ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Among Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top goals in his State of the State address was homelessness.
Those efforts have included Homekey, an initiative with billions behind it to buy permanent long-term housing for California’s homeless population. Orange County announced Wednesday the receipt of $6 million through project Homekey, the second installment of an ongoing series of payments designed to curtail homelessness.
“This is great funding that’s coming from the state and the initiative the governor had,” said second District Supervisor Katrina Foley. “It’s exactly what we need in this moment in time.”
The project is the second of three the county has received money for in the second round of Homekey funding. The county already received $17 million for the Huntington Beach Oasis, which is expected to have 62 units. If the county gets a third, as hoped for, the total rooms will come to 122.
The earnest will to fix one of California’s foremost constituent complaints has been a common refrain, with steady and regular efforts to follow through. Newsom has sued cities who refused to boost low income housing and funneled money to cities and counties to boost programs for homeless locals. In September, he greenlighted another $2.75 billion for Homekey, which the administration expects to contribute to the purchase of hotels, motels and unused apartment buildings to the tune of 14,000 units.
“California is moving with unprecedented speed to house people experiencing homelessness, through Homekey,” Newsom said in a statement at the time. “We are going all in on solutions that work — tackling the homelessness crisis head-on with a constructive, compassionate approach and a focus on serving those with the most acute behavioral health needs. This investment will allow us to build on Homekey’s groundbreaking success — creating more housing, faster and with accountability and efficiency.”
The new money will be spent to acquire the Riviera motel in Stanton. The 21-bedroom motel, located at 11892 Beach Boulevard in Stanton, will need to be rehabbed before it can be used as permanent supportive housing. “We need housing for individuals who can’t make it on their own and need that stabilization,” Foley said.
Nine units will be earmarked for people who fall under the Mental Health Services Act and 10 units will be set aside for veterans.