Ventura County continues to shelter the homeless during pandemic

VENTURA, Calif. -- Ventura County continues to get the homeless community off the streets in an effort to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are running a city within a city, because that is what it has become,” said Chris Russell, who is the Program Manager for Homeless Services of Ventura County.

Four motels in Ventura County have now transformed into homeless shelters during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Thirty percent of our community's homeless population are seniors or people with chronic health conditions that put them at very high risk for complications of COVID-19,” said Tara Carruth, Program Manager of Ventura County Continuum Care.

Homeless people who fall into those categories have been placed in three of the four motels. The other motel is only for people who have tested positive for the coronavirus or who have been exposed.

“A week and a half ago, there was a homeless individual that tested positive for COVID-19,” said Mike Powers, Ventura County Executive Officer. “They were able to identify that person and get them quarantined, and they traced 30 contacts that that person had and put them in the hotel.”

There are just over 1,700 homeless people in the county. Two-hundred of those who are at high-risk for the virus have already been placed in rooms.

“We will continue to bring folks in as long as we have rooms available,” said Russell. “I can tell you one of our Ventura locations has been at capacity for the last three days, and our other location will be near capacity very soon.”

Anyone who comes into the COVID-19 emergency shelter will be screened.

“We are making sure that folks have shelter, we are making sure they have food and they get three meals a day,” said Russell. “We have even brought in a laundry service to make sure their hygiene is being taken care of.

The motel sites have security 24 hours a day.