California may have to pay $300M for COVID-19 homeless hotel program after FEMA caps reimbursement

By JANIE HAR
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California cities and counties still don’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic program to house homeless people in hotel rooms. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the number of days eligible for reimbursement for hotel stays after June 2021. The news stunned officials who say the policy change will cost them at least $300 million. FEMA said in a statement Tuesday that it will consider the state’s request for reconsideration. A regional administrator for FEMA has said the policy is not new. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Project Roomkey in March 2020.