What is Safe Parking?

Safe Parking programs exist throughout the country to provide a safe and legal place to sleep for people who live in their cars. They are also places where resources are available, including resources to help secure more permanent housing, either on site or by referral. The most important part of safe parking is a safe place so people can relax and actually sleep at night.

Who will the HHCLC safe parking program serve?

o   Families with children who reside in the Centralia and Chehalis school districts. These families are already living in their cars in these school districts. This program will give them a safe place to sleep and access to other services.

o   The McKinney-Vento programs at each school district know about the coming safe parking program and have been provided the paperwork for entry into the program.

What are the hours and locations?

7:00 pm to 7:00 am at one of five host churches which will rotate hosting responsibilities so that each church hosts 1-2 weeks every two months.

§  Chehalis United Methodist Church

§  Grace Foursquare Church

§  Harrison Square Presbyterian Church

§  Immanuel Lutheran Church

§  St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church

Is there a limit to the number of vehicles per night?

During the pilot (6 months) there will be no more than ten (10) vehicles per night.

Will participants be vetted?

Yes. Participants will submit to a background check and sign a code of conduct.

What services will be provided?

  Restroom, trash, coordinated entry intakes. More services will be added in the future.

What about community safety?

This program will serve families who are down on their luck, not dangerous criminals.

Background checks will exclude anyone with a known history of violence or predatory behavior.

In many safe parking programs, participants form their own community watch, looking out for each other and alerting authorities if any suspicious outsider comes near. The participants want the program to continue, so they do what they can to not jeopardize it.

The program is small and temporary at each site. It will not draw a crowd.

Participants are not looking for conflict – they’re seeking peace and rest.

Our HHCLC safe parking program is dedicated to mitigating risk for the sake of community members, including neighbors of participating churches as well as the vulnerable individuals living in their cars.

What kind of security will there be?

Hosts will be onsite from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. After 10:00 pm, participants will have the number for an emergency contact for the host church as well as 911 if there are any issues. Centralia and Chehalis police departments will be informed of the safe parking location schedule.

Has this been done in other places? What were the results?

San Diego, CA –

• about 40% of participants in safe parking lots were able to move into permanent housing with program support

Bellevue, WA –

• over 30 families transitioned into stable housing in its first 10 months

• The program logged zero neighbor complaints or police/fire calls related to the site

Encinitas, CA

• Zero impact on calls for police services or crime in the area

Can the church do this legally?

Legally, this work by churches is supported by RCW, RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act), and the First Amendment. The church must work within the boundaries of the RCWs and all applicable laws. This program is not funded by any government funding, so we can limit eligibility to families with children.

Is safe parking really the best option?

At this point, there are insufficient solutions for some families’ needs that have them residing in their car as a temporary solution until more permanent housing can be obtained.

On average, it takes 3 months to 2 years of diligent pursuit to obtain adequate, sustainable housing.

The hope is that safe parking will be the point of contact to connect with people to help them move into more long term solutions.

How will the program be evaluated?

The program will be evaluated using surveys of participants every month.

Neighbors will be contacted throughout the pilot and asked for feedback on how things are going and suggestions for improvement.

Law enforcement/fire service use will be monitored (hopefully none).

Contact information for committee members will be provided for questions or concerns.

What will be done to improve communication with neighbors and community leaders? Who can I contact with questions or concerns?

Safe Parking committee member contact information will be provided for ongoing contact and conversation.

Churches will have a process for community members to give feedback and to express concerns and commendations.