California’s home-keying efforts offer stability to angelenos who live on the street. But most of the apartments are not yet permanent

The Willow Tree Inn in Compton looks like any number of motels across Southern California. Flanked by a freeway and drive-through Starbucks, it’s a no-frills, two-story building with rooms overlooking a central courtyard. But the Willow Tree no longer offers overnight accommodation. Instead, it’s part of Homekey, an ambitious nationwide program to convert hotels, motels, and other properties into homes for people affected by homelessness.

Omar Molina, 55, moved to a room at the Willow Tree in May and says he is grateful for the stability it offers. The building provides meals and has an on-site medical practice, case managers, exercise classes, and other services. “I can relax, take a deep breath, and breathe out,” says Molina.

Before coming here, he camped out in a parking lot in the San Fernando Valley for several months. Unlike traditional group accommodation, says Molina, his room at the Willow Tree gives him privacy and a strong sense of security. Still, it’s not a permanent home – at least not yet.

Omar Molina is standing in his room at the Willow Tree Inn in Compton. The government’s home key program has given him shelter in this converted motel, but it’s not long-term. Photo by Saul González.

As of last year, Governor Gavin Newsom has committed $ 846 million to cities and counties as part of Homekey. The communities used the money to buy existing buildings, mostly hotels and motels, that could quickly accommodate residents who were not previously housed. Although the ultimate goal is to convert these properties into permanent housing, many of them will need renovations to meet accessibility standards and other requirements before they can accommodate long-term renters. Buildings like the Willow Tree Inn are now serving as temporary apartments.

The Willow Tree is one of 37 homekey locations in LA County. According to the latest figures from the district from July, all locations together have a total of 2,533 units. At this point, five of these sites were already serving as permanent, supportive accommodation, while 32 were temporary.

According to The People Concern, the nonprofit that runs the site, The Willow Tree will need an estimated $ 14.3 million in renovation to convert its rooms into studio apartments. The county is expected to cover these costs with US dollars from the rescue plan and begin work in April. The renovation can take up to 10 months. If residents like Molina are still there when construction begins, The People Concern will relocate them to other facilities, says John Maceri, CEO of the organization. Other home key locations in LA County are undergoing ongoing renovations through next year.

Even if the rooms are not permanent, the offer of individual living space is currently a great help in drawing people into the house, says Maceri. “People who have lived on the street want the same things that we all want,” he says. “They want privacy, they want dignity, they want a sense of control over their lives.”

Omar Molina agrees.

“Being here means starting over and getting a new chance,” he says. “It gave me a place where I can regroup, rebuild my foundation and basically help myself to be able to help someone else at some point. That is my goal.”

State officials recently opened the application deadline for an additional $ 1.4 billion in home key funding.