San Luis Obispo County is reaping the benefits of interest generated from Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program funding, trying to make a dent in its goal of reducing the homelessness rate by half by 2027.
Thanks to a 4-0 Board of Supervisors vote on Aug. 19, with 1st District Supervisor John Peschong absent, the Department of Social Services will use roughly $290,000 of interest earned on two rounds of HHAP funding to support the overnight safe parking program run by Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO). The supervisors also approved a 30-month contract with the nonprofit to handle services on-site.
Deputy Director Linda Belch of Adult and Homeless Services told New Times that the proposed safe parking pilot is an extension of CAPSLO’s existing 40 Prado safe parking program.
“By taking a wholistic [sic] approach to addressing the array of factors that can contribute to a person experiencing homelessness, the county is being intentional with not simply building more affordable housing but also connecting people to the services they need so they have adequate support to successfully transition out of homelessness and maintain stable housing on an ongoing basis,” Belch said via email.
The supervisors’ approval is the culmination of agreements forged among local faith groups, CAPSLO, and the city of SLO.
In January, the city Planning Commission greenlit sites for a rotating safe parking program, which includes spots at Journey Christian Fellowship, Renovate Church, and synagogue Congregation Beth David that’s outside SLO’s city limits.
At the time, funding gaps prevented the program from becoming an immediate reality. With supervisors now allowing for the HHAP funds to kick in, CAPSLO Homeless Services Director Jack Lahey confirmed to New Times that the community safe parking program would be launched in September.
“It also doubles the county’s safe parking capacity, growing from just 12 spots at Prado to 24 total,” he said. “At the end of the day, this means fewer people forced to park in neighborhoods or on side streets and more of our neighbors able to safely park, rest, and get back into housing as quickly as possible.”
Rotating every month, the program will only open one site at a time. According to the county staff report, the approved sites are 1545 Calle Joaquin, 25 Prado Road, 680 Industrial Way, 2075 Johnson Ave., 317 Foothill Blvd., and 10180 Los Osos Valley Road. Each of these six spots has 12 spaces for safe parking.
Lahey added that the community safe parking program intends to serve 84 households and support at least half of all participants into stable housing.
But HHAP funds alone can’t cover program operations including porta-potties, dumpsters, supplies, and the staff to enforce program rules. It needs a braided funding model because of funding restrictions.
While SLO County earned a total interest of almost $350,000 on HHAP funds, California law mandates that 8 percent of that money must be committed to homeless youth.
CAPSLO plans to tap into Cen-Cal CAL-AIM funding, leveraging about $160,000 in funds to manage the parking program’s site operations.
“HHAP funds can support case management activities, which include staff time and client needs funds (to cover vehicle repairs and other expenses that arise during the housing process),” Lahey said via email. “Additionally, HHAP funds and city of SLO funds support our data team and administrative staff, enabling us to operate 365 days a year.”
Officials claim the expanded safe parking program will be different from the controversial and defunct county-run safe parking site on Kansas Avenue, where CAPSLO also provided case management services.
Lahey told New Times that unlike the Kansas Avenue site, the new overnight parking program will require participants living out of their vehicles to leave during the day.
After an intensive two-year planning process for the program, a plan is in place for site safety, case management, neighbor relations, and scheduled community feedback over the course of the three-year pilot program.
Enrolled participants would have an established housing plan, a working vehicle, up-to-date insurance, a valid driver’s license, and vehicle registration.
“This program is a traditional safe parking program, most similar to the program currently in operation at 40 Prado and previously operated at Railroad Square,” Lahey said. “[Kansas Avenue safe parking] was mis-titled as a safe parking program; it was most similar to a sanctioned vehicle encampment. Additionally, only vehicles that can fit in a standard parking space will be eligible for this program.” Δ
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 7, 2025.
Didn’t we already try this at Kansas Avenue? The only difference between “safe parking” and a “sanctioned vehicle encampment” with all the associated problems, is that the campers actually leave, instead of taking up permanent residence. Will this actually happen? The campers at Kansas also had agreed to leave, but didn’t. Are the undoubtedly kind-hearted new managers willing to take the harsh steps to throw out those who overstay and have no other place to go? What do you do about inoperable vehicles, especially if they require thousands of dollars of repairs to make them operable? Tow them? To where? Are the new campers likely to have current registration and insurance, as required? Anyone who is financially down and out is unlikely to have the thousand dollars or more necessary to insure and register a vehicle, especially with penalties for late registration, smog checks and repairs, unpaid parking tickets, etc.
Maybe now is the time to think through the likely problems, instead of just reacting to them later.