One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Lack of funds, church partners hold back ‘safe parking’ program for LA’s homeless
The program Safe Parking LA strives to get the homeless who live in vehicles off the streets at night and into parking lots where they can comfortably sleep. But the founders say funding and religious partners have been hard to come by.
(
Josie Huang/KPCC
)
Emily Uyeda Kantrim, who manages the Safe Parking LA program, makes a presentation to members of the South Robertson neighborhood council about opening a site on IKAR's property.
(
Josie Huang/KPCC
)
Pat Cohen, a founder of Safe Parking LA (far right), and Brooke Wirtschafter of IKAR (second to right), stand during a South Robertson neighborhood council meeting on July 19, 2018 as they show support for putting a safe parking program on IKAR's lot in that neighborhood.
(
Josie Huang/KPCC
)
St. Mary's Episcopal Church's lot is where homeless people can park in their cars at night.
(
KPCC/Lori Galarreta
)
Listen
1:02
Lack of funds, church partners hold back ‘safe parking’ program for LA’s homeless
To date, Safe Parking L.A. has only been able to launch three "safe parking" sites with about 30 spots among them — a disappointment given that some 9,000 Angelenos live in cars, vans and recreational vehicles. Fewer than a handful of city and county politicians have committed any funding, forcing the group to turn to private donors.
The nonprofit's founders thought churches and synagogues would be clamoring to open up their parking lots for the night, and that money to fund these efforts would flow from politicians’ coffers.
They were wrong.
Read more on LAist.com: 'Safe Parking' For LA's Homeless Hobbled By Lack Of Money And Religious Partners
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
