SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The City of San Diego is set to open its fifth and largest safe parking site this weekend.
The H Barracks site, located in the flight path of San Diego International Airport off McCain Rd, will add approximately 190 spaces for individuals living in vehicles.
"It's going to nearly double our entire system's capacity, so it'll have about 190 spaces," said Kohta Zaiser, Mayor Todd Gloria's Council Affairs & Safety Policy Advisor said.
The City of San Diego reports that its most recent Point-In-Time count shows a 14% decrease in homelessness, which officials attribute to options such as safe sleeping and parking sites.
"Vehicle habitation and folks living out of their cars is one of our fastest growing subsets," Zaiser said.
Zaiser said everyone booked for H Barracks is enrolled in assistance programs. H Barracks will be an overnight-only site, open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
"It's a safe place for folks to be able to park their vehicles, rest, without the fear of tow or citation, and then in the mornings go about their lives, go to work, go to school," Zaiser said. He added that all of the services provided on-site will help those living in their vehicles get off the streets and into housing.
"We do see a good turnaround and a turnover rate for folks that are housed there," Zaiser said.
While the site is part of the city's overall plan for addressing homelessness, it has been a source of controversy for years.
Non-profit Point Loma Cares has been one of the stronger voices of opposition to the H Barracks site.
"Where are they going to go when their reservation is over?" Margaret Virissimo, a Board Member with non-profit Point Loma Cares, said.
Virissimo also pushed back against more of the City's claims.
"Where's the proof that these individuals currently staying in these vans have jobs? That they're enrolled in programs," Virissimo said.
Virissimo said the non-profit opposes the H Barracks site due to questions of funding, as well as its proximity to parks, the airport, and hotels.
"If you're coming to San Diego, you fly in, check into your hotel, the first thing you're gonna see is a line of vans trying to get into the site right outside your hotel window," Virissimo said.
Virissimo added that the location is also 'inhumane' to those staying at the parking site, and claims both the noise pollution and pollution from the airplanes could be a health risk.
The City stated that the H Barracks site has an expiration date. The location will be turned over to a water purification project in 2029.
