The Safe Parking Program, piloted by LBCC’s Basic Needs department, aims to serve unhoused students and provide them with secure, temporary housing right in PCC’s own parking structure.
The program is open seven nights a week from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The students have access to Wi-Fi, restrooms open overnight, and showers daily between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
To be eligible for the program, the student must be independent with no children or partner staying in the vehicle with them. Students are allowed to have a service or emotional support animal if they provide documentation.
The program is able to hold up to 10-15 students in their vehicles but has only housed about 3 students at one time, according to Justin Mendez, the Basic Needs Program manager. “The safe parking program is meant to be a temporary solution,” Mendez explained.
Currently, there are four students enrolled in the program, but only one consistently utilizes the service.
LBCC student Rafael Morales, who formally used the Safe Parking program, had been homeless and sleeping in his car for about three months before he found out about the program.
Morales discovered the program when financial aid sent out the Emergency Aid Application via email to all students. When applying, he stated that he was experiencing homelessness and residing in his vehicle.
Financial Aid connected with Morales to inform him about the Safe Parking Program and to offer additional assistance.
Mendez mentioned, “Some students have walked into the basic needs office to register in person, but most of the time they register through the application.”
Security for the structure is outsourced to a third-party security firm that monitors the area. The Long Beach Police Department has had no involvement in the security that is responsible for the parking structure since the program’s establishment.
The parking structure gate is automatically scheduled to close at 10 p.m., but students can still exit the parking lot by simply driving up to the gate. To reenter, students must show their provided permit to be let in by the security on duty.
The Basic Needs program not only helps students with having a place to stay overnight, but partners with outside programs to find students more stable and long-term homes.
Students interested in applying for emergency aid should contact LBCC’s Basic Needs department at basicneeds@lbcc.edu or (562) 938-5045.