Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Jan. 18, boasted about California’s progress to convert hotels and other buildings into housing for those at-risk of homelessness, with more than 9,000 units having been converted since a statewide program began three years ago.
The governor, at the site of a former motel turned permanent supportive housing in Costa Mesa, said it’s an initiative that’s proven to work to help address the homeless crisis, and called on voters in March to support Proposition 1.
“This is unprecedented in California’s history,” Newsom said. “We’ve never invested at this scale, at this level. We’ve never invested with the kind of intentionality to address the crisis that persists, not just here in Orange County, but throughout the state of California, and increasingly all across the United States.”
The state created the program called Homekey three years ago during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Homekey is one way the state is trying to confront the homelessness crisis by funding conversions that come with a far lower price tag than building new housing. The money from the state is typically combined with other funding sources to buy the buildings and renovate them for people to live in.
Newsom said the program had $3.5 billion in funding, but only a few million dollars remain after the state has backed 15,009 housing unit conversions, of which 9,000 are complete.
“This is the kind of momentum and scale that is required to address this crisis and to fundamentally make the dent that the taxpayers of California expect and deserve,” he said.
Proposition 1 would boost funding for Homekey by $2 billion, with over half of that set aside for veterans.
The governor delivered his remarks in Costa Mesa at the site of a former Motel 6. The state last year gave the county $10 million to help fund converting the site’s 88 units into permanent supportive housing, many of which are dedicated to housing veterans.
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