LA County Explores Using New Federal Guarantee to Expand Project Roomkey

LOS ANGELES — After the Biden Administration announced plans to reimburse 100% of what counties and cities spend on non-congregate shelters, Supervisor Hahn wants to explore expanding LA County’s Project Roomkey program to use empty motel and hotel rooms to get more people indoors during the pandemic.

Project Roomkey was launched in March 2020 as part of the State of California and LA County’s effort to protect vulnerable residents from COVID-19. The program uses hotels and motels as short-term shelters for homeless residents over 65 or with serious health conditions.  Previously, FEMA policy was to reimburse cities and counties for 75% of the costs of the program. On Jan. 21, President Biden issued an executive action increasing the FEMA reimbursement rate, to 100%.  

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Feb. 9, passed a motion authored by Supervisors Hahn and Hilda Solis. The motion directs the LA County CEO and LAHSA to report back to the board in 15 days with opportunities for extending, renewing, or expanding county-contracted Project Roomkey sites. Importantly, the motion specifies including hotels and motels with fewer than 100 rooms which had not been eligible for the program.

Importantly, the Hahn-Solis motion also directs the County’s advocates in Washington, DC to write a letter to the Biden Administration urging them to provide upfront the funding for non-congregate shelters. One obstacle to taking advantage of the FEMA reimbursement is the length of time the County must wait to be reimbursed.  FEMA can take a year or longer to reimburse local entities, straining local budgets. 

Details: www.tinyurl.com/3uotplgm