SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A white 2000s-era Ford Mustang; it was more than just a car for Nikki Kersey.
“I was living out of my car, yeah. Well, I live in a Mustang, so it was tight,” Kersey said.
Kersey now has her own apartment, a job, and is just driving the Mustang, not living out of it. She credits San Diego County’s safe parking lot program on Magnolia Avenue in unincorporated El Cajon for helping her out.
"I personally chose to commit to the program. I wanted a better life. I decided to do better for myself,” Kersey said. “Now I'm living proof that you can go through a program and actually come out of it off the system and be happy.”
Kersey stayed at the safe parking lot, which was here in 2023, when the lot looked like this before it closed for remodeling.
“I give full credit to this program and, and all the people that are involved in it. It wasn't for them, I would not be where I am today,” Kersey said.
Now, the County is finished with those renovations and unveiled them on Friday. Those upgrades included features such as permanent bathrooms, showers, and an upgraded picnic area.
It’s also welcoming people who were in the safe parking lot program back to the lot on Friday night.
“Now we have 16 spaces, so we can serve 16 households on any given night. And while we were operating for 2 years, we had served nearly 200 individuals,” Dijana Beck, the Director of San Diego County's Office of Homeless Solutions, said.
The site, which opened in 2022, is operated by Dreams For Change and provides case management and housing resources for those experiencing homelessness. The County also said those who are in the program will be able to connect to employment, financial, health, and social services.
San Diego County operates the Bancroft Safe Parking site in Spring Valley and the Grantville Safe Parking site near Mission Gorge Road.
Having these upgrades at the Magnolia Avenue lot can help those who need help the most.
“The fears that are real for those that are experiencing homelessness of, you know, where am I going to park tonight, where am I going to sleep tonight, where am I going to bathe, you know, when they're working or trying to look for work,” Samantha Rogers, the Program Manager for Dreams For Change, said. “That can be a huge barrier, you know, if they don't present well, you know, to go into an interview or something like that.”
The Regional Task Force of San Diego reported last month that there were nearly 1,200 people experiencing homelessness for the first time in the County.
“This is essential because we are seeing a lot of first-time homeless. So, if we can intervene early. It is less costly, and it gets the family indoors before they become chronically homeless,” Beck said.
