A retired veteran in a wheelchair, missing a leg and suffering from multiple medical issues, arrived in Los Angeles from Missouri with hopes of "getting away from himself" and making a new start. Instead, he found himself waiting outside a vacant, abandoned hotel in Norwalk, hoping for help. It never came. He shared that he had come to L.A. because he’d heard about the city’s homeless housing and services. at least six homeless people die every day in the County. According to County Health Department records, in 2022, the last year for which numbers are available, 2,201 homeless people died. Governor Gavin Newsom directed $3.5 billion in emergency federal COVID relief funds to help cities and counties purchase motels, hotels, and apartment buildings rapidly and make them available for homeless housing. The state distributed three rounds of Homekey funds in 2021, 2022, and 2023-24. L.A. County received a total of $550 million and used the funds to help purchase 32 buildings. Earlier this year, Newsom lauded the program as “a national model for rapidly creating affordable housing for Californians in need.” However, according to an exclusive, months-long investigation by the Westside Current, as an estimated 139,151 homeless people, both locals and newcomers, occupy streets, sidewalks, beaches, parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces throughout the County, at least 1,538 of the total 2,157 Homekey rooms are vacant. This number accounts for more than 71% of all Homekey rooms. These revelations come on the heels of our previous reporting that discovered more than 1,200 vacant Homekey units owned by the City of Los Angeles.