A new safe parking site is set to open in Vista on Friday. It will operate out of Vista’s Civic Center.
It will have 25 spots available for participants and 25% of program participants will likely be families with children, said Vista Councilmember Katie Melendez.
She said it’s the first safe parking site offered by the city and the first site off the State Route 78 corridor. North County’s second safe parking site is in Encinitas.
“Instead of sleeping in residential neighborhoods or unsafe parking lots, folks that are sleeping in their vehicles and experiencing homelessness will be able to come to a safe, secure location with services and hygiene amenities so they can get a good night's rest and eventually get into a better situation,” Melendez said.
Safe parking for approved participants is only from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. and security will be on site.
Interested participants must pre-enroll and be screened by Jewish Family Service, the program's operator.
Getting the safe parking site in Vista took almost two years, and Melendez hopes the city will do more when it comes to prevention.
“I believe there are many people in our community that can benefit from short term rental assistance to stay housed and prevent homelessness,” she said.
At a recent council meeting, $1.4 million in rental assistance was approved for families needing help with rent, utilities or property taxes.
“The city will be putting a request for proposal for a non-government organization to administer those funds to families in need,” Melendez said. “Families will need to income qualify for the assistance and show proof of loss of income.”
A pilot rental assistance program was set up during the COVID-19 pandemic, and all the funds were used.
Melendez said the city also got a $5 million grant for a shelter with more privacy options.
“This type of shelter is really important because many people decline our congregate and transition shelter models but with this concept people have more of an individualized space and more trauma informed,” she said.
The city will continue discussions on that shelter in October.
