Project Roomkey evaluation indicates positive impact on unhoused Californians

 An independent evaluation conducted on Project Roomkey (PRK), a state-wide emergency housing program established in March 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicates that the program is still proving to be a success. 

In the initial years of COVID-19, Project Roomkey played a pivotal role in providing essential emergency housing and services to an overwhelming 62,000 individuals experiencing homelessness.

The program evaluation conducted by Abt Global found the program's initial goals were successfully achieved. The evaluation also indicated that the longer participants stayed in the Project Roomkey program, the more significant the positive impact was on their lives. Participants were less likely to return to homelessness and more likely to move into permanent housing. 

Abt assessed the program’s outcomes from homeless service system data in three communities — finding the longer people stayed in a PRK site, the less likely they were to exit to homelessness and the more likely they were to find permanent housing. According to data provided by the state’s Department of Social Services, 22% of PRK participants left for permanent housing, while another 11% found temporary housing.

An additional 25% left the program to move into other emergency shelters, while only 4% transitioned to institutional settings such as hospitals, board and care, nursing homes, or substance use treatment facilities.

Only 15% of participants left to an unsheltered setting, while the exit destinations of the remainder of the participants were recorded as unknown.

This highlights the importance of offering long-term support to individuals experiencing homelessness. Housing inequity has been a long standing issue in the Latino community as the National Low Income Housing Coalition's data revealed that although "Hispanics" make up 29% of the poverty population, they only constitute 5% of HUD-assisted households on average. 

This has resulted in many people experiencing homelessness, making it even more crucial to provide emergency housing and continued support to these individuals and families. 

Nichole Fiore, a principal associate at Abt Global said  “Project Roomkey was a game changer in how communities provide emergency housing to people experiencing homelessness across California.” 

The housing equity crisis in California has had a profound impact on various marginalized communities, causing them to face tremendous challenges in finding affordable housing. However, the success of Project Roomkey is setting a new standard for emergency housing, providing a blueprint for other programs to follow.