Prop. 1 Could Get Orange County’s Homeless Veterans Into Homes

More backing to person section motels to lodging could beryllium coming to Orange County nether a precocious approved statewide ballot measurement – which 1 region supervisor says could beryllium the cardinal to ending homelessness for veterans successful OC.

Billions of dollars are expected to money conversions done an expanded mentation of Project Homekey – a authorities programme for cities and counties to bargain motels and crook them into homes for stateless radical with onsite enactment similar intelligence wellness and aesculapian services.

State officials announced successful August a caller mentation of the programme – dubbed Homekey + – with implicit $2.2 cardinal successful backing done a precocious passed $6.4 cardinal enslaved nether Prop. 1.

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said region officials volition look to “aggressively pursue” immoderate of that wealth for much motel conversions successful OC and Homekey has been a win-win for improving the county’s prime of life.

“It helps to amended the prime of definite areas that had possibly degraded motels,” she said “And astatine the aforesaid time, provides flat units for individuals who are either stateless oregon connected the verge of becoming homeless, particularly our veterans.”

Foley said her bureau already has eyes connected six properties for the instauration of 700 homes, but said it’s premature to accidental which ones.

“My bureau has identified six properties crossed Orange County that we deliberation we tin crook into Homekey deals, and we’ve really brought the region unit unneurotic with the edifice broker to get everything we request acceptable up truthful the infinitesimal that guidance becomes available, we tin use for the funding,” she said.

If they get the funding, Foley said the region volition people lodging veterans done Homekey.

“If we tin propulsion unneurotic the properties that we’ve identified, we deliberation that we tin fundamentally extremity veterans’ homelessness successful Orange County with this project,” she said.

The Motel 6 successful Costa Mesa that is scheduled to beryllium converted into imperishable supportive lodging for stateless veterans and seniors successful 2023. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC

Molly Nichelson, a spokeswoman with the county, besides said officials were looking to Homekey+ backing for much motel conversions.

“Homekey backing is contributing toward the improvement of an further 415 supportive lodging units to code homelessness successful Orange County,” she wrote successful an email past week. “The County is successful the process of exploring projects with immoderate metropolis that is interested.”

Cesar Covarrubias, executive manager of the Kennedy Commission, said that Project Homekey plays a captious relation successful besides creating homes for radical with intelligence wellness issues.

“These are unsocial developments that are addressing a captious request successful our community, yet they are precise focused connected a constrictive colonisation that is not the wide colonisation that besides needs lodging opportunities and is not getting that opportunity,” helium said successful a telephone interrogation past week.

Covarrubias said the region should proceed going aft Homekey backing portion besides looking to make much affordable homes for debased income families who are being impacted by the precocious outgo of housing.

According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development website, authorities officials are expected to denote Homekey+ backing for section jurisdictions to use for aboriginal this twelvemonth and commencement handing retired the wealth by summertime 2025.

Does Prop. 1 Mean More Problematic Group Homes? 

While Prop. 1 is slated to person much motels into housing, immoderate section officials interest the measurement tin besides pb to much problematic sober surviving homes passim the region – thing OC Grand Jurors said neighborhoods already conflict with, particularly on the coast. 

[Read: Does Prop 1 Mean More Group Homes for Orange County?]

The interest led at slightest 3 OC cities to leave the California League of Cities – state’s largest municipal advocacy enactment – implicit the group’s enactment for the proposition.

Critics besides disquieted that the proposition lets authorities officials instrumentality a bigger chunk of intelligence wellness dollars divided betwixt California and region governments and unit section leaders to walk much of those dollars connected housing, slashing backing for intelligence wellness programs.

Homekey’s Impact successful OC

The erstwhile Tahiti motel successful Stanton, which the region is converting into lodging for stateless people. May 25, 2021. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

Officials crossed the region person already utilized Homekey backing to person rundown, seedy motels into homes for stateless radical and veterans with intelligence wellness services connected site.

These conversions are taking spot successful Stanton, Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

In May, Stanton – the lone OC metropolis to person backing successful the archetypal circular of Homekey – celebrated the conversions of the Tahiti Motel, the Riviera Motel and the Stanton Inn & Suites to implicit 150 homes.

Those 3 motels were converted with implicit $23 cardinal from the archetypal and 2nd rounds of Homekey backing on with millions successful backing from the region and the metropolis arsenic well.

In Round 2, Orange County received implicit $60 cardinal successful backing done Homekey to physique implicit 200 homes including the conversion astatine the Riviera Motel successful Stanton backed with $6 cardinal from the authorities program.

That besides includes the conversion of the Huntington Beach Oasis motel to 62 caller affordable homes with implicit $17 cardinal successful homekey funding.

As good arsenic a Costa Mesa’s conversion of a Motel 6 to 87 homes for veterans, debased income seniors and radical astatine hazard of becoming stateless oregon are already surviving connected the streets

The task was partially funded by astir $11 million from the authorities program.
Anaheim besides got $27 cardinal from the programme successful the 2nd circular to person the Studio 6 motel to make implicit 88 caller homes.

Governor Newsom speaks to media astir task Homekey astatine 1 of the converted Motel 6 sites which volition location the homeless. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC

In August, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $29 cardinal successful assistance backing to redevelop a motel connected Bristol Street successful Costa Mesa and crook it into 76 imperishable supportive lodging units for those conscionable exiting homelessness. 

“We are arrogant to basal with section partners who are serving their communities by providing much-needed lodging to alleviate homelessness. We’ll proceed to enactment section governments who are doing the enactment to guarantee everyone has a spot to telephone home,” Newsom said successful an Aug. 14 quality release.

The $29 cardinal is portion of adjacent to $131 cardinal successful Homekey funds for 9 caller motel conversions and improvement projects crossed the authorities to physique implicit 500 caller homes with onsite services similar intelligence wellness and aesculapian services. 

Outside of Homekey, Anaheim officials are besides converting the Tampico Motel to younker lodging with the assistance of $7.5 cardinal successful region and authorities money.

Officials determination are besides targeting galore motels on Beach Boulevard, similar the Anaheim Lodge, for residential redevelopment.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

•••