Project Roomkey closes in Norwalk

NORWALK – The City of Norwalk was informed Wednesday that the Project Roomkey (PRK) site located at the Saddleback Hotel was officially closed.

L.A. County operated program transitioned all the participants out of the Norwalk hotel location to other shelters. The site in Norwalk had been in operation since May 7, 2020.

Project Roomkey was a state-initiated program that temporarily housed people experiencing homelessness who were not COVID-19 positive or symptomatic but were vulnerable to complications associated with the virus.

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency. He cited several government codes that gave him the emergency authority to act. He particularly cited section 8627, which declares that during a state of emergency, the governor has complete authority over all state agencies, the right to exercise police powers, and the ability to issue and enforce orders “as he deems necessary.”

Under standard conditions, taking authority as the governor did, may have resulted in a conflict with other government agencies. However, during a state of emergency, though controversial, it was considered by many within the powers of the governor to exercise such powers.

In April 2020, Los Angeles County targeted the Saddleback Hotel to house homeless residents considered vulnerable to the coronavirus under these powers. The county originally entered into an occupancy agreement with the hotel for a 3-month period, with options to extend during the pandemic, which they did until its closure. This decision to exercise these emergency powers was made with no prior authorization from Norwalk officials.

In response, the Norwalk City Council made several attempts to address these issues with both state and county officials. In April 2020, the City Council voted unanimously to impose a temporary ban to prevent motel conversions for Project Roomkey without prior city approval.

In July 2020, the City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance that required any public agency to consult with the City prior to placing a homeless or COVID-19 facility in Norwalk. As a result, the county sued the city and in April 2020 a judge issued a temporary restraining order directing Norwalk to comply with the state as this program to shelter the homeless during the pandemic outweighed any negative impacts the city may suffer.

The City of Norwalk has always been a willing participant in doing its fair share in its fight against homelessness. “Our city is a leader on implementing solutions for residents experiencing homelessness in our region,” said Mayor Jennifer Perez. “We wanted to ensure that any homeless program operating in our city would provide adequate services and place safety parameters to mitigate any issues that could potentially affect residents in the area.” The city’s own homelessness taskforce has directly contributed to the rapid decrease in the most recent homeless counts by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The City Council made efforts to work directly with the county to ensure the program would not negatively impact Norwalk residents or businesses. The City looks forward to the Saddleback Hotel resuming its operation as a hotel.

Residents interested in obtaining more information can email publicaffairs@norwalkca.gov or call (562) 929-5319.