SLO churches, public lots will provide safe parking for homeless residents. Here’s where
Homeless people living in their vehicles in San Luis Obispo will have half a dozen new places to spend the night this year.
After multiple failed attempts over the past two years to set up a safe parking program to replace the Railroad Square Safe Parking program, the San Luis Obispo Planning Commission unanimously approved a program that will designate six host sites — three local churches and three public lots — which will rotate each month.
The new program doubles the total number of safe parking spaces in San Luis Obispo available to people living in their vehicles, adding to the capacity of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo’s existing 12 spaces behind the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center.
CAPSLO homeless services director Jack Lahey said the program will provide relief to homeless residents in their vehicles who have had fewer and fewer legal places to park in recent years.
“It’s increasingly harder for people who experience homelessness in their vehicles to find a safe place to exist and to park overnight safely without fear of citation or harassment,” Lahey said.
How does the new program work?
The newly approved version of the program will see the establishment of parking sites at five locations within the city limits and one outside.
The five within the city are the park-and-ride lot at 1545 Calle Joaquin, the city Corporation Yard at 25 Prado Road, the Damon Garcia Sports Field parking lot at 680 Industrial Way, Renovate Church at 2075 Johnson Ave. and Journey Christian Fellowship at 317 Foothill Blvd.
Congregation Beth David at 10180 Los Osos Valley Road will serve as the sixth site for the program, but did not need to be approved by the Planning Commission because it is outside the city limits.
For a person living in their vehicle, the onboarding process starts at 40 Prado, where participants will be enrolled in the shelter’s existing safe parking program for an initial 30-day period, San Luis Obispo homeless response manager Daisy Wiberg said.
CAPSLO’s intake process includes a Megan’s Law background check, as no sex offenders will be permitted to stay at the rotating sites.
From there, CAPSLO will assign individuals out to the rotating program on a case-by-case basis if the program is a good fit for their needs, Wiberg said.
Once a participant has agreed to the terms of the site, they will be enrolled for a 90-day period in which they can use the program overnight, during which they will be engaged by CAPSLO case managers, Wiberg said. If a participant is actively engaging with their case manager but has not been able to secure permanent housing, a 30-day extension may be granted by CAPSLO, she said.
No intakes will be performed on-site, meaning people can’t drop in and enroll without first being screened and approved by CAPSLO, Wiberg said.
Lahey stressed the distinction between the new program and the 2020 safe parking model, which was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitated on-site registration and low barriers for entry.
Participants will agree not to possess or use any illegal drugs or alcohol onsite and are not permitted to keep or use weapons or firearms. Fires will not be allowed, and physical violence of any kind will not be permitted, according to the staff report.
While onsite, participants must also follow CAPSLO’s Good Neighbor Policy, which requires vehicles to stay 50 feet from any residential property, vacate the neighborhood by at least half a mile during daytime hours and be respectful and courteous to neighbors, fellow participants and site operators.
40 Prado’s safe parking program has proved successful in recent years; 55 households participated in the CAPSLO program in 2024, with 47% going on to find housing — a success rate above the national average of 34%, Lahey said.
Still, some neighbors expressed concerns during public comment about the Foothill Avenue and Johnson Avenue sites’ location near residential neighborhoods.
One resident living near Renovate Church said while he’s not against safe parking, he doesn’t support placing host sites near his home.
“These are spaces that prioritize the safety and well-being of children,” the resident said. “Introducing a safe parking site here poses significant risk to this environment.”
When will project sites get up and running?
Though the program was approved, several steps still must be completed before it can be operational.
CAPSLO must confirm funding sources for the program and a monthly rotation schedule with participating locations in coming months before the rotation can start.
Each site will be used twice a year for one month every six months.
Lahey said the program must also gain funding once the county releases a request for proposals, but he was confident the program will be able to reach the needed amount of $230,000 to cover two years of operations with support from the city.
Planning Commission vice chair David Houghton said he was excited to see the city work with faith-based institutions to bring the sites online.
“I’m not exactly a God-fearing person, but I think this is religion at its best, and so I applaud our faith community in stepping up and participating in this and being willing to do this,” Houghton said.
