More Than aSafe Place to Park
Tianna Williams was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Georgia. When her five-year-old daughter needed specialized autism therapies that weren’t available nearby, she made the difficult decision to return home to Los Angeles. What Georgia’s affordability couldn’t buy was treatment; what California’s medical accessibility didn’t include was affordable housing. For two months, mother and daughter slept in their car. For Tianna to feel safe, she needed a secure place to park the car that had become her family’s home. She found Safe Parking LA (SPLA). In SPLA’s Women’s Program, Tianna could finally close her eyes without fear.
SPLA exists exactly for this moment by providing one of the first opportunities to regain stability. Per the 2026 Point-in-Time Count, over 20,000 adults and children are experiencing vehicular homelessness in L.A. County. Since 2022, SPLA has fielded more than 22,000 inquiries. Today they operate six lots across the county, from Reseda, to the Convention Center, to the West L.A. VA Campus, serving over 400 people a year: workers, families, youth, and seniors.
Community-Responsive Support
SPLA’s front door is the Community Warmline. Callers are referred to resources and, when applicable, enrolled in the program. Once enrolled, SPLA supplements case management with hygiene kits, food, blankets, and other essential supplies that help participants remain safe while working toward permanent housing. SPLA also provides direct financial resources to service the vehicle itself along with an AAA membership. For participants, the car is their home, transportation, and livelihood all at once. Warm meals, volunteers, and community-building experiences – such as monthly art nights with the Venice nonprofit A Window Between Worlds – transform the lot into more than just a place to sleep. It reimagines the site into a community of support and respite.
“Unforeseen hardship can knock out anyone,” says Andrew Morales, Director of Programs. “We’re able to support that population who just need a little bit more time to prevent them from falling deeper into homelessness.” Beyond providing a safe place to park, SPLA offers case management and resource coordination, direct financial assistance for housing and auto-related support, and connections to permanent housing.
For Tianna and her daughter, the program was a lifesaver. When a $700-a-month apartment unit was identified, SPLA was there to pay for the security deposit. “We made it,” Tianna says now from her own apartment. “We made it.”
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