Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Greater LA

Greater LA

Why ‘Project Roomkey’ fell so short of its goal to house 15,000 Angelenos experiencing homelessness

As some hotel rooms sit empty, tens of thousands of people live on the streets of Los Angeles. At the beginning of the pandemic, city and county leaders planned to solve the two problems at once.

  • rss
  • Share
By Steve Chiotakis • Sep 22, 2020 • 7m Listen

As some hotel rooms sit empty, tens of thousands of people live on the streets of Los Angeles. At the beginning of the pandemic, city and county leaders planned to solve the two problems at once. They wanted to house 15,000 homeless people in hotel and motel rooms. But months later, “Project Roomkey” is winding down. One location has closed and the rest are expected to close by February. The program peaked with about 4,000 people housed.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Steve Chiotakis

    Afternoon News Anchor

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Anna Scott

    Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

  • KCRW placeholder

    Christian Bordal

    Managing Producer, Greater LA

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jenna Kagel

    Radio producer

    CultureNewsHomelessnessCoronavirusLos Angeles
Back to Greater LA