom Administration announced the next phase of the homeless housing initiative Homekey with the release of $2.75 billion in funds from the 2021 Budget Act. The funding will expand the Homekey program for the purchase and rehabilitation of buildings, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, tiny homes, and other properties, to convert…
Read More »On Tuesday, State Auditor Elaine Howle issued a report, “California Department of Housing and Community Development: It Failed to Expedite Access to Federal Funding to Address the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on California’s Homeless Population.” The auditor’s report comes as part of her office’s classification of the state’s management of certain federal funds related…
Read More »This week, the California State Assembly and Senate held a number of hearings spanning a wide array of subject areas, including COVID-19, homelessness, telehealth, and proposed budget investments. Below, we provide a high-level overview of hearings held this week: Assembly Examines Telehealth Policy in California Post-Pandemic The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday convened an informational…
Read More »On Thursday, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on State Administration and the Assembly Housing and Community Development convened a joint hearing to explore the state’s role in homelessness in California. The hearing featured an overview of state homelessness activities from representatives from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) and the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing…
Read More »This week, the Governor announced that all 94 Homekey projects closed escrow, providing 6,029 housing units for people experiencing homelessness in California. Under the Homekey program, local entities partnered with the state to acquire and rehabilitate various housing types to serve people experiencing homelessness or those at risk of serious illness from COVID-19. A total…
Read More »Late today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized reimbursement for non-congregate shelter, including for Project Roomkey, through the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The state will now no longer be required to submit requests every 30 days to reauthorize reimbursement for providing non-congregate shelter to residents….
Read More »On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s intent to immediately allocate $62 million in one-time funds from the state’s Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account (DREOA) to counties providing housing to current Project Roomkey participants. According to the Administration, funds are being made available to Roomkey sites to ensure clients living in motel or hotel rooms…
Read More »On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom returned to a Yolo County hotel where he launched in April the state’s Project Roomkey initiative to announce the seventh and final round of awards to provide permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. The seventh round of awards total $129.6 million awarded to nine jurisdictions for 17 projects providing…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the fifth round of Homekey awards, the state’s program to assist local governments expand permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Today’s awards total $30.7 million to three applicants for three projects comprising 210 units. Entities receiving funds today include the Yurok Tribe in Humboldt…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced an additional $147 million in awards for Homekey, California’s $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 awards were provided to 12 applicants…
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