COLLEGIAN TIMES
36
2021 SPRING-SUMMER
PROJECT ROOMKEY OPENS DOOR TO GET UNHOUSED OFF THE STREET BY JUAN MENDOZA PHOTOS BY FRANK MARTINEZ
VIEWS OF DOWNTOWN L.A. HIGH-RISES AND PANORAMAS OF THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS SEEM LIKE POSH SHELTER FOR HIGH-RISK HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS. BUT A PLACE TO LAY THEIR HEAD IS OFTEN JUST THE BEGINNING OF A LAUNDRY LIST OF ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.
(Left) Shelter: At-risk homeless individuals receive shelter at the historic Mayfair Hotel to decrease their chances of contracting COVID-19 on the streets. In April, the 15-story-hotel filled with homeless clients. (Right) Signs of Life: Clients from Project Roomkey congregate on a corner near Seventh Street in downtown L.A. Residents who have been vaccinated say they feel comfortable enough to meet outdoors and chat with friends. (Bottom) Neo-classical architecture: New owners renovated the Mayfair Hotel in 2014. It retains its art deco flair.
D
oors opened at the Mayfair Hotel in 1926 and attracted glamorous Hollywood musicians, artists, writers and performers to the dramatic public rooms. The property faded over the decades, but new owners began a renovation of the historic 15-story hotel in 2014. In March of 2020, a housing shortage exacerbated by the pandemic, forced the hand of city and state officials. The Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA), partnered with the City of Los Angeles, the County Health Department and Public Health Services, mental health and federal partners to start Project Roomkey. Now, the Mayfair Hotel welcomes a different type of longerterm guest. “Marco” has called the renovated hotel home since last Thanksgiving. He stands on the street outside the building, like many guests during the day. In addition to the room, “Marco” receives three hot meals a day. He says he is satisfied with that. “Before, I was in a homeless shelter on Broadway and Main Street in Downtown L.A.,” he said. In the middle of the conversation, a woman walked out of the Mayfair. She approached “Marco,” grabbed him by the arm and led him inside the building. ‘It’s my nurse,” he said. The state program has helped 10% of all
homeless in California during the pandemic. But the homeless need more than a room. Training, new skills and access to social services help the unhoused to re-enter society. The purpose of Project Roomkey is to help the most vulnerable homeless populations at risk for coronavirus infections, like seniors and people with disabilities and mental health issues. The candidates for the program are the homeless who are found in the most critical conditions or considered a high risk for COVID-19, like seniors, people with disabilities or mental health issues. “The threat of COVID finally led the state and federal governments to do something,” said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti recently during his State of the City address. “I’ve been banging the table about it for a long time. Treat it like an emergency.” Garcetti says the program has helped thousands of the most vulnerable Angelenos find temporary shelter in trailers, motels and hotels. The Mayfair is just one of many Los Angeles hotels whose owners signed up for the program to help mitigate the housing shortage during the pandemic. Hotels experienced a high cancellation rate in the first six months of the pandemic, so Project Roomkey looked like a win-win situation for both parties. One of the safety procedures of the hotel does not allow residents to congregate inside the building.
