Faith organization helps launch safe space parking program in Santa Cruz County

As the need for housing grows in Santa Cruz, leaders and local organizations are banding together to look for solutions.

One of the most recent programs provides those living in their cars or RV’s a safe, legal place to park overnight.

The Associations of Faith Communities (AFC) launched the program in March with the help of the City of Santa Cruz.

Joseph Jacobs, the director of the parking program said they modeled in after a program in Santa Barbara that is getting national attention. “What they did was put a few heads together and realized there was a lot of unused space that could be used for people to park in. People who were living in their vehicles but otherwise homeless.”

They currently have 20 vehicles using the program spread out in eight church parking lots in the county. Now they’re working with local government agencies and other churches to look for other parking lots to use.

“About a third of the homeless population are living out of their vehicles and there’s about 100 kids who are living with their parents in their vehicles. At night they’re being harassed by neighbors, being harassed by other homeless people,” said Jon Showalder with the AFC.

The goal is to have a space for anyone living in their car that wants one.

Showalder said since the housing crisis isn’t going away any time soon, it’s time to adapt.

“They’re not building enough, they’re very expensive, they’re getting more expensive. There are other modalities of living, but we just can’t see anything different than a studio apartment some place. Some people can live out of their RV’s and there are some workers that are living out of RV’s and have full time jobs and that is there lifestyle that they’ve chosen or they have to because of the economics. And we need to redefine what that is and accommodate and we just haven’t done that,” said Showalder.

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