In what’s being called a new approach to quickly finding housing for homeless people, the San Diego Housing Commission has applied for state funding to help acquire two hotels that could be converted and ready for use by 340 people by the end of the year.

“These are often-used phases I don’t use lightly, but this is a new paradigm,” said Rick Gentry, president of the San Diego Housing Commission. “If this all plays out, it will be a game-changer. And you’ve never heard me use that term before.”

The Housing Commission has bought and converted nine hotels over the last 12 years, but many required extensive and costly renovations. The commission-owned Hotel Churchill, for example, required two years of refurbishing at a cost of $20.6 million.

The new approach is to purchase hotels ready for occupancy, with each unit containing a kitchenette to make it more like a home.

Read the full story at LATimes.com.