Living in a vehicle can be exhausting.
Laurie D., who asked to have her last name withheld for family privacy, has been living in her car for two months because she has disabilities and can’t afford rent in Bellingham.
“Once we get up, we’re moving all day long. Can I sit here for half an hour, can I go here?” she said. With poor sleep quality in her Prius, 56-year-old Laurie said she often feels achy and tired.
The nonprofit Ferndale Community Services wants to establish a safe parking lot, where people like Laurie could go to safely sleep at night and access some basic resources. It’s the latest Whatcom County organization to bring up this concept — the City of Bellingham attempted to find an operator for a similar program during the pandemic, and again this summer, but received no applicants either time. Further south, the City of Bellevue has a program and a location planned, but has failed to secure a viable operator.
In Ferndale, the pilot program is funded through a $400,000 state grant and has an operator: Ferndale Community Services.
Kate Bishop, program development manager for Ferndale Community Services, said next steps are to find a location and figure out program logistics. They will also have to make a potentially controversial program more palatable to neighbors.
Bishop said concerns have already come up from community members that this would be “inviting people” from outside of Ferndale to come to the city, and that it could increase crime or drug use.
“On the other hand, I have heard from a lot of folks that have lived in their car, have family that lived in their car, and they understand and appreciate what we’re trying to do,” she said.
Ferndale Community Services has put together a working group, made up of nonprofit leaders, local business owners and people who live or used to live in a car, to figure out some of the logistics. Bishop said the working group exists so they can “hear those concerns and do our best to do this the right way.”
Safe parking lot sites can vary in size. Some are church parking lots or unused city lots.
[ Read more: These safe parking programs have been successful for more than 10 years ]
In Bellingham, concerns about RV parking have reinvigorated the discussion around safe parking.
Blake Lyon, the director of planning and community development for the City of Bellingham, said the city has seen a local need for safe parking for passenger vehicles and RVs.
This summer, the city put out a Request for Proposals for an organization to administer a potential site. The deadline passed in August with no applicants.
Lyon said the city’s current policy is that a person can only park on a public street for 72 hours before they must move.
In July, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood introduced a proposal to prohibit RV parking within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and other locations, amid growing complaints about encampments near youth facilities in city limits.
But the initiative went back to the city staff for review after city council members agreed RV parking wasn’t the problem, but rather erratic behavioral issues and drug addiction.
Fleetwood has expressed hope for the creation of a safe parking program.
Lyon said the city doesn’t have staff with the skill set to run a program like this, which is why they’re looking for an outside operator. He said since the proposal deadline closed, there have been a few queries, but nothing is confirmed.
While Bellingham is still pursuing an operator, the Safe Parking Working Group in Ferndale will begin to meet soon. One big question is whether to allow RVs, which can make it harder to control what’s going on within the site and can be expensive to tow if needed, Bishop said.
Bishop said there will be services on the site, a screening and intake process, and some form of staffing and security present overnight. Bishop hopes to have it up and running by summer 2024.
One of the challenges Bishop expects they’ll face is technical: State law allows churches to provide shelter on property owned by a church — including safe parking camps.
But the City of Ferndale’s municipal code includes a requirement that shelters should occur within permanent structures. The code says exterior shelters are not “expressly prohibited,” but people would need to get a conditional use permit and go through a public hearing process. A few churches are interested in partnering with Ferndale Community Services on this, Bishop said.
Bishop said the nonprofit hopes to build a program that works for everyone.
“We aren’t just popping up a safe parking site one day in somebody’s neighborhood without saying anything,” Bishop said.
Laurie said the Ferndale safe parking pilot is promising.
“If you are a car dweller at least you would have some place to go,” she said.
