The Vanllee Hotel has pulled out of Project Roomkey, a Los Angeles County initiative to house homeless individuals during the coronavirus crisis, said Simon Qian, the Vanllee’s general manager.
In a phone interview on Monday, Qian said there were too many revisions to the plan between the county and the Vanllee, ultimately making it economically unfeasible for the hotel. Qian said the original plan was to fill 200 of the hotel’s rooms, but that then dropped to 75.
Covina Mayor Victor Linares couldn’t be more pleased.
“I am beyond excited,” he said by phone Monday. “This was a great victory for the residents. It’s a great testament on how a small community can get together and change the mind of a business owner.”
In response, Sarah Ardalani, an L.A. County spokesperson, said in an emailed statement Project Roomkey will continue to serve homeless individuals in other parts of the county.
“Los Angeles County is disappointed that this Project Roomkey site will not open as anticipated,” her statement reads. “The goal of Project Roomkey is to save lives, prevent the spread of a deadly virus and protect our healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed during a pandemic.
“As L.A. County moves toward reopening, one of the prerequisites is making sure vulnerable people are protected, and that is the goal of Project Roomkey.”
The project’s cancellation comes after weeks of opposition from Covina and West Covina residents. The hotel, at 1211 E. Garvey St., is on the Covina side but close to the city’s mutual border.
On Monday morning, residents protested for the second time against the project, saying the hotel should not be used to house individuals experiencing homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic.
This time, residents protested on the sidewalk in front of the Vanllee as county officials, city leaders and homeless service providers inspected the hotel for safety and operational purposes.
Protesters said Project Roomkey, which specifically houses non-infected who may be at higher risk of contracting coronavirus because of age or medical history, would threaten public safety, especially because the Vanllee is next to a residential area.
Another day, another protest. This time, I’m in Covina again where residents are protesting Project Roomkey, a plan to house homeless individuals who are at risk of COVID-19. Today’s the day LA County inspects the hotel. @SGVTribune pic.twitter.com/Y9zzmlH5IQ
— Pierce Singgih (@piercesinggih) May 4, 2020
“Safety first,” residents chanted as they held homemade signs reading, “no homeless at Vanllee” and “not in my neighborhood.”
While residents were worried the project might bring more crime to the city, L.A. County maintains it protects public safety. In a statement sent to this newsgroup Monday morning, Ardalani said keeping vulnerable homeless individuals housed can help stop the spread of the new coronavirus and flatten the curve.
“Project Roomkey aims to not only protect high-risk individuals, but to also prevent the spread of the deadly virus in our communities and protect the capacity of our fragile hospitals and health care system,” her statement read.
But now that the project is canceled locally, City Manager Chris Marcarello said the city still plans to use the Vanllee for housing but for more health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
In fact, the hotel is already housing health care workers. In March, the hotel signed an agreement with Emanate Health, a health care system that operates three hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley, to put up health care workers who may have come in contact with coronavirus patients.
And in an email sent Monday forwarded to this newsgroup, Emanate Health CEO Robert Curry said if the county and the Vanllee were to move forward with Project Roomkey, Emanate Health would back out of its agreement.
However, Qian said Emanate Health played no role in the Vanllee backing out of Project Roomkey.
In Whittier last week, a similar situation unfolded. There, PIH Health doctors, nurses and health care providers were staying at a DoubleTree, where the county also wanted to house vulnerable homeless individuals. After health care workers protested the plan, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the county would look for a different hotel.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been edited to add Mayor Victor Linares’ comments.
