PROTECTED
PARKING J
ust last year, at the start of the pandemic, Santa Clara County saw a huge increase in houseless residents with numbers totalling over 10,000 people. On September 14, 2020, Palo Alto City Council approved a bill allowing for “safe parking lots” to be created within the city. Now, in 2021, the first one of these lots has been opened and is taking steps forward to help the ever growing houseless problem. Move Mountain View is a non-profit organization that focuses on combating the houselessness crisis within Santa Clara County. Move Mountain View is actively pushing for the creation of more safe parking lots to better help their cause and the thousands of people experiencing houselessness within Palo Alto and neighboring cities.
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Palo Alto City Council enacts a parking lotbased housing program to support the ever growing houselessness rates within the city
Safe parking lots are privately owned parking lot area. parking lots that the owner opens for use Amber Stime, the director of the from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. as a place non-profit, believes that the safe parking for people to park their RVs. However, lots are an integral role to help families county-owned struggling with parking lots, houselessness. such as the lot “Having a home on Geng Road, is a must, it’s a huhave now been man right,” Stime permitted to stay said. “So the parkopen 24/7 due ing lot is just a step to the Covid-19 towards that.” pandemic. In orThe increasing der to get access rent and prices to these parking of homes, particlots, organizain the Bay Amber Stime ularly tions such as Area, has pushed Move Mountain many families out View interview the resident to see wheth- of their living areas and onto the streets. er they should be permitted to stay in the Stime hopes that safe parking lots will provide family units with a temporary home that is much safer then the current living options the houseless population is faced with. “These are family units that can’t afford to live in this area where they can’t afford an apartment,” Stime said. “So they’ve chosen to do the next best thing which is to use their vehicles so they can stay in the area.” Families who are living in RVs and cars are very limited when it comes to space, and often the children of these families are not provided with a safe place to play. Thanks to the safe parking lots, families are provided with enclosed space with good security for their children to roam free without the danger of moving cars or strangers. “One of the beauties of the Palo Alto
“Having a home is a must, it’s a human right. And so the parking lot is just a step towards that.”
