More than a dozen hotels and motels around Los Angeles County are making rooms available for homeless residents during the COVID-19 crisis.
County officials say that by early next week, more than 1,340 hotel beds will be available for people living on streets and in shelters.
“This is a massive undertaking,” said County Supervisor Hilda Solis. “We must work together, practice compassion, and utilize every resource that we have available to stop the spread of this virus.”
Heidi Marston, interim director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, says rooms will be reserved for people who are over the age of 65 or suffer from chronic health conditions that could make them more likely to develop a life-threatening case of COVID-19.
In Los Angeles County, nearly 60,000 people experience homelessness on a given night, and a significant fraction are considered “highly vulnerable,” Marston told reporters today. The county eventually aims to make 15,000 rooms available.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said today that 12 homeless residents have so far tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of confirmed cases in the county stands at 7,530.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced earlier this month that the state would work with local governments and hotel owners to arrange temporary lease agreements allowing homeless residents to isolate themselves in vacant rooms. It’s part of an effort dubbed Project Roomkey, in which up to 75 percent of the cost of the rooms will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Hotel occupancy has plummeted since statewide orders went into effect mandating that residents stay at home unless engaged in essential activities.
Rooms are already available in at least six hotels, with a total of 15 expected to open by next week. The first Project Roomkey hotel site in LA opened on Friday.
The county is not releasing the names of the hotels, but available information indicates they are located in neighborhoods throughout the entire Los Angeles area.
On top of the effort to obtain hotel rooms, local officials are also establishing medical shelters for those experiencing symptoms of the virus and working to expand other temporary shelter options.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last month that the city would temporarily convert public recreation centers into shelters with capacity for at least 6,000 residents.
The first 13 locations were supposed to hold 1,600 beds, but in court documents, city attorneys say those sites were only able to accommodate 563 beds—partly because, to prevent the virus from spreading within these shelters, beds are being placed at least six feet apart.
County officials more or less acknowledged today that may not be enough to shield homeless residents most at risk for severe cases of COVID-19 from exposure to the virus.
“We’re really prioritizing individuals for these sites who are unsheltered or who are in shelters and deemed highly vulnerable,” Marston said. “They’ll be better suited to a site where they’re on their own because of their vulnerability.”
Local and state officials have been scrambling since last month to better protect homeless residents from the virus. In March, hundreds of hand-washing stations were installed around camps and makeshift shelters throughout the city. By now, however, many have dried up.
Comments
No, there was no time to build concentration camps in the desert!
Maybe next time homeless haters!
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.08.20 4:41pm
I hope your mom was able to keep her job so that that sofa will continue to be there for you through this hard time. If you need some TP or a can of soup let me know
By Mr Balls on 04.08.20 4:54pm
Correct Mr. Balls. $ean our resident homeless advocate actually does ZERO for the homeless. And his Mom paying taxes doesn’t mean he’s actually contributing to the cause either.
Ma! The Meatloaf! Where’s The Meatloaf?
By Ravid Dyu on 04.08.20 5:53pm
Hey Ravid-The-Narcissist-Thinks-Hes-Better-Than-Everyone, how’s bullying going? Oh, I forgot, you have nothing better to do. Are you homeschooling your kids in Bullying 101? Or are they hopefully all grown and away from your manipulation? out of your paid-too-much-for- house"?
By Homers Home on 04.10.20 10:21am
Drop it…or you’re no different than he is: a pathetic troll.
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.10.20 10:27am
" 1,340 hotel beds" "nearly 60,000 people experience homelessness"
Kind of sounds like we are more than 58,000 beds short. Oh that’s right, they built 10,000, or no is that 7,500…nope, a few hundred beds from HHH money. Let’s get those tents up gents!
By LADude on 04.08.20 11:43pm
LADUDE: Good point. Normally that would sound like a failure. "The first 13 locations were supposed to hold 1,600 beds, but in court documents, city attorneys say those sites were only able to accommodate 563 beds—partly because, to prevent the virus from spreading within these shelters, beds are being placed at least six feet apart." Officials have made a big deal about helping the homeless, which is as necessary as helping senior citizens and others at risk, but "Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said today that 12 homeless residents have so far tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of confirmed cases in the county stands at 7,530." Wow! 12 out of 7,530. Seems like time would be better spent keeping the majority of government workers at home, or maybe targeting virus testing to those that live in substandard housing conditions or those who live in overcrowded housing like Blacks and Latinos, or multifamily dwellings. This crisis is opening up a lot of eyes, but the housing problems were already there before COVID.
By GJJ3000 on 04.09.20 10:16am
It’s clear from the beginning that project roomkey was just an attempt to house the homeless under the disguise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Garcetti and Newsom shamelessly said they would take "not let a good crisis go to waste" on the same day right after each other’s briefing and swore to use federal funding (to push their political motives).
From a program perspective, it’s an absolute failure to keep the homeless safe. Physical distancing is what’s needed and can simply be offered via chalked up squares in empty school lots.
CA has already passed its peak in new COVID-19 cases and is in the decline.
1,000 hotel rooms by next week out of the 15,000 planed hotel rooms ( for 50,000 homeless) is a total joke.
I am fairly sure Newsom/Garcetti are going to make it nearly impossible to put the homeless "temporarily" housed for the pandemic back on the street.
By Constituents on 04.09.20 5:01pm
The rooms aren’t for all the homeless. RIF.
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.09.20 5:04pm
These rooms aren’t for all the homeless. RIF.
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.09.20 1:35pm
The article seems to say that the county is aiming to make 15,000 beds available to the homeless. Maybe I missed something in there.
Also, I’m not sure about the context of your reference to RIF. Does that mean reduction in force?
By LADude on 04.10.20 10:51am
Reading Is Fundamental.
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.10.20 12:02pm
Haha, reading is fundamental. All 15,000 rooms are for the homeless and will be reserved for those over the age of 65 or with chronic health conditions. You see my friend, the city was only able to build a few hundred luxury apartments with the HHH money so there are still about 60,000 homeless in the county, inclusive of 40,000 in the city, and these 15,000 rooms will be reserved for the most vulnerable of the homeless.
By LADude on 04.13.20 10:42am
By LosFeliz$ean on 04.13.20 12:22pm
""We’re really prioritizing individuals for these sites who are unsheltered or who are in shelters and deemed highly vulnerable,"
By LADude on 04.13.20 10:44am
I wonder if there will be a smooth and orderly process of discharging these tenants from their motel rooms when the crisis is over. Not saying they shouldn’t be there, but how does it end?
By metro1 on 04.08.20 6:02pm
Owners just lost their Hotel or Motel. Martha Escudero & The Reclaimers were hired by the homeless and advocates to consult about how to steal properties without repercussions.
San Diego has over 800+ homeless currently housed in their Convention Center. Good job SD!
2 weeks ago the mayor said the LA Convention Center was being converted to a temp "Field Hospital". Is this being used? I can’t find any info. LA Convention Center is owned by the City of Los Angeles so no problems with usage roadblocks.
If Newsom is giving away ventilators to other states what’s the need for this Field Hospital in the second biggest city in the US? Sounds like he has that under control.
Bring the Homeless into safety under the City’s watch and expense. David Ryu help us get this done please. Your district is dying on the streets!
By Ravid Dyu on 04.08.20 6:38pm
It’s funny (and not in the good way) to watch Dems try and resolve the homeless problem that they created. As I’ve pointed out before, the public policy of Dems (who run almost every jurisdiction in this state) tends to favour giving fish vs teaching people to fish. Nevertheless, long before this pandemic, our homeless population should have been compassionately yet forcefully removed from parks and streets, and placed in available spaces like recreation centers and warehouses (anywhere like that which the City can lease, that has heat and some sort of communal shower/bath facilities). They should be provided cots and blankets, and any other assistance that area charities wish to provide. No tents and shopping cart trains on the streets. Why in the world are homeless people put in hotel rooms? And why are we building one bedroom "transitional" housing to many of them? Don’t we realize how many rent-paying members of society can barely afford their studio or one-bedroom apartments? This is all insane. When people become indigent and unable to take care of themselves, they don’t get studio apartments on the taxpayer dime. Nor do they get to choose where they live in the first place, when they’re not paying. We need to stop talking about homeless people as victims. A percentage are, but most are homeless as a result of a series of life choices over time! Euphemisms and lies are not helping.
By cottenhampark on 04.08.20 8:24pm
Right, it’s so great that three African American men can reply to this post but curbed has higher standard which makes no sense if they’re counter the racism that they’re website supports. But still. Who the fuck wants beg bug,s??
By TheCaterer on 04.08.20 11:42pm
Bro, it’s a homeless industrial complex. They need the homeless so they can get money to "spend" on solving the problem, aka giving our money to their friends in the corrupt "non-profits" that build and run the luxury apartments for the homeless that are built by their other friends the corporate developers. The money for the homeless hotel rooms will come from government subsidies which the hotels will gladly take, and then the people who own the hotels will donate to the councilmembers.
By LADude on 04.08.20 11:47pm
Its inevitable tax dollars have and will continue to be misused. At this point I don’t care if the industrial homeless complex takes it. AS LONG AS THEY CLEAR THE PUBLIC STREETS.
I would like to return to some sense of normal/civilized society.
One where!
- I don’t find tweaked out meth heads trespassing on my property to use the hose and bathe.
-My children and wife don’t have to see homeless men fully exposed: pissing, defecating or masturbating on the sidewalk.
- I can walk my kids stroller on the actual sidewalk instead of having to go into a busy street to get by.
-People can buy a bike and not have it stolen.
-Law enforcement actually has the ability to do their job and enforce current laws.
-Sanitation crews are actually allowed to do their job and clean the public areas of the city.
-David Ryu actually helps others in his district who aren’t homeless or rent forgiveness renters.
I don’t think that’s asking too much for the actual taxpayers who fund these complexes.
By Ravid Dyu on 04.09.20 7:50am
What do you do all day, Rabid? Is this it? Sit on every single article and comment? seriously. You live in LA, do you volunteer to help fix it? or just sit on Curbed and whine? Just another deadbeat troll, move to Idaho if you don’t like LA. Don’t let the door…….
By Homers Home on 04.09.20 8:55pm
Well Homers Renter.
My family line has been in Los Angeles for over 80 years.
I own and run a company. I have employees. They are still happily and safely working (with no pay or job cuts) as my business is essential. So I’m helping to support the economy, keeping their families fed and bills paid. Keeping people from having to file for unemployment so others can get their aid faster.
I am a property owner. I pay taxes. I contribute to multiple charitable organizations. I am a husband and father.
You sound like an unemployed, angry, entitled, "rent forgiveness" crying useless waste of space. Sitting in your apartment waiting for your financial handouts. I’m sure you are also a transplant from some other state or city.
By Ravid Dyu on 04.10.20 8:50am
Ass-uming, Ravid, do you honestly think any of what you listed makes you a better human than others? I’m an LA business owner (3rd generation Angeleno) with employees that are still being paid, a husband and father, AND I volunteer to help this city be better.
And I def don’t sit on every Curbed article and whine about all the, in your words: "renters" "low-lifes", "homeless", "deadbeats" "tenants" etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Stop thinking you are better than the rest of LA. You are not, you are just one more entitled human
By Homers Home on 04.10.20 9:42am
Then why are you crying about rent forgiveness ? From above, sounds like you dont fall into that category. You own a business and are still currently employing people. Dont use COVID as an excuse to not pay your bills. Pay your rent pal and do your part to keep the economy’s head above water.
By Ravid Dyu on 04.10.20 1:47pm