Protected Parking

PROTECTED

PARKING

Palo Alto City Council enacts a parking lotbased housing program to support the ever growing houselessness rates within the city

Just 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.

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, such as the lot on Geng Road, “Having a home is a must, it’s a houselessness. “Having a home is a must, it’s a huhave now been permitted to stay human right. And man right,” Stime said. “So the parkopen 24/7 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In orso the parking lot is just a step ing lot is just a step towards that.” The increasing der to get access to these parking towards that.” rent and prices of homes, particlots, organizations such as Amber Stime ularly in the Bay 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

lot has been that it’s fenced in and there are automatic gates, so the kids can run around freely,” Stime said.

Just by looking at El Camino Real, you can clearly see the sheer number of houseless individuals, with dozens of RVs lined up on the sides of the road being used for living.

Move Mountain View currently operates the lot on Geng Road to support the homeless The City of Palo Alto stated in a brief them to spend the night. So when you population in Palo Alto. The lot holds 12 that, “[Safe parking lots] prevent the alleviate that anxiety, it leaves a lot of RV spots and also unique facilities such problem of vehicles reappearing on city space in their mind to plan,” Stime said as showers and streets during Paly sophomore, Johannah Seah, belaundry facilities. Before people arrived at the “One of the beauties of the Palo Alto lot the day, which can create line-of-sight islieves the safe parking lot will provide temporary assistance to houseless people, but in the long run she hopes that Geng lot, multiple preparations were completed. has been that it’s fenced in and there sues and other neighborhood challenges.” they will receive affordable housing. As a resident of Palo Alto, she recognizes the disparity between well-off residents and Move Mountain View interviewed are automatic gates, Stime’s goal is to help get the more unfortunate. “I believe that homelessness in Palo and selected the habitants and recleaned the area so the kids can run around freely.” the families into apartments and Alto is often overlooked—many people see homelessness as a “poor people issue” and deem Palo Alto a rich town, with volunteer support. Amber Stime homes after living in the safe and thus, a town in which everyone is housed,” Seah said. “However, that is not

“Currently, we parking lot. the case.” Although community opinion have a lot of people volunteering with The lots are meant to serve as a starting on the lots varies across Palo Alto, Stime food services that are coming through point where families could start to create hopes that people will come to accept and providing hot meals and food for plans for a new home. the community at the safe parking lot. free,” Stime said “I learned that people would be driv- “Give people a chance to get to know

The non-profit works with the City ing around for hours trying to figure out them,” Stime said. “You’d be surprised Council to receive funding for the lot. where the safest space is going to be for at how much they are our neighbors.”