EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) – The hum of an engine and the glow of taillights of a car settling into the Safe Parking Lot near El Cajon on Magnolia Avenue under the 67 freeway are a common sight and sound.
“I became unhoused about a year ago. I lost my job and my place to live about the same time,” LaRee Locken, who is using the Safe Parking Lot, said. “Since July, I’ve been unhoused.”
Locken and her dog have been living out of her maroon SUV since.
“Not everybody out there wants to be homeless. By the wink of an eye, you can be homeless real quick,” Locken said.
They’ve been parking at the lot for three months now. She told ABC 10News it’s no easy life living out of your car.
“I’m supposed to have breathing treatments I can’t do. I can’t use my oxygen machine because there’s a lot of things you can’t do when you’re living in your car as far as my medical things,” Locken said.
As ABC 10News reported, San Diego County officials said this only safe parking lot in East County, which has services provided by Dreams For Change.
“Not only does it provide a safe place to stay the night, it also provide case management, hot meals, respect,” said Mat Brown, Chief of Operations for Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities.
“Before I didn’t have a safe place to park. I’d always have to move around because the cops say it was illegal to be homeless and they harass the homeless people sleeping in their cars,” Locken said.
Since opening last August, the lot’s helped104 people with 30 percent of them being seniors. Brown told ABC 10News over 20 youth have been served there as well.
“It has proven successful exit rates of nearly 50 percent into stable housing,” Brown said.
Locken is grateful for the support from the staff here at the safe parking lot.
She tells me hopeful that she too can be one of those fortunate folks to get into that stable housing.
“I believe God’s got a plan for me (laughs hard) because he does,” Locken said with a heavy laugh. “He doesn’t let me go hungry, takes good care of me, clothes me, watches over me and blesses me. And he’ll bless me with a place to live too.”
Brown told ABC 10News this safe parking lot is a great first step.
“But, we’re not done. We’re going to be bringing more resources online very soon. And, we will continue this push to give people a safe place to sleep and connections to housing,” Brown said.
