Category: Project Roomkey

LA City Council Approves $2.9 Million to End Project Roomkey

After two years of Project Roomkey—a temporary emergency housing placement for the homeless in hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic—the Los Angeles City Council is calling for an end to the program. The council voted 11–0 Aug. 26 to approve $2.9 million to pay for closing the city’s remaining Project Roomkey sites along with emergency housing…


Los Angeles Measure to Require Hotels to House Homeless Set for March Ballot

LOS ANGELES—A measure that would require hotels in Los Angeles to place homeless people in vacant rooms and the city to consider its affordable housing needs before approving new hotel developments will appear on the March 2024 ballot. If the measure is approved by voters, the city’s Housing Department would pay hotels a fair market…


Los Angeles Extends Project Roomkey Program

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles is extending its “Project Roomkey” program, which temporarily shelters unhoused people in hotels and motels, for another three months. On March 29, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to authorize $10. 6 million to extend Project Roomkey at the Mayfair Hotel and the L.A. Grand Hotel in Downtown LA, as well…


Los Angeles to Remove Encampment, Fence Off Toriumi Plaza in Little Tokyo

LOS ANGELES—The City of Los Angeles began removing an encampment on March 17 from a Little Tokyo plaza before closing and fencing it off to the public—drawing protests from local homeless advocacy groups, but also an impassioned defense from City Councilman Kevin de León. De León, who represents the plaza area, said Toriumi Plaza, located…


Huntington Beach to Buy Motel to House Homeless

The Huntington Beach city council unanimously voted Dec. 1 to apply for state funding to purchase and convert a motel into long-term housing for the homeless. Through the state’s Project Homekey—a program that converts properties into transitional housing for the homeless—the city plans to purchase a building currently operated by Quality Inn and Suites at 17251…


Few Homeless Encampment Tents Remain as MacArthur Park Officially Closes for Repairs

MacArthur Park in Los Angeles officially shuts down for repairs and maintenance at 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, displacing about 250 homeless people living in the park’s encampments. Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo, who represents District 1, announced the park’s closure last month. During the pandemic, hundreds of unhoused people began camping out at…


California Budgets Record-High $262.6 Billion Spending

Commentary California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law the $262.6 billion budget for 2021-2022, which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2022. About $196.4 billion of the spending will be through the state’s general fund; $93.7 billion will be spent on K-12 and community college education under a minimum spending level stipulation in…