SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A new safe parking lot is on track to open for people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
The parking lot at the former Central Elementary School in City Heights will soon be a safe parking lot for San Diego Unified families and their kids living out of their cars.
“Families experiencing homelessness deserve shelter, dignity, and a path to permanent housing,” San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera said. “That's why, since day one, I’ve fought so hard, along with my colleagues, for a safe parking site at Central Elementary.”
That pathway to get help out of homelessness can start with a parking spot.
“As the city was struggling to find locations for safe parking spots, we stepped in and said, ‘hey, we've got property,’” Richard Barrera, San Diego Unified School District Board Vice President, said.
San Diego Unified approved an agreement with the San Diego Housing Commission to repurpose this unused parking lot at the former school site on Tuesday.
“We have families that every night are looking for some place to park that is not dangerous and that is somewhat connected, somewhat close to where their kids go to school,” Barrera said.
The Housing Commission told ABC 10News that the 12-month contract for the site is $593,000, which would go to Jewish Family Service (JFS) to operate the safe parking lot.
“JFS is great about engaging the families and offering different variety of services, access to other services as well that they might not be aware of,” Casey Snell with the San Diego Housing Commission said. “But definitely the classroom trailers will be used for homework and also case management sessions to work on a housing plan with the families.”
It would serve 40 families at any given time.
“Every kid deserves a safe place to go to sleep at night and a place to know that they're not going to be subjected to potential crime that they're not going to be embarrassed about where they slept,” Elo-Rivera said.“That makes a huge difference in people's ability to move from the job that they're that they have to a better job that'll pay them better, so lots of good stuff will be happening here.”
A deal for the Housing Commission to bring on Jewish Family Service as the operator of the safe parking lot is set for next Friday. The lot could open as early as the end of November, according to the Housing Commission.
