California Governor Gavin Newsom today announced Homekey grant awards to six new projects that will create 369 homes for Californians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, including several developments focused on young people transitioning to adulthood, and others committed to serving people dealing with chronic homelessness.

“Homekey continues to deliver needed housing faster for Californians struggling with homelessness,” said Governor Newsom. “By utilizing existing facilities including hotels, motels and former office spaces, properties are being quickly transformed into housing — helping to solve the homelessness crisis while creating welcoming places for Californians to call home.”

Today’s $99.9 million in grants will create new affordable housing in the City of Fresno, City and County of Los Angeles, City of Oakland, City of San Diego, and Yuba City. To date, the innovate program has funded 250 projects that will include 15,319 homes, serving more than 167,164 Californians over the projects’ lifetimes.

“The homes created through the Governor’s Homekey initiative will change lives for generations,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss. “Through the projects awarded so far, more than 167,000 vulnerable Californians will be relieved of the burden of housing insecurity, providing them with a solid foundation – and critical services – from which to explore opportunities that once may have seemed out of reach.”

“The evolution of Homekey has inspired creativity among localities and developers to embrace new building models that bring critical affordable housing online more quickly,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “Through Homekey, we are now able to provide the foundation of housing stability to young people entering adulthood without the family support so many take for granted, as demonstrated through several projects today.”

Homekey, administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), originated as Project Roomkey early in the COVID-19 pandemic as an effort to provide shelter to unhoused Californians in a non-congregate setting. While early Homekey projects focused on hotel and motel conversions, projects in the third round of Homekey have included a hospital conversion, new builds, and innovative modular construction models. The program goal remains to rapidly expand availability of affordable housing to help Californians exit or prevent homelessness.

Below are the project specifics for the awards announced today:

• The City of Fresno, in partnership with Fresno Mission Communities Inc., will receive $9,598,131 for the City Studios project, a 34-unit motel acquisition and rehabilitation project that will create permanent housing for youth and other people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• The City of Los Angeles, in partnership with Hope the Mission, will receive $7,158,774 for the Oak Tree Inn project, an acquisition and rehabilitation project that will convert an existing motel to create 22 interim units to serve youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The City of Los Angeles will also fund four additional interim housing congregate units for homeless youth in this site.
• The County of Los Angeles, in partnership with Butterfly’s Haven and 3811 Woodlawn Housing LLC, will receive $9,289,655 for the Butterfly’s Haven – Woodlawn project, which involves the acquisition of a brand-new multifamily building that will create 29 interim units to serve youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• The City of Oakland, in partnership with DignityMoves and Brookfield Oakland Housing LLC, will receive $14,266,000 for the Dignity Village Oakland project, a modular new construction project that will create 41 permanent housing units to serve individuals facing chronic homelessness.
• The San Diego Housing Commission will receive $35,000,000 for the Presidio Palms project, a 163-unit hotel conversion project that will create permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness, and for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Yuba City, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Yuba/Sutter Inc., will receive $24,632,331 for the Merriment Village Apartments project, an 80-unit new construction project that will create permanent housing to serve people experiencing homelessness.

For additional information on the Homekey program and a complete list of awards, please visit: 
Homekey | California Department of Housing and Community Development.

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking with press
 

BCSH Secretary Tomiquia Moss speaking with press
 

HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez speaking with press