header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 19
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez


| Thursday, Oct 22, 2020
Homeless Task Force
FILE PHOTO Homeless task force members receive training ahead of the 2020 homeless count on Jan. 21. Tammy Murga/ The Signal

 

Santa Clarita homeless task force members are exploring options to start a local overnight parking program akin to those in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

During their monthly meeting Thursday, Peggy Edwards, chair of the task force’s Affordable Housing Committee and president of the Bridge to Home board of directors, said she and her team, which also includes students from College of the Canyons, are researching potential locations and avenues for funding, with a goal of having two parking lots open for homeless individuals to park safely at night.

“It is very much in the research stages. The biggest thing is finding some sites, finding people that are willing to let us use their parking lots and that they have access to restrooms overnight,” she said. “Our goal is to open two in a place where we could have access to showers and bathrooms overnight.”

Currently, the committee has eyed 15 possible locations, which could include some churches, but “nothing official” as of yet, she said.

The SCV-based program could operate much like the New Beginning’s Safe Parking program in Santa Barbara and Goleta, which has operated since 2004 in cooperation with numerous churches, governmental and nonprofit agencies, and businesses. The program offers 134 spaces across 24 parking lots and also connects “the chronically homeless to shelters and services that will get them off the streets and into safer environments,” as well as with food, job and resume preparation, and case management services, according to the program’s website.

“This program would not only provide a safe place for people, but link them with case management services and meals,” said Edwards, adding that it would also need security guard services. “Safety is one of the primary concerns for people on the street.”

Those interested would have to reserve a parking space and acknowledge that “somebody is out to watch over them,” she added.

Edwards said she plans to work with Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies to get a better sense of how many individuals sleep in their vehicles.

Should the committee come up with a proposal, one that would also look at which organization will manage the program, they would then seek a waiver to the city’s current ordinance that prevents the homeless from sitting on sidewalks or sleeping in parked vehicles on public places.

In late June 2018, the City Council unanimously approved a municipal code amendment geared toward preventing homeless people from “living” in public places.

“The city is empowered to enact rules to ensure that members of the public use city parks, facilities, open spaces, and other public places in a manner that is consistent with the purposes of these places and that promotes the public’s common benefit,” reads the ordinance.

City officials at the time said the amendment, which was made to include new city structures, was part of an effort to connect the homeless to resources for housing.

Edwards said she is hopeful the city will support the overnight parking initiative and is looking into possible funding options that would cover security services, portable showers and utilities.

Among those areas of funding the committee may consider is recent grant funding the city received last month in the amount of $126,000 in addition to the $300,000 in Measure H dollars it obtained last year for a homeless coordinator and property acquisition for interim family housing. The newly awarded funds would go toward innovating solutions aimed at assisting the homeless, according to Jerrid McKenna, assistant to the city manager.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

1 Comment

  1. Grady says:

    we should give them free drugs and let our kids watch the S— Show!!! In my day Arnold Schwarzenegger came to COC to pump us up, now you don’t have to contribute to our community. Heck you can come here stay the night and we’ll pay for it.

Leave a Comment


LATEST CITY HEADLINES
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Keep Up With Our Facebook
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com