+ How many people does LAFH Support?

Each year, LA Family Housing serves more than 11,000 people.

+ How specifically is the community supporting LAFH’s COVID-19 efforts?

We’re amazed by and grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, from donating items such as hygiene kits, to monetary donations that help support our response.

+ Do you provide recovery programs to the participants who may need it? Are there intake requirements for housing?

LAFH is a “Housing First,” low-barrier provider, meaning we do not require participation in recovery programs in order for someone to receive services from us. We can connect participants in our interim and permanent housing programs to partner organizations that provide recovery programs, but it is ultimately up to the participant to participate. Evidence suggests that individuals are more likely to recover from substance use disorders when they are not encumbered by trauma-inducing circumstances, such as not knowing where they will sleep at night.

+ How can we, as voters, encourage our political representatives to support Project Roomkey and other housing/homelessness initiatives?

YOU CAN ACT NOW! > SENATE BUDGET HEARING TOMORROW 5/28

Please call or email as many members of the L.A. delegation to the State Senate and Assembly as you can today. Tell them how important it is that they support the L.A. coalition’s homelessness request for the County to make sure we can create permanent housing for our most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness.

Read a summary here.

Here is the full delegation list with numbers and emails for you to use. 

+ Have you noticed a drop in funding the last few months since COVID? How does it look financially for the organization?

We are incredibly appreciative of the generosity of our donors during this time. Due to COVID-19, we were forced to postpone our largest fundraising event of the year, and may not be able to have in-person events for some time. We are also heavily reliant on government funding through Measure H – a sales tax revenue stream for homeless services. There remains some uncertainty about our government funding over the coming year. We have also ramped up our services in response to COVID-19, causing an unanticipated increase in program expenses. Support from our donors is therefore more important than ever before.

+ With the large influx of participants during COVID-19 crisis, other than PPE donations, are you also accepting donations of furniture, clothing, blankets, etc?

While we appreciate the offers, we are not accepting donations of furniture, clothing or blankets at this time.

+ There’s an encampment on my street. How can we get members of your street outreach out there to work with the occupants of these street tents into shelters, temporary housing, transitional housing, and/or permanent housing?

Our outreach teams provide access to supportive services and available housing options to our most vulnerable neighbors. The process of moving from street to home is different for everyone. People living on the street face myriad barriers to housing, including but not limited to high rents, low wages, lack of transportation, missing documents, or poor health - 84% of unsheltered people have pre-existing medical conditions.

The truth is that homes end homelessness. There is simply not enough available and affordable housing or interim housing for all people experiencing homelessness. There are encampments everywhere because that is the only home available to many people right now.

There is some good news!

You can write to your Council Members and encourage them to take proactive measures to address homelessness and housing in your neighborhood.

You can help move encampments by staying connected with your council members and requesting that permanent supportive housing be built for the most vulnerable in our community. Ask them about their plans to build more bridge (temporary) housing in the community. How will they fight to protect renters from falling into homelessness?

This is not an issue that will be resolved quickly, but with time and advocacy, it can be.

+ How many Project Roomkey units are there? What is happening with Project Roomkey units that aren’t being filled?

There are 3,514 Project Roomkey units currently online. To date, 2,646 have been filled, serving 2,967 participants.

L.A. County has filled most of its leased hotel rooms within the first two to three days of them becoming available. LA Family Housing has filled all 450 rooms at our Project Roomkey sites.

Currently, the hotel rooms that have been set aside are being paid for by L.A. County and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). The effort to find and train staff to manage these rooms may require further funding from the federal government perhaps through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has already committed resources to the County. Increased funding would allow coordinators to train greater numbers of new staff, hopefully expediting the move-in process.

For more information about Project Roomkey, visit: COVID-19: Project Roomkey

+ Is anyone eligible for a Project Roomkey hotels?

At the moment, Project Roomkey is being prioritized for people age 65+ or who have an underlying medical condition per CDC guidance. Those who are eligible and would like to apply can connect with their current caseworker about submitting a referral. If someone does not have a caseworker and is unsheltered, he or she can submit a self-referral via LA-HOP.org.

+ What types of supportive services are LAFH offering at the Project Roomkey locations?

Some of the services that LAFH offers are warm meals, housing navigation services, medical testing, employment development, and access to mental health support.

+ How many people have moved into permanent housing from Project Roomkey?

To date, six people have moved on from LAFH operated Roomkey sites into permanent housing. For more information about Project Roomkey, visit: COVID-19: Project Roomkey

+ How long does it take to get test results for the street-testing initiative?

It takes two to three days to get test results.

+ I’m a case worker and have someone who is eligible for Project Roomkey. How do I submit a referral?

To participate in Project Roomkey, clients must be referred to the program by LAHSA. Please contact LAHSA with your request.

+ Does Project Roomkey accept vouchers?

No. In mid-May, Governor Newson took emergency action and authorized $150 million in funding to protect homeless Californians from COVID-19. $50 million was set aside to purchase travel trailers and lease rooms in motels, hotels, and other facilities for immediate shelter for homeless families and individuals. Additionally, the County and LAHSA are using their direct allocations from the Governor’s COVID response Emergency Funding.

+ There is some confusion about the status of the program and issues, given media coverage and comments from electeds and others on the challenges in securing more hotel/motel rooms as well as stories on a significant number of the secured rooms being unoccupied (coverage on the statewide program). Can you please talk about the status and projections for this program?

LA County’s Project Roomkey initiative was designed to run for three months, however with the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 crisis, plans are still being discussed and revised. We will know more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are supporting participants in securing vouchers and employment, getting medical treatment where necessary, and of course, with the ultimate goal: finding permanent housing,

+ Do you find that the people coming into Project Roomkey sites have a lot of medical, psychosocial and personal care needs? If yes, what are some successful strategies you’ve employed to address those needs?

84% of unsheltered people have at least one pre-existing condition, Project Roomkey prioritizes these individuals, as well as older adults who are medically frail and especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

In anticipation of these special needs, L.A.County partnered with trusted service providers, such as LAFH, and homeless advocates to devise a staffing plan for each Project Roomkey site. On-site staff monitor guests’ behavior to ensure program rules are followed, provide daily health and wellness checks of guests, deliver food to client rooms and respond to client needs.

Every Project Roomkey site is staffed 24/7. Staffing at the Project Roomkey sites consists of:

• LA County Fire – Shelter/Site Manager
• Homeless Service Provider – Client Services Managers and Case Manager
• LAHSA staff
• County and City Disaster Service Workers
• Nursing Staff
• 24/7 private security

For more information about Project Roomkey, visit: COVID-19: Project Roomkey

+ What is the plan for helping people transition out of motels - what will happen to them after Project Roomkey?

We’re taking advantage of this opportunity to have so many participants living in one place. Our housing navigators are working diligently to move people into permanent housing as quickly as they can.

+ Could you please talk about housing navigation and how the CES works. The most common question I get asked is HOW do people get into Affordable Housing. What is this “List?” Who has the list ? How does someone know where they are on the list?

There is no list for affordable housing. The CES matches the level of vulnerability to the appropriate housing intervention such as shared housing, permanent supportive housing, or affordable housing units. Case management teams support clients by helping them secure housing vouchers, increase their income, apply for rental assistance, and find housing in the area of their choice - with a price that they can afford in the long term.

+ Do you think that Telehealth would work at your sites?

Some of our program participants use Telehealth.

+ I see empty buildings in Los Angeles -- why can't people from encampments be housed there?

Yes, there are many half-finished commercial and residential properties, empty older buildings and vacant lots located all over our city. However, turning a building into affordable or interim housing depends on ownership, community input, and financial support to bring the building up to code and create a livable space. Unfortunately, bringing those three variables into alignment often takes an incredible amount of time, sometimes stopping the construction process from ever becoming started. Notwithstanding these challenges, LAFH’s Real Estate Development team continues to look for viable sites to construct new affordable housing, and currently has 500+ units in our pipeline.