San Mateo County announced Friday it has received $16 million in state Homekey funds that will be used to transform a Redwood City hotel into transitional housing, bringing the total of Homekey funding awarded to San Mateo County to $117 million since November 2020.
The state’s Project Homekey program was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic t0 provide counties with financial support to purchase hotels and other properties for use as transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness.
The latest Homekey grant award for $16 million will be use to purchase, rehabilitate and operate the Comfort Inn & Suites at 1818 El Camino Real in Redwood City. The 51-room, centrally located property will feature on-site services providing education, employment, mental healh rehabilitation and medical assistance through County partners Alta Housing and the Mental Health Association of San Mateo County, according to County officials. At tonight’s meeting, the City Council of Redwood City is set to discuss whether to contribute more than $1.3 million toward the project.
In November 2020, the County received $33 million in Homekey funding to purchase the Pacific Inn in Redwood City as a temporary shelter for the unhoused and the TownePlace Suites Hotel in Redwood Shores for permanent senior housing.
In December 2021, the state awarded the County another $68 million in Homekey grants, including a $55.3 million grant toward the construction and operation of the state-of-the-art Navigation Center with 240 units east of Highway 101 in Redwood City, and another $13.5 million to support the purchase, rehabilitation and operation of the Stone Villa Inn, a 44-room in San Mateo, as a temporary shelter.
Photo: Google Maps
