Safe parking site opens in Mountain View
SAN JOSE - Today, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian announced the opening of a new 24-hour safe parking site at 1020 Terra Bella Avenue in Mountain View, the third such offering in the City. The new site, which hosts up to eight oversized vehicles (such as RVs) and one passenger vehicle, is made possible through a partnership between the County of Santa Clara, the City of Mountain View, and Alta Housing.
Under State law, the County has the ability to operate safe parking lots on a 24-hour basis, which is key to their success. Such 24-hour safe parking has frequently been requested by vehicle dwellers who otherwise need to move their RVs onto city streets during the day (when “overnight” lots close).
With the opening of the Terra Bella Avenue site, there are now three 24-hour safe parking sites in Mountain View: one on Shoreline, one on Evelyn, and one on Terra Bella. “We’re making progress,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, “but it’s never enough or fast enough – we need to maintain a real sense of urgency.”
In March of this year, Simitian announced a targeted effort to identify “A Whole Lotta Lots” in Palo Alto and Mountain View, pulling together local residents, businesses people, and governments officials to partner in the effort.
"Mountain View continues to lead the region in helping vulnerable populations," said City of Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga. "So I am pleased to announce that, through a partnership with Alta Housing, we have been able to renovate this unfinished and formerly residential space into our third Safe Parking program lot. This allows us to add even more spaces for local people living in vehicles to access services and assistance that will transition families in need to stable housing."
"We're proud to partner with the City of Mountain View, Santa Clara County, and MOVE Mountain View to provide a safe lot where households living in cars and RVs can find stability while transitioning to permanent housing, especially during this pandemic," said Randy Tsuda, President and CEO of Alta Housing (formerly Palo Alto Housing).
In the past five years, the number of Santa Clara County residents living in cars and recreational vehicles (RVs) has increased significantly. In the latest Santa Clara County Homeless Census 18% of unhoused County residents were found to be living in vehicles – up from 8% in 2015 and 2017.
While not a long-term solution, safe parking allows residents to have stability in where they sleep each night while they seek permanent housing. Ideally, safe parking programs in the County would allow
vehicle residents a safe and designated place to park while pairing them with case management.
This new site, as with all three sites, is operated by MOVE Mountain View and is available for both RVs and vehicular residents. To participate in the program (for any of the three lots) mentioned above, register through the Community Services Agency (CSA).
“Alta Housing and the City have been terrific partners. We can do so much more when we work together this way,” said Simitian.