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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.
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Josie Huang/KPCC
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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.
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Josie Huang/KPCC
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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.
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Josie Huang/KPCC
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St. Mary's Episcopal Church's lot is where homeless people can park in their cars at night.
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KPCC/Lori Galarreta
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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
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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