Project Homekey 2.0

County of Marin, California sent this bulletin at 04/12/2021 04:13 PM PDT

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Project Homekey – Round 2 

Virtual Community Information Sessions 

  

In July of 2020, the State of California launched a $750 million program called “Project Homekey”-- with the aim of helping local communities acquire hotels, motels, commercial buildings, and other creative housing types to rapidly house people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

 

By December 29, 2020, the program had resulted in the acquisition of 94 projects in California, representing 6,029 units of permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. Marin County received approximately $8.6 million to aid the purchase of 63 new units of permanent supportive housing in San Rafael and Corte Madera (more info about our local effort). 

 

Given the success of Project Homekey, Governor Newsom’s proposed FY 2021-22 budget includes another $750 million allocation for “Project Homekey 2.0”. While this funding has yet to be approved by the Legislature, if the speed of Homekey 1.0 is any indication, approval of this funding and a new call for applications could come as early as May, and Marin County would likely be facing the same expedited timeline of closing on properties as we saw with Project Homekey 1.0. If the funding is approved, we anticipate that the State will issue Notice of Funding Availability for Project HomeKey 2.0 in May or June. 

 

I am sharing this information with you now in hopes that we may begin a process of community engagement. Last year’s Project Homekey was a new initiative, with a challenging timeline, and we want to ensure the community is made aware of the process and the potential for additional permanent supportive housing in Marin. Last year we did not have enough time to conduct the due diligence and public process that was needed in Novato.

 

During the last two weeks of April, the County of Marin and Opening Doors Marin, will co-host a series of 10 virtual community information sessions to: (a) provide background information on the 2020 Project Homekey process, (b) outline the tentative 2021 Homekey 2.0 process and timeline in Marin, and (c) gather community input on the proposed Homekey 2.0 process.  

 

The sessions will not discuss specific potential Homekey sites, but rather general criteria for what would make a feasible site. If you have a potential site in mind, please feel free to share that information with Opening Doors at: info@openingdoorsmarin.org.  

 

The County will issue a Request For Information (RFI) for property owners who are open to selling their property for use as a Homekey site later this month, as well as issue a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for non-profit partners interested in operating and possibly owning the potential Homekey site(s). Information on the RFI and RFQ will be posted to www.MarinCounty.org/HomeKey

 

To sign up for an information session, click your preferred date/time from the list below. All sessions are open to the public and will present the same information. Presenters will answer questions and gather input from the community.

 

 

Please note that this will not be the only opportunity for community engagement and feedback. Assuming the funding is approved at the State, and as we move through the process, additional opportunities and information will be provided and shared.  

 

To learn more about Project Homekey and to subscribe to receive updates, visit the Project Homekey Webpage.   

 

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CAMARIN/bulletins/2cc8887