Project Homekey builds around Los Angeles are set to get a big boost thanks to some $75 million recently awarded by the state. In all, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the second set of grant awards from the $736 million Round 3 of Homekey, the Administration’s initiative to help jurisdictions rapidly expand availability of housing for individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
Locally, a pair of projects will specifically focus on inter housing for young people experiencing homelessness. In Hollywood, L.A. County is partnering with Covenant House on a project that will transform the old Hollywood Downtowner Motel into 30 interim homes, while in Exposition Park, the County is working with supportive service provider Wellnest on a project.
“Homekey has been critical to creating much-needed housing for people experiencing homelessness and these latest grants will benefit those who are particularly vulnerable,” Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative executive drector Cheri Todoroff in a news release. “By combining Homekey with other state and local funding sources, we’ll be able to provide our young, older, and medically fragile residents a safe place to stay as well as supportive services.”
Through the first two sets of Round 3 awards approved by the California Department of Housing and Community Development this fall, 1,266 homes have been funded, bringing the total of homes funded across three rounds of Homekey to 14,040.
“Homekey continues to demonstrate that we can build quickly, and at a fraction of the usual cost, to deliver much-needed affordable homes for Californians struggling to find a place to live,” said Newsom. “There’s still more work ahead, but the state is taking proactive measures, from implementing accountability standards to offering incentives, to confront this housing crisis head on.”