Super 8 Motel Becomes Haven for Berkeley Homeless: City Set to Spend Millions on Transitional Shelter

The city of Berkeley has decided to lease the 23-room Super 8 motel on University Avenue, funneling millions of dollars into addressing the region's homelessness crisis by turning the property into transitional housing for encampment residents. This significant step forwards comes on the heels of the city's closure of the 6-year-old Here There encampment on Adeline Street in February. Residents from the now-closed encampment who received 60-day vouchers for temporary stays at the Super 8 motel.

With a price tag of $7.3 million, the lease, which was approved by the City Council and runs through July 31, 2028, aims to tackle the ongoing "crisis of encampments" in Northwest Berkeley as disclosed by Berkeleyside. The city has raised concerns over unhealthy and unsafe living conditions in these encampments and is now taking action to provide a viable solution by transforming the Super 8 motel into transitional housing.

The state of California is supporting Berkeley in this endeavor, awarding the city $4.9 million in "encampment resolution" funding over the summer according to the Santa Barbara Newspress. The city has made the choice to channel part of this fund into the Super 8 motel project. Insight Housing, formerly known as the Berkeley Food and Housing Project, will be responsible for managing the housing program at the motel.

In 2022, the city had already begun leasing multiple hotels as temporary housing after an influx of state funding for emergency housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the initial wave of short-term leases, the city is now focusing on converting some of these locations into permanent supportive housing. For instance, the state granted Berkeley funding to convert the 43-unit Golden Bear Inn into permanent supportive housing under Project Homekey, and a similar process is ongoing at the 42-bed University Inn.

As the opening of the Super 8 motel rooms approaches, the city is planning to close encampments in Northwest Berkeley along Harrison Street according to Berkeleyside, a process which has sparked some concern among residents who are unsure about the possibility of obtaining a hotel room. How the city will prioritize rooms and effectively support those people living in the area is a question that remains to be answered.

It is worth mentioning that the city hopes to use the state's Encampment Resolution Funding to pay for the program for the first two years, with Measure P funding potentially covering the remaining cost as stated by Berkeley Scanner. This initiative demonstrates a significant investment in combating the ongoing homelessness issue within the city, which, despite a slight reduction in overall homelessness from 2019 to 2022, still faces challenges with unsheltered homelessness.