In addition to profound health and mortality risks for people experiencing homelessness, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted services and compounded pre-existing hardships. California’s signature programs responding to the pandemic, Project Roomkey and Homekey, substantially and quickly expanded capacity for sheltering and housing people experiencing homelessness. However, localities participated in the two programs very differently, making their impacts varied between regions. Drawing on a mixture of data from across the state, I examine how local implementation of these programs varied by the organizational structure of local homelessness systems.
Ryan Finnigan is a Senior Research Associate at UC Berkeley's Terner Center for Housing Innovation, and he was previously Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Davis. Ryan studies poverty, inequality, and policy. Currently focusing on homelessness in California.