Golden State Today

An independent report has recently acknowledged the success of Project Roomkey, a state initiative that provided non-congregate shelter options for over 62,000 homeless individuals. The project, launched in response to the pandemic, converted hotels and motels into temporary shelters to protect human life and alleviate strain on the healthcare system.

Governor Gavin Newsom praised the project saying, “Project Roomkey exemplifies what’s possible when government thinks outside the box and acts with urgency. By leveraging existing hotels and motels, the state, in partnership with local jurisdictions, rapidly housed thousands of Californians in need of assistance. Building upon this successful model, the state established Homekey, a nation-leading approach that continues to be utilized today.”

The report was produced by Abt Global and emphasized the significance of Project Roomkey as a cost-effective and timely solution to homelessness. It revealed that more than 62,000 individuals received temporary housing through the program which also provided supportive services such as daily meals, access to healthcare, emotional health support, and housing navigation.

The success of Project Roomkey led to the establishment of Homekey which furthered efforts to provide housing for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Homekey has since funded over 15,000 units of housing by converting hotels, motels, office spaces and other structures at an average cost of $210,000 per unit.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly reflected on the project's impact: “Project Roomkey taught us a great deal and this evaluation helps us focus on what we learned: the urgency created by the COVID-19 pandemic showed us what is possible when we use all the tools at our disposal to work collaboratively."

Launched in 2020 amidst the height of COVID-19 pandemic, Project Roomkey aimed to provide medically vulnerable Californians experiencing homelessness with temporary housing in hotel and motel rooms as an alternative to congregate shelters. The program has also helped California advance on goals related to increasing non-congregate shelter capacity across the state.