ULI Homeless to Housed Case Study: City of Long Beach Best Western

Case Study Summary: Project Homekey is the state's innovative program to purchase and rehabilitate housing, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings, and other properties, and convert them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Local government agencies across the city of Long Beach partnered to realize this project and reached out to developers to help with the rehabilitation of the former Best Western property. The Illumination Foundation provides support services, and the city liaised with the California Department of Housing and Community Development throughout the development and delivery process.

The property provides 102 units that people can come home to; food is provided, privacy and security needs are met, and emergency federal housing vouchers can be applied to help people who are actively looking for an apartment have a safe place to do so. The city believes that Project Homekey grants provide the necessary funds to local governments to address in a swift and effective manner the housing needs of people experiencing homelessness. ---- Interested in ULI's work on addressing homelessness? In 2022, the Terwilliger Center for Housing, with initial funding by philanthropist and entrepreneur Preston Butcher, launched the Homeless to Housed Initiative, which works to explore real estate solutions to the growing crisis impacting communities everywhere.

Learn more about the ULI Homeless to Housed Initiative.