Berkeley La Quinta Will Help Homeless Residents Amid Coronavirus

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin has announced a deal with La Quinta to use an inn to help the city's homeless population during the coronavirus outbreak.

Under the new deal, the La Quinta Inn at 970 University Avenue will give 113 beds to homeless residents living in and around Berkeley. The mayor says giving them these rooms will help keep them of the streets and get them into a safer environment that allows for social distancing.

"Our homeless population is at increased risk of exposure and transmission, and that poses a threat to us all," said Arrequin. "Prior to the pandemic homelessness was a humanitarian crisis that required bold solutions across the region. Coronavirus has amplified that crisis, exposed the service gap, and subjected our most vulnerable populations to risks that are simply unacceptable.”

During the pandemic, the La Quinta Inn will be called North County Safer Ground. It will be made available to any unhoused people living in Alameda county, but preferential treatment will go to those who live in the immediate Berkeley area. The mayors office says they expect the hotel to be occupied in early May.

The development of North County Safer Ground is just the latest of several local moves to help the homeless population. Last week Berkeley offered 46 of its most vulnerable community members accommodations at other hotels.

Berkeley's move builds off of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Project Roomkey: a state-wide initiative urging cities to secure spaces for homeless residents to protect them from the spread of the coronavirus.