Palo Alto Opens ‘Safe Parking Site’ For Homeless

PALO ALTO, CA — A Santa Clara County supervisor Friday announced the opening of a new “safe parking site” for homeless people.

The 12-car lot Joe Simitian at city-owned site at 2000 Geng Road in Palo Alto will be Palo Alto’s first such safe parking lot.

The lot’s opening follows a spike in people living in cars and RVs in recent years, Simitian said in a news release.

The parking lot is operated by Move Mountain View.

"While not a long-term solution, safe parking allows residents to have stability in where they sleep each night while they seek permanent housing,” Simitian said in a statement.

“The goal is to move people through the program, out of the program, into a better place.”

This lot’s opening brings the number of safe parking lot spaces in northern Santa Clara County to over 100, Simitian said, noting the opening of several such facilities in Mountain View over the last year.

A year ago, there were only 8 safe parking spaces in the region.

In addition to a safe place to sleep at night, safe parking programs offer case management, to help residents seek permanent housing, as well as basic amenities like fresh water and restrooms.

The Palo Alto site, leased to the county at no cost, also offers showers.

Once pandemic restrictions are lifted, the site’s facilities may be used for programming for the families.

"Council Member Lydia Kou and I initiated safe parking efforts within Palo Alto and I want to deeply thank Supervisor Simitian for bringing the Geng Road project to Palo Alto, " Palo Alto Mayor Tom DuBois said in a statement.

"We need to help the most vulnerable among us, like those living in vehicles, have a safe base to get back on their feet. This is fantastic progress with hopefully more to come.”