Will the Rest of California Follow East Palo Alto with 'Safe Parking' for Residents Living in Their RVs?
As the housing crisis wears on, a proposed state bill attempts to help the growing number of people forced to live in their cars. But some cities aren't waiting; they're doing it themselves.
AB 891, by Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-El Segundo, would require any city or county with more than 330,000 people establish “safe parking” for those living in their vehicles by June 1, 2022. It’s a concept that’s met with success, albeit on a small scale, around the state already — like in East Palo Alto.
On a recent Saturday night, a local Christian group called the Sovereign Band provided live entertainment for about 50 special dinner guests, all of them clients of the nonprofit organization Project We Hope. We Hope runs several programs for East Palo Alto, including, as of May 1, its safe parking pilot program.
"Currently, we have 16 RVs, most of them families. Families first, seniors next, disabled, veterans and then everybody else," said We Hope's Associate Director Alicia Garcia.
