Diane Timothio News Today

In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom spearheaded “Project Homekey,” to help counties acquire and convert motels into long-term supportive housing for the homeless. Kaiser Health News reporter Anna Maria Barry-Jester recently wrote about people who are benefitting from the program. In her conversation with JPR’s Erik Neumann, she explains why she focused on rural Del Norte County in northwest California.

California’s spiraling housing crisis is often understood through the lens of its big cities. But in rural Del Norte County, on California's northwest tip, housing people in precarious situations presents different challenges. Here's how one approach is showing promise.

On a rainy winter morning, Jamie Hayden stopped in to visit with Diane Timothio. A case manager in Del Norte County on California's remote northern coast, Hayden comes by often, sometimes staying for hours, to work with Timothio.

In cities such as Los Angeles, the number of people living unsheltered can overwhelm programs such as Project Homekey. Not so in Del Norte County.