The Parking Lot Safety Net
For 15 years, James built a life of service – first as an Army combat veteran, then as a special education teacher – until one spring the world shifted and his life shifted along with it. When the pandemic forced his Los Angeles classroom online, the isolation triggered his PTSD. He left his job, and with no family nearby and his savings running out, James soon lost his apartment. Like many who find themselves on the brink, James took shelter in the only place left: his car.
James’s predicament is far from unique. In a city where the last homelessness count hovered near 45,252 (L.A. County was over 75,000), roughly 40% of those live in their vehicles.
Safe Parking LA was created to catch people like James before they tumble into homelessness entirely. “We keep you safe in your car until we get you safe into your house,” Co-founder Scott Sale says. The model is a rare upstream intervention – low cost, high impact. By offering secure overnight parking with amenities and case management, the program fills a critical gap in the city’s overwhelmed homeless services system.
Alone in a city of millions, James spiraled into despair. He turned to substance use to cope with the loneliness. A Veterans Affairs counselor steered him to Safe Parking LA. He was wary at first. But in the Veterans Safe Parking Program on the VA campus, James found something he hadn’t felt in a long time: safety. There are portable restrooms that are clean and well-kept, volunteers bring meals and folding tables turn asphalt into an impromptu dinner hall. The lot becomes a community. All with the goal of restoring kindness and dignity. Safe Parking LA runs similar lots across the city from Downtown to the San Fernando Valley.
At the core of Safe Parking LA is their individualized case management program – a staple of every lot and every parking spot they offer. Case managers offer referrals, resources, and support to create roadmaps forward for everyone that enters their lots.
With steady encouragement from his case manager, Anna Ruiz, James began to take concrete steps toward a fresh start. Safe Parking LA helped him enroll in therapy at the VA and work through housing applications. In May, the effort paid off: James moved into a permanent studio apartment on the VA campus. What turned James’s life around was not a massive government project or expensive shelter, but a humble parking lot run by a small local nonprofit that offers a simple, humane space to regroup and find a path back to a better life.
Safe Parking LA
Donate now!safeparkingla.org
Development Manager: Erica Cohn
(213) 369-3820
Mission
Safe Parking LA provides safe overnight parking to facilitate stability and housing in Los Angeles County for individuals living in their vehicles, and advocates for fair and equitable treatment and resources for the unhoused.
Begin to Build a Relationship
We know you care about where your money goes and how it is used. Connect with this organization’s leadership in order to begin to build this important relationship. Your email will be sent directly to this organization’s Director of Development and/or Executive Director.
Safe Parking LA is so much more than a safe place to park. It is a place of hope for the future. As the Case Manager for our Women’s Program, I am privileged to walk alongside our participants as they build a bridge to stability.
Protecting Safe Parking
This spring, the City of Los Angeles nearly eliminated funding for Safe Parking. Participants, neighbors, and advocates mobilized, and the Los Angeles City Council restored support. The County of Los Angeles’ funding cuts remained, however, which forced some operators to close and drove demand for Safe Parking even higher. Philanthropy made the Women’s Program possible. Continued philanthropic investment will ensure that Safe Parking LA continues to provide a safe space for families like Tianna’s.
Financial Ask:
• $10,000 – Provides one year of AAA memberships for every Safe Parking LA participant.
• $70,000 – Supports one year of case management services, helping participants stabilize and move toward permanent housing.
• $125,000 – Funds the Community Warmline for one year, which receives over 10,000 annual inquiries and connects people to resources and Safe Parking LA’s programs.
• $450,000 – Sustains Safe Parking LA’s Women’s Program for one year, preserving this safe, inclusive community for women and families experiencing vehicular homelessness.
Key Supporters
Board of Directors:
Matt Wersinger, Chair
Scott R. Sale, MD, Co-Founder and Past Chair
Tim Wilson, Vice Chair
Greg P. Kushner, Treasurer
Becky Gross, Secretary
Ori Blumenfeld
Lauren Cole
Julia Dadakaridis
Duane Lyons
Nancy Hammerman
Victor Hinderliter
Mellonise Shorter
Josh Steinberg
Grace Yao
Emeritus & Founders:
Ira G. Cohen, Founder and Emeritus
Patricia O. Cohen, Founder and Emeritus, In Memoriam
Emily Uyeda-Kantrim, Founder and Senior Advisor
Funders:
The Ahmanson Foundation
California Hospital Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai
The Charles H. Stout Foundation
City of Beverly Hills
CommonSpirit Health
David William Upham Foundation
Don & Lorraine Freeberg Foundation
Elbaz Family Foundation
George Hoag Family Foundation
Henry L. Guenther Foundation
Northridge Hospital Medical Center
Pfaffinger Foundation
Public Storage
Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Rose Hills Foundation
Saint John’s Health Center Foundation
Tech SGT Jack Kushner Ret’d Foundation
Young Adults Forward Fund