California Democrats say local governments need FEMA housing money – KCRA Sacramento

Dozens of Democrats in Congress from California are calling for the federal government to reimburse local governments for programs that temporarily housed vulnerable, unhoused people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group of 36 Congress members said that the local governments, which include the city of Sacramento, stand to lose more than $300 for housing expenditures they made during the pandemic.(Previous coverage of Project Roomkey in Sacramento County in the video above.)At issue is a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cut off reimbursements for stays beyond 20 days. In a letter to FEMA’s administrator, the lawmakers said that California’s Project Roomkey program provided hotel and motel shelter options that served 62,000 high-risk Californians, and the governments had “reasonably believed” they would be reimbursed for their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and a strain on the health care system. Notification that local governments won’t be fully reimbursed comes “at a time of incredible fiscal strain” for the governments, the letter said.In January 2021 federal reimbursements had been raised from 75% to 100% and made retroactive, the letter said. But on Oct. 16, FEMA’s regional administrator said that the reimbursements would only cover Project Roomkey stays of 20 days or less from June 11, 2021, to May 11, 2023. “This October 2023 policy decision comes long after local governments across our State had already expended significant local resources under Project Roomkey with the full expectation for reimbursement,” the letter said. The lawmakers said that the program was “not a perfect solution for every person” but had been a “vital tool that prevented the mass outbreak of serious illness and death.”A press release from Rep. Adam Schiff’s office said that Sacramento was on the hook for $6.1 million. It also listed these fiscal impacts for other jurisdictions. City and County of San Francisco: $114 million City of Los Angeles: $60 million Sonoma County: $32 million San Diego County: $24-$28 million Ventura County: $22 million Santa Clara County: $15.9 million Santa Cruz County: $9.7 million Contra Costa County: $9.2 million Kings County: Would impact $8 million in pending reimbursements City of Long Beach: $6.2 million Mendocino County: $1.4 million Santa Barbara County: $1 million Marin County: $579,000 City of Oakland: $375,475 Madera County: $200,000

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