City of Long Beach to Open Additional Safe Overnight Parking Lot for People Sheltered in Automobiles
The Californer/10233955

Long Beach, CA ~ The City of Long Beach is expanding its Safe Parking Program, which provides a safe and dignified environment for people currently sheltering in their vehicles to park overnight while receiving access to basic needs and being connected to services. Mayor Rex Richardson said, "People in our community whose only source of shelter is their vehicle have a critical need for a safe space to park overnight. By opening this additional Safe Parking lot, we are more than tripling our capacity and creating new opportunities to connect more people with vital resources and services."

Beginning Monday, March 20, the new site located in an underutilized parking lot on Queens Way will be open daily from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., providing space for approximately 50 passenger vehicles. The lot will not be open during the day and will offer amenities such as a pet relief area, restrooms, hand washing stations, two security guards and Homeless Services Bureau staff on site who will connect clients with services and offer housing-focused case management. The site is anticipated to operate through Sunday, May 21.

Outreach was conducted to businesses within the area to ensure they were notified of the forthcoming operations and business resources available to them. The location will not impact ongoing repairs for the Queen Mary or operations, special events or nearby businesses. People interested in participating in the program must first receive a referral from the Multi-Service Center (MSC) located at 1301 W. 12th St., or through outreach including the Mobile Access Center.

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First District Councilwoman Mary Zendejas said "This site will be an important asset in the City's homelessness emergency response and provide enough space to significantly expand the program." As of the 2022 Point in Time Count, 480 people were sheltered in their vehicles; outreach workers report that safety is a common concern among people who sleep in their vehicles so bringing more people into the Safe Parking program is a vital step in increasing safety, building trust and offering services that lead to long term or permanent housing.

The City's Safe Parking program currently offers 15 overnight parking spaces at the MSC but with this additional site it has quadrupled its current capacity by reaching 14% of people who are sheltered in vehicles in Long Beach. Long Beach City College also provides safe parking on campus available for students only while The Long Beach Winter Shelter at Community Hospital continues operations through April 30 with 81 beds since late December 2022 operated by nonprofit First To Serve Outreach Ministries and Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

For more information on efforts made by Long Beach City towards reducing homelessness visit longbeach.gov/homelessness or follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media using hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB

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