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Nancy Boy Newsom California may have to pay $300M for COVID-19 homeless hotel program after FEMA caps reimbursement
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2020 Election Fraud Bills Coming Due
Feb 14, 2024, 4:45:03 AM2/14/24
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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 after the Federal
Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the
number of days eligible for reimbursement.
State and local officials say they were stunned to learn via an
October letter that FEMA would only pay to house homeless people at
risk of catching COVID-19 for at most 20 days — as opposed to
unlimited — starting June 11, 2021, which is when Gov. Gavin Newsom
rescinded the sweeping stay-at-home order he issued in March 2020.
In response, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services requested
that FEMA reconsider the policy change, saying that it would cost
cities and counties at least $300 million at a time when budgets are
tight and that local governments had relied on assurances that the
federal government would pick up the cost.
Late Tuesday, FEMA said in a statement that it will review
California's Jan. 31 letter, but that all states had been provided
“the same guidance and policy updates throughout the pandemic.”
Newsom announced the hotel housing program — called Project Roomkey
— in March 2020 as part of the state's response to the pandemic.
Homeless advocates heralded it as a novel way to safeguard residents
who could not stay at home to reduce virus transmission. FEMA agreed
to pay 75% of the cost, later increasing that to full reimbursement.
California officials argued to the federal agency that no notice was
provided on the policy change.
Robert J. Fenton, the regional administrator for California who
wrote the October letter, told CalMatters, which was first to report
on the discrepancy last week, that the policy was not new.
“What I’m doing is clarifying the original guidance of the original
policy and providing that back to them,” he told the nonprofit news
organization.
FEMA declined Tuesday to make Fenton available to The Associated
Press for an interview.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for Cal OES, said earlier Tuesday
that inaction by FEMA “would have a chilling effect on the future
trust of local governments and the federal government” in times of
crisis.
https://news.yahoo.com/california-may-pay-300m-covid-022939634.html
how much they'll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom's pandemic
program to house homeless people in hotel rooms after the Federal
Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the
number of days eligible for reimbursement.
State and local officials say they were stunned to learn via an
October letter that FEMA would only pay to house homeless people at
risk of catching COVID-19 for at most 20 days — as opposed to
unlimited — starting June 11, 2021, which is when Gov. Gavin Newsom
rescinded the sweeping stay-at-home order he issued in March 2020.
In response, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services requested
that FEMA reconsider the policy change, saying that it would cost
cities and counties at least $300 million at a time when budgets are
tight and that local governments had relied on assurances that the
federal government would pick up the cost.
Late Tuesday, FEMA said in a statement that it will review
California's Jan. 31 letter, but that all states had been provided
“the same guidance and policy updates throughout the pandemic.”
Newsom announced the hotel housing program — called Project Roomkey
— in March 2020 as part of the state's response to the pandemic.
Homeless advocates heralded it as a novel way to safeguard residents
who could not stay at home to reduce virus transmission. FEMA agreed
to pay 75% of the cost, later increasing that to full reimbursement.
California officials argued to the federal agency that no notice was
provided on the policy change.
Robert J. Fenton, the regional administrator for California who
wrote the October letter, told CalMatters, which was first to report
on the discrepancy last week, that the policy was not new.
“What I’m doing is clarifying the original guidance of the original
policy and providing that back to them,” he told the nonprofit news
organization.
FEMA declined Tuesday to make Fenton available to The Associated
Press for an interview.
Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for Cal OES, said earlier Tuesday
that inaction by FEMA “would have a chilling effect on the future
trust of local governments and the federal government” in times of
crisis.
https://news.yahoo.com/california-may-pay-300m-covid-022939634.html
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