Share
Ninety-eight homeless residents in Merced County are now sheltering in hotel rooms in an effort to protect the vulnerable and slow COVID-19’s spread, county officials have announced.
The effort is part of the statewide initiative known as “Project Room Key.”
7,000 California Homeless People Now Sheltered
It is estimated that about 7,000 people statewide have been moved out of shelters, vehicles and rough streets to ride out the pandemic in hotels.
San Francisco, for example, has moved more than 1,000 of its estimated 8,000 homeless into hotels. Nonprofits there even raised money to get rooms for some who couldn’t obtain them.
Merced County Gets $3.5 Million for Homeless Pandemic Response
Merced County has received $3.5 million to address housing, health care, toiletries and food needs for unsheltered individuals who test positive for COVID-19.
In addition, services are available to those who have symptoms and require isolation based on medical advice, and those that are medically vulnerable and highly susceptible to the virus.
“We are taking a multi-agency approach to engaging with unsheltered homeless individuals and identifying those who need services and medical follow-ups due to COVID-19,” said Yvonnia Brown, director of the Merced County Human Services Agency. “These efforts will not only provide much-needed assistance to those individuals, it will also help contain the spread of COVID-19 within the community at large.”
The funding, originally allocated to address homelessness, was made available through a partnership among the Merced County Continuum of Care, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Human Services Agency and funds provided by state and federal COVID-19 response allocations.
How to Reach Health Department
“We are excited about being a part of a program that is providing basic needs for individuals with some of the greatest need,” said Dr. Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp, Director of the Merced County Department of Public Health. “We care about the health and safety of all residents, including the most vulnerable in our community.”
For general information about COVID-19 in Merced County, call the public health department, (209) 381-1180. Information is available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
RELATED TOPICS:
Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?
2 hours ago
Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins
13 hours ago
Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home
14 hours ago
Top Brazilian Judge Orders Suspension of X Platform in Brazil Amid Feud With Musk
1 day ago
How a Real Estate Boom Drove Political Corruption in Los Angeles
1 day ago
![Police officers secure the area and investigate the scene of a shooting at Union Square in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/31184052/piersall-shooting-1024x683.jpg)
49ers Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall Shot in Attempted Union Square Robbery
![Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at an event in anticipation of signing a bill on his proposed oil profit penalty plan in Sacramento on March 28, 2023. (CalMatters/ Miguel Gutierrez Jr.)](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/31175839/newsom-big-oil.webp)
Will Gov. Newsom Call a Special Session to Deal With Gas Prices?
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/16183042/Eagles-vs-49ers.jpg)
Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins
![A black poodle's face with his tongue sticking out](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/29135336/Rescued-from-an-abandoned-home-after-weeks-of-fending-for-himself-Adam-a-shy-but-sweet-poodle-mix-is-now-seeking-a-loving-forever-home.-Mells-Mutts-1024x538.jpg)
Abandoned Poodle Mix Adam Survives the Wild and Seeks a Forever Home
![](https://gvwire.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/28091346/082824-Lede-1024x576.jpg)