The city of Burbank, in partnership with support organization StreetPlus, has assisted 103 members of its homeless population by finding them housing, getting them placed in shelters and/or reuniting them with their families.
The eight StreetPlus team members, paid for by the Downtown Burbank Property Improvement District, have been working with Burbank’s homeless community since April 2019. During the last two years, StreetPlus has worked in collaboration with the city, the Burbank Police Department’s Mental Health Evaluation Team and partnering agencies to provide the homeless with the necessary health, housing, and basic resources.
They have helped people experiencing homelessness by connecting them with California’s Project Room Key and Home Key programs — which involve converting hotel rooms into housing — placing them into bridge home facilities, permanent supportive housing, emergency shelters, group homes, skilled nursing locations, residential care facilities, rehabilitation and family reunification.
Project Room Key was developed in response to the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to shelter individuals experiencing homelessness. The state procured 15,679 hotel and motel rooms and 1,345 trailers and served an estimated 14,200 individuals in 52 counties in its three months since launching. To ensure more permanent shelter and services, state officials later developed Project Home Key. So far, 29 of Burbank’s homeless individuals have been placed into Project Room Key and Home Key.
“Working in collaboration with the city of Burbank to provide long-term solutions for the homeless has been a fulfilling experience,” said StreetPlus operations manager Bob Newman. “We recently worked together to assess the needs of a Burbank homeless individual and were able to successfully place him in the Project Home Key program within just five days.”
“By helping house and reunify more than 100 of Burbank’s homeless population, the StreetPlus team proves to be an invaluable part of the City of Burbank homeless services team,” added Simone McFarland, assistant director of community development. “Although we are proud of the 103 individuals we have assisted, we know there is still work that needs to be done to continue to help the homeless in need.”
