Precinct Reporter Group News

Top Menu

  • Precinct Reporter News
  • Food
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Read Our E-Edition
  • ADVERTISE
  • Subscribe
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Precinct Reporter News
  • Food
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

logo

Precinct Reporter Group News

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Read Our E-Edition
  • ADVERTISE
  • Subscribe
  • Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center

  • Young Visionaries: Reaching Local Kids and Adults

  • Coronada King Haywood: Dynamic Women in Action Reach Out

  • Toros Win NCAA West; Advance to NCAA Elite Eight

  • Black Women’s History: Celebrating Miracles, Wonders and Struggle

COVID
Home›COVID›Gov. Launches Project Roomkey to Protect Homeless from COVID-19

Gov. Launches Project Roomkey to Protect Homeless from COVID-19

By Precinct Reporter News
April 3, 2020
3249
0
Share:

Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has become the first state in the nation to secure FEMA approval to provide safe isolation capacity for tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness in California in order to protect them and the state from COVID-19.

The state’s effort, Project Roomkey, has set an initial goal of securing up to 15,000 rooms for this purpose and county partners have moved 869 homeless individuals most vulnerable to COVID-19 off the street, out of shelters, and into isolation.

Today’s announcement means state and local governments will receive up to 75 percent cost-share reimbursement from FEMA for hotel and motel rooms, including wraparound supports such as meals, security, and custodial services. Essential behavioral health and health care services will also be provided by the local governments and community partners, as needed.

These emergency protective measures will protect public health by isolating the medically vulnerable, thinning out the shelter population for social distancing, slowing the rate of spread of COVID-19 and, in turn, flattening the curve.

“Homeless Californians are incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19 and often have no option to self-isolate or social distance,” said Governor Newsom. “By helping the most vulnerable homeless individuals off the street and into isolation, California can slow the spread of COVID-19 through homeless populations, lower the number of people infected and protect critical health care resources. We’re working hard with our county partners to get these hotels up and running as rapidly as possible.”

The National Alliance to End Homelessness praised the project.

“Through Project Roomkey, California has taken the lead in protecting homeless residents from COVID-19,” said Alliance president Nan Roman. “This initiative sets a strong national example of how state leaders can leverage their dollars with FEMA, HUD and other federal funds to address the needs of the most vulnerable homeless populations in this crisis and protect public health. The National Alliance to End Homelessness applauds Governor Newsom and the State of California on this innovative commitment.”

California is pioneering a different approach to this emergency by working collaboratively with the hospitality sector with a goal to bring more than 15,000 hotel units online as quickly as possible.

Through this effort, the state will provide dedicated support teams to counties, including assistance in identifying hotels, negotiating and executing operating agreements, and providing the local providers technical assistance in keeping the records necessary to receive federal reimbursement. Local governments are able to utilize the $150 million in emergency homeless aid that Governor Newsom and the Legislature made available to combat COVID-19.

Project Roomkey will target hotels in counties with significant homeless populations that are also experiencing high concentrations of COVID-19 transmission. Local governments to date have secured 6,867 hotel and motel rooms for this purpose.

Every hotel/motel within Project Roomkey will include essential wraparound services, such as custodial, laundry, security and support staff. The Governor also announced a partnership with Chef José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen, which will provide three meals a day to select Project Roomkey hotels through a statewide contract to support local efforts as needed.

To provide safer options during the COVID-19 pandemic, Project Roomkey isolation units serve three critical public health purposes:

  • Prioritize individuals experiencing homelessness who are asymptomatic, but are at high risk, such as people over 65 or who have certain underlying health conditions, and move them into motel or hotel units where they can more safely self-isolate.
  • Provide isolation capacity for individuals experiencing homelessness who have been exposed to COVID-19 (as documented by a state or local public health official, or medical health professional) that do not require hospitalization, but need isolation or quarantine; and
  • Provide isolation capacity for individuals experiencing homelessness who are COVID-19 positive, but who don’t need hospitalization. Without these isolation units, their only choice is to return to a congregate shelter setting or back to an encampment – both of which would lead to further spread of COVID-19.

The local governments are responsible for identifying which shelter clients or encampment residents are selected for these hotel isolation placements and transporting them to the hotels for intake.

The Governor’s ongoing efforts to deploy 1,305 trailers to local governments continues to progress. Trailers, purchased by the state and operated by the local governments, serve the same function as the hotels and complement the efforts of Project Roomkey. The state has purchase orders in place, and executes them and delivers the trailers as local governments provide deployment locations. To date, the state has purchased and deployed 584 trailers. The Governor also announced today the state will receive an additional 28 trailers through philanthropic support in partnership with Homeful, a California-based nonprofit focused on eradicating homelessness.

TagsCOVID 19homelessnessLong Beach Leadermotelsprecinct reporterProject Roomkeytrailerstricounty bulletin
Previous Article

Public Health Recommends Face Coverings During Outings

Next Article

State of Emergency for Black America

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Precinct Reporter News

Related articles More from author

  • Latest PRGNews

    102 Members of Congress Rebuke Delay of Payday Loan Rule

    September 5, 2019
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    David Patrick Era at UCR Set to Begin

    September 17, 2018
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    House Chair Waters: Return Consumer Protection to CFPB

    March 14, 2019
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    S.B. Youth Seek Environmental Justice

    June 23, 2022
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    SoCal Welcomes Kawhi Leonard Back Home

    August 1, 2019
    By Precinct Reporter News
  • Latest PRGNews

    100 Black Men Support Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

    September 26, 2018
    By Precinct Reporter News

You might be interested

  • Latest PRGNews

    Calls for Firing of CFPB Official Who Used N-Word

  • Latest PRGNews

    Sister Cities: Water for Mombasa

  • Latest PRGNews

    St. Paul AME Welcomes New Pastor

Ads

Advertise with us!

Ads

Ads ||

Ads |

ADS III

Find us on Facebook

Ads

Precinct Reporter News Group

Your local news resource for 50 years in the Inland Empire, Orange County, Long Beach and surrounding areas!

To subscribe or advertise, call 909.889.0597

About us

  • Broadcasting & Media Production Company
    357 W. 2nd Street
    San Bernardino, California, CA 92401
  • mailto:sales@precinctreporter.com
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Black and Brown Opportunities for Profit Center

    By Precinct Reporter News
    March 16, 2023
  • Young Visionaries: Reaching Local Kids and Adults

    By Precinct Reporter News
    March 16, 2023
  • Coronada King Haywood: Dynamic Women in Action Reach Out

    By Precinct Reporter News
    March 16, 2023
  • IE/OC Prostate and Breast Cancer, Change the Menu

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015
  • Join our Recipe Competition!

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015
  • SB Budget Cuts CDBG

    SB CDBG Cuts Have Local Nonprofits Braced for the Worst

    By PRGNews
    July 16, 2015

Follow us

© Powered by Hotspotwebsites.net. All rights reserved.