California Residents Protest Against Project Homekey

NTD Newsroom
By NTD Newsroom
November 25, 2020NTD News Today
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A group called Voice of Milpitas, consisting of residents and volunteers, protested against Project Homekey in Milpitas, California, last weekend.

They were not aware that the city and county were going to convert the Extended Stay America hotel into a homeless shelter.

They voiced their opposition, stating that there is a lack of public engagement for this decision.

“This is a county project. But the way it works is the city has to make an application to request this project, which our city did. And they did that on June 25. If they got that application at that time, they should have been extra careful and at least had some community meetings to make sure that they listen to the feedback of the residents,” said Suraj Viswanathan, candidate for Milpitas City Council.

California’s Project Homekey is an extended statewide effort of Project Roomkey, which houses the homeless in hotels that are empty, due to low tourism from the pandemic.

In October, the City of Milpitas threatened to sue Santa Clara County for deciding to convert the hotel into a homeless shelter without informing the public first.

After public pressure and Governor Gavin Newsom’s criticism, the Milpitas Council withdrew their lawsuit on Nov. 4.

“Homekey is kind of going around all the neighborhoods trying to make a difference, and I get that. I don’t know how successful they’ve been, that’s why we need to find that out too. But I know my experience has not been good when people try to rush things through, not pay attention, not look at the details, and not engage with the families and things like that,” said Demetress Morris, a Milpitas resident.

In total, Project Homekey will cost over $800 million statewide.

Those in opposition to the project will hold another protest this Saturday.

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