Last year, approximately 16,000 residents of LA County were living in their cars.
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Sheila Kuehl designed to jumpstart the establishment of new safe parking areas throughout the County that will provide security, bathroom facilities, and housing services.
The program will begin with ten spots each at two parking lots owned by the County — at 5205 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood and 5300 Tujunga Avenue in North Hollywood.
“Safe parking areas not only provide people living in their cars with a secure place to sleep, they also create a centralized location where people can begin to receive help in finding permanent housing,” said Kuehl. “We’re starting small, but we expect this program to grow by making more and more County-owned lots available.”
Nonprofit Safe Parking LA will operate the program, including managing the parking lot, developing an action plan with each person, and guiding them to permanent housing, jobs, training, emergency support, and other services.
In a separate but related action, the Board instructed the County Department of Beaches and Harbors to allow temporary placement and operation of two portable toilet and handwashing facilities in the Venice Beach Rose Avenue beach parking lot for overnight use by men and women experiencing homelessness.
Both actions are part of LA County’s ongoing efforts to reduce homelessness.
In the first nine months of the County’s Measure H-funded Homeless Initiative, more than 10,000 people entered crisis, bridge, and interim housing — and more than 5,000 families and individuals secured permanent housing.
