Sunnyvale City Council green-lights safe parking program

Sunnyvale residents living in their vehicles can expect to find a safe place to park in the upcoming years.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously supported an initiative that would allow those living in their cars or RVs to temporarily park in designated areas within the city. Councilmembers and community members alike expressed their enthusiasm for the Safe Parking program, saying the effort will provide much-needed relief to those who are unhoused.

Safe Parking Programs are unique to California, where state data reveals that thousands of people call their four-wheelers home. Such spaces are intended to provide a legal short-term environment in which unhoused people can park them, and are stationed close by to amenities such as toilets, potable water and contained waste management. The sites are usually managed by a city, in partnership with local nonprofits or faith-based organization. Sunnyvale’s isn’t the only South Bay city hopping on the trend — there are several similar programs in nearby Mountain View, Palo Alto and Saratoga.

More details on Sunnyvale’s program will be finalized at a later date, including where the sites will be, which organizations the city will partner with and when the spaces will be available.

The program comes at a time when city data reveals that last year 32% of unhoused Sunnyvale residents lived in their cars. According to a 2019 report, 18 % of those who are unhoused in Santa Clara County live in their RVs, cars and vans, which is a 146% increase since 2015.

Amanda Sztoltz, Sunnyvale’s Homeless Services Manager, said Safe Parking Programs are becoming a popular solution, and other cities have a waitlist for residents to access the space. Many people live in their cars as a last resort, she said, and are often trying to maintain their jobs, cars and families.

“To be able to get them those services to get them back on their feet is really powerful,” Sztoltz said during Tuesday’s council meeting

Several councilmembers inquired about the logistics of operating the first-of-its-kind program in the city, including Councilmember Linda Sell, who asked how likely the program was to receive county, state or federal dollars. City staff reported that the annual staff and operation cost would amount to $460,000 for nine parking spaces, and up to $640,000 for 30 spaces.

Sztoltz said there are a few state funding options staff could explore, presenting their findings to the council at a later time. Staff could also look into how the program could be included in next year’s fiscal budget.

Agnes Veith, vice chair for the pro-housing coalition Liveable Sunnyvale, said the organization’s members have been advocating for a safe parking program for three years. Rent in the city is rapidly increasing, and making it difficult for families and individuals to find a stable place to live, Veith said during the meeting.

Recently, Livable Sunnyvale hosted a meeting with multiple founders of similar nearby Safe Parking programs. In many of the programs, people are able to form a community, take care of one another and take pride in where they live. Vieth said she strongly encourage the council to continue to study and implement a local program.

“Supporting a safe parking program will help seniors family with children and individuals to form a community without fear of being harassed and not knowing where they will sleep one day to the next,” she said.