Gov. Gavin Newsom Says ‘Project Roomkey’ Making Progress

Flanked by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Santa Clara Supervisor Cindy Chavez, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state has made significant progress on its plan to help house homeless individuals during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dubbed “Project Roomkey,” Newsom said the state has recently procured 5,025 rooms in 19 counties in partnership with hotel chain Motel 6. This brings the total amount of rooms available for the homeless to 16,000, above the plan’s intended goal.

The governor said that the rooms will be prioritized for those who have tested positive for coronavirus, who have been living close to individuals who’ve tested positive, the elderly and those with immunocompromised.

Earlier this week, San Francisco’s largest homeless shelter, MSC South Navigation Center, saw a large COVID-19 outbreak. Ninety-five guests and 10 staff have tested positive, which represents nearly 10% of the city’s total cases.

The Motel 6 rooms are being paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to Newsom, since many city governments are struggling with their own budgets.

Newsom, Liccardo and Chavez also suggested that the state could utilize “Project Roomkey” spaces after the COVID-19 pandemic is over to help combat homelessness.

“We should take advantage of this effort and look at the prospect of potentially procuring these sites into the future,” Newsom said. “We have organized, with Motel 6, some language that would allow, beyond this pandemic, to consider these sites as a broader portfolio to provide some permanency to those in need.”