Hotels, Motels Get Money For Housing Homeless In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County supervisors Tuesday authorized $5.99 million to pay nearly two dozen hotels and motels countywide that participated in the Project Roomkey program initiated in 2020 to house homeless people facing COVID-19 exposure risks.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the Board of Supervisors directed Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton to honor the voucher program, covering the period May to December 2020.

A total of 23 hotels and motels were listed in county documents, and the largest sum owed is $760,762, which will be distributed to the Quality Inn of Palm Springs. A majority of the hotels/motels were in the Coachella Valley, according to the county list.

While a few hotels/motels near Southwest Riverside County participated in the program, Elsinore Hot Springs & Lodge was the only one on the list in the local region. The business at 316 North Main Street in Lake Elsinore will receive $207,413, according to the county documents.

"The Project Roomkey program enabled vulnerable residents to be housed during coronavirus," according to an EMD statement posted to the board's agenda. "Local hotels and motels also benefited from the program, as they could provide lodging while their businesses were impacted by the public health orders."

Each hotel and motel taking part in the program was required to set flat rates for space provided to Roomkey recipients, most of whom were homeless, according to the EMD.

In some cases, the establishments provided living quarters to those infected and recovering from COVID-19, according to officials.

All the funds paid out to the hotels and motels will be drawn from federal disbursements to the county as part of fiscal relief packages.

— City News Service and Toni McAllister contributed to this report.