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Gov. Newsom gets push back from cities over housing homeless during pandemic

Not all California city officials are on board with Gov. Gavin Newsom's Project Roomkey to house the homeless during coronavirus pandemic.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A new statewide initiative, Project Roomkey, has provided warm beds and hot meals to over 4,000 homeless individuals, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a press conference Saturday.

“I’m pleased today to announce a milestone that 10,974 hotel rooms have been procured. 4,211 individuals are now inside off the street, out of our shelters,” he said.

Newsom said Project Roomkey is proceeding as planned. Homeless individuals will be housed in motels while also being provided three hot meals daily to help keep the most vulnerable healthy during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Newsom also hopes to continue sheltering the homeless in the motels even after the pandemic. 

“We have organized this effort to look at the prospect of potentially accruing these sites into the future. We have organized with Motel 6 some language that would allow this process to take shape, make it much easier beyond this pandemic to potentially consider these sites as a broader portfolio to provide some permanency,” Newsom said.

Newsom expressed frustration regarding Project Roomkey. He said many cities are not doing their part in allowing the resources for the homelessness initiative. 

“Cities are blocking these efforts in a time of crisis. The most vulnerable Californians our streets. Seniors who are just desperate for a key, a lock, a place of their own,” Newsom said.

Locally, Yolo County is one of several counties that have embraced Project Roomkey and will be receiving resources.

“We cannot do this alone as a state. We can build the plane but it’s the counties that fly it. They lead this effort and it’s the cities that need to support this,” Newsom said.

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