Augusta commissioners unanimously approved the Hotels for the Homeless initiative on Tuesday.

This endeavor will allow the city to house homeless people in local hotels during the coronavirus health crisis. Housing and Development Director Hawthorne Welcher said the shelters and rescue missions, to date, are full, so this will provide much needed housing.

Welcher said, however, that the plan is not to simply take any person that appears homeless and put them in a hotel. The process involves interviews, applications and confirmation that a person is homeless. If the person is deemed homeless, Welcher said this initiative would allow Housing and Development to be notified so it can notify a hotel.

One hotel that is participating is Doubletree by Hilton on Perimeter Parkway .

“Doubletree is waiving all fees,” Welcher said. “They’re waiving all incidental fees, they’re not asking the city to provide any type of credit card for any type of holdings, and they’re also providing transportation as well.”

Participating hotels must meet ADA compliance and pass a housing quality standard inspection. They must also be able to provide financial documentation for reimbursement

Welcher said two other hotels have been approached, and Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr., said at least eight other hotels have expressed interest in participating.

“Providing shelter for our homeless population is essential, and the right thing to do, right now. Time is of the essence,” Davis said. “Giving shelter to our homeless population will allow compliance with the shelter-in-place order during this crisis, and our goal is to help as many individuals and families as possible.”

Welcher said once the shelter-in-place order is lifted, some of the homeless individuals may still stay in the hotel for another two to four weeks while they are transitioned to more permanent housing. The funding would be available to provide short-term rental housing for up to six months.

Funding is coming from The CARES Act, which allocated $400 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants and Community Development Block Grants for emergency housing. The funds no longer require a match and will soon be distributed in waves.

Augusta Commissioner Ben Hasan said he supports the housing plan because the federal government has allocated around $500,000 for the city to shelter its homeless.