SLO County has a new incentive to get Safe Parking Site residents to move: $1,000
San Luis Obispo County is trying a new strategy as it works to draw down the Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking Site to closure: paying residents to leave.
On Wednesday evening, county officials held a meeting with site residents where they introduced a “Relocation Assistance Program” that would provide $1,000 to residents who agree to move off the parking site at a date they agree to with the county.
Some residents said this assistance would be enough to cover their move off the site and either toward a better living situation or housing, while other said they felt the relocation efforts were insufficient.
Dave Richford, a resident of the site since its opening in August 2021, said the assistance would ease his transition into housing, and while it may not be the best solution for everybody, it was enough for his needs.
“Things have started to come around there,” Richford said. “They’re actually working with us now, and they’re not working against us.”
How does the Relocation Assistance Program work?
When residents sign the county’s acknowledgment form for the Relocation Assistance Program, they must set a move-out date for themselves, according to the contract.
On move-out, residents will receive a prepaid debit card worth $1,000, which must be used to cover relocation needs such as fuel, hotel stays, security deposits, down payments or rent, according to the contract.
Developing each individual’s Relocation Assistance Plan is intended to be a collaborative effort between the county, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County and each resident, to make a plan that fits the individual’s relocation needs, according to the contract.
Outside of the $1,000 payout, residents can also receive minor vehicle repairs, placement in a supportive housing program and vouchers for camping at any county park, so long as their vehicle is up to code, according to the contract.
Other forms of relocation aid include purchase of a bus, train or airplane ticket to reunify with family members, assistance with trash removal, and towing service to anywhere within the county limits, so long as the location is private property with the consent of the property owner.
When residents agree to accept aid from the Relocation Assistance Program, they also agree not to re-enter the parking site on penalty of trespassing, and any remaining belongings not removed from the site by the agreed-on move-out date may be disposed of by the county.
According to a statement by the county on the relocation efforts, the aid provided will be supported by American Rescue Plan Act funds previously allocated to the Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking Site and by CAPSLO through its existing programs.
Suzie Freeman, communications program manager for the county’s Homeless Services Division, said that while the county hopes to have everyone moved off of the site by the end of the year, it is still committed to keeping an open mind and being flexible with the remaining 40 to 50 residents.
While not everyone will work with the county’s relocation program, Freeman said the overall response she saw at Wednesday’s meeting was “gratifying.”
“We’re trying to be very focused on making sure that people are given the tools and resources that they need to find the best housing situation for them,” Freeman said. “We are in the process of drawing down that site, but the interest isn’t to just kick anyone off, we really want to make sure that people are finding themselves in their next safe and stable home after Oklahoma parking.”
Resident says Relocation Assistance Program could be the push he needs
Richford said that, barring any complications, he intends to accept the county’s relocation aid as he transitions off the site and into permanent housing.
Richford lives on the parking site with his girlfriend, brother and pets in their vehicles, and suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which has worsened without consistent air conditioning, electricity or shelter, he said.
In the past, Richford had said he hoped to stay in his recreational vehicle full-time, either at the parking site or at a campground, but recent developments — including the Relocation Assistance Program — have made him reconsider.
Richford said he recently was assigned a Section 8 housing voucher by Adult Protective Service, and is only about 45 spots down the waiting list from being placed in permanent housing.
In the meantime, with the money, vehicle repair and registration help, plus the campground vouchers, Richford said he intends to move off the site with his family and pets, staying in his recreational vehicle at county campgrounds until his voucher spot opens up.
“What they’re doing, actually, is finally coming around and realizing what we’re having problems with what we need to fix the problem, and they’re bringing that stuff to us,” Richford said.
Richford said not everyone will accept the aid, but for those who do, it could be a turning point in their journey to housing.
He and other residents still have reservations about trusting the county’s word, and he said leaving behind the family he found at the site may be one of the harder parts of the move.
“You satisfy some of the people some of the time, but you can’t satisfy people all of the time,” Richford said. “The people I’ve talked to so far are all kinda for it, but they’ve had their negatives about it because of what’s been going on from the beginning.”
Where does the relocation program fall short?
Not all residents had the same outlook on the Relocation Assistance Program.
Brittany Anderson, another resident of the site since its opening, said many people who attended Wednesday evening’s meeting were “disappointed” in the type of aid the county offered.
“I want to go, and I want to have a one-on-one meeting with them and see what exactly they’re trying to offer, because if it’s just $1,000, it’s not gonna get me anywhere,” she said. “I feel like they’re just trying to get people off here, so that we have to worry about our own issues once we’re off of here.”
Anderson said the county did not tell residents what the next step would be if they did not accept the relocation assistance, leading to some uncertainty over what would happen for people who choose to stay put.
Resident Trish Henderson similarly said the aid would not be sufficient to get her and her daughter where they need to go.
Henderson said living on the site has exacerbated her health issues. She has stage four cancer, while her daughter’s mental health has been severely stressed by life on the parking site.
She said the $1,000 in aid isn’t enough to reunify her with her mother in Texas, where her mother wants to care for her and her daughter during her cancer treatment.
However, she said she’ll accept the aid to get her and her daughter off of the parking site and into a safer and more stable housing situation in Pismo Beach, where she’s received a housing offer from Transitions-Mental Health Association.
At the very least, she said, the housing opportunity in Pismo Beach will be better than paying around $600 a month to keep a generator running.
“It’s not quite where we want to be, but it’s definitely a better foundation to start from,” Henderson said. “I’ll take it.”
Advocate for homeless says county’s latest aid is insufficient
Yael Korin, a homelessness volunteer and advocate, said the county’s new push to relocate residents falls short of the parking site’s original goals when it opened.
She said the county and CAPSLO have not succeeded in moving the site’s residents toward permanent housing, and she called the Relocation Assistance Program a “cynical” effort to clear the parking site without offering a tangible housing outcome.
Korin said the site has worsened conditions for many residents who stayed there.
“Two years later, there is minimal help at all,” Korin said. “Most of the residents that I know from Palisades (Avenue) in Los Osos are worse off today than they were then — psychologically, mentally and financially.”
While Oklahoma Avenue is far from an ideal program or place to live, it is a critical resource for unhoused people who need a place to stay, Korin said.
“This is the county’s failure, and they should make it right,” Korin said in an email to Freeman that she shared with The Tribune. “The county should start from scratch, doing it correctly this time, with proper planning.”
What’s next for Oklahoma Avenue and its residents?
Freeman said she didn’t have a “clear answer” for what would happen for residents who choose to stay but said the county and case management will continue to work with residents to move them toward an acceptable housing outcome.
Residents have until Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. to accept relocation aid, according to the contract.
Freeman said the county still has not set a hard closure date for the parking site.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 10:41 AM.
