LA trying to find 15,000 hotel rooms for homeless at risk from COVID-19

More than a dozen hotels and motels around Los Angeles County are making rooms available for homeless residents during the COVID-19 crisis.

County officials say that by early next week, more than 1,340 hotel beds will be available for people living on streets and in shelters.

“This is a massive undertaking,” said County Supervisor Hilda Solis. “We must work together, practice compassion, and utilize every resource that we have available to stop the spread of this virus.”

Heidi Marston, interim director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, says rooms will be reserved for people who are over the age of 65 or suffer from chronic health conditions that could make them more likely to develop a life-threatening case of COVID-19.

In Los Angeles County, nearly 60,000 people experience homelessness on a given night, and a significant fraction are considered “highly vulnerable,” Marston told reporters today. The county eventually aims to make 15,000 rooms available.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said today that 12 homeless residents have so far tested positive for COVID-19. The total number of confirmed cases in the county stands at 7,530.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced earlier this month that the state would work with local governments and hotel owners to arrange temporary lease agreements allowing homeless residents to isolate themselves in vacant rooms. It’s part of an effort dubbed Project Roomkey, in which up to 75 percent of the cost of the rooms will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Hotel occupancy has plummeted since statewide orders went into effect mandating that residents stay at home unless engaged in essential activities.

Rooms are already available in at least six hotels, with a total of 15 expected to open by next week. The first Project Roomkey hotel site in LA opened on Friday.

The county is not releasing the names of the hotels, but available information indicates they are located in neighborhoods throughout the entire Los Angeles area.

On top of the effort to obtain hotel rooms, local officials are also establishing medical shelters for those experiencing symptoms of the virus and working to expand other temporary shelter options.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last month that the city would temporarily convert public recreation centers into shelters with capacity for at least 6,000 residents.

The first 13 locations were supposed to hold 1,600 beds, but in court documents, city attorneys say those sites were only able to accommodate 563 beds—partly because, to prevent the virus from spreading within these shelters, beds are being placed at least six feet apart.

County officials more or less acknowledged today that may not be enough to shield homeless residents most at risk for severe cases of COVID-19 from exposure to the virus.

“We’re really prioritizing individuals for these sites who are unsheltered or who are in shelters and deemed highly vulnerable,” Marston said. “They’ll be better suited to a site where they’re on their own because of their vulnerability.”

Local and state officials have been scrambling since last month to better protect homeless residents from the virus. In March, hundreds of hand-washing stations were installed around camps and makeshift shelters throughout the city. By now, however, many have dried up.