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SLO County ordering homeless to leave safe parking site

December 10, 2023

Homeless parking site

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

San Luis Obispo County is ordering homeless individuals remaining at the safe parking site on Oklahoma Avenue to soon leave the location, with seven residents receiving orders to move out by Dec. 15. [Tribune]

Earlier this year, SLO County announced plans to close the Oklahoma Avenue homeless parking site, which is located near Highway 1 and Kansas Avenue. County officials made the decision to close the facility after the majority of the people living there joined a homeless union.

In recent months, the county has more frequently asked that residents leave the parking site. In September, officials removed several residents for alleged involvement in repeated incidents and threats of violence 

Then in October, county officials held a meeting with individuals sleeping at the safe parking site and offered them $1,000 and additional resources if they move out by an agreed upon date. Some individuals said the funds would be enough to cover their move, while others said it would not be sufficient.

By Nov. 4, 95% of the safe parking site residents had accepted relocation offers. Many of the individuals have since moved out, and the parking site population has decreased from about 50 to 27, as of Friday. 

Of the 27 individuals remaining, seven must leave next week. SLO County officials sent letters to those seven individuals ordering them to move out by Dec. 15. The county alleges they did not diligently pursue housing pathways or cooperate with Relocation Assistance Program efforts.

Most of the remaining 20 individuals have already set relocation dates that are no later than mid-January.

SLO County Homeless Services Division communications manager Suzie Freeman said the county strongly encouraged the seven residents whom it ordered to leave next week to continue working with their case managers after they leave the parking site. Residents who are asked to leave the site because they did not accept relocation offers will still be given $1,000 and are entitled to benefits promised in the Relocation Assistance Program.

The county has offered housing options that include lots in mobile home parks, units in affordable housing complexes and 90-day programs at the 40 Prado or El Camino Homeless Organization shelters. Additionally, the county has sought reunification with relatives and placement in work exchange programs as other housing options. 

Residents who do not leave the parking site by their move-out dates will be deemed trespassers on county property. The county has still not decided on an exact date to close the site. 


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If you make it easy to be in the circle of homelessness you will only remove any incentive to get out of the trap of homelessness and drug abuse… Honestly I don’t know how people who want to make it easier can sleep at night….

Clear out the camps for good and enforce the vagrancy laws and open drug use laws and help these people get clean… That’s compassion not what we are doing now…

Sometimes you have to save folks from themselves….


27

But how else can officials channels millions upon millions of taxpayer money into the behemoth of agencies that claim to help the homeless situation all while spending a majority of the funds they receive on their administration and overhead


16

We call this united we stand.

I have no problem to use tax money to help people in need.

I have problems when we use our tax money to help kill people in senseless militay actions, like ukraine\russia or israel/palestine


-20

Why can’t we get SLO county to clean out the Santa Maria riverbed, which is in SLO county? We were just told a week ago, by the SLO Sheriff, that they are now “homeless friendly”! So those of us that walk there will continue to get threatened, followed, watch people pee in the brush, light fires in the brush… I just ordered a taser and was told by the ranger that was the best thing I could do. Come one, help us out down this way!!


28

looks like there’s a little girl getting food there. Man, lock her up.


-41

Whose money was the $1,000 -it was taxpayer money. Why did the SLO government feel free to give away other people’s hard earned dollars? you and I as citizens owned the property the homeless are trespassing upon why are we paying for these illegal tenants move along.


38

over 50 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and work full time. If a liveable wage was real, and Rich people didn’t dodge taxes, and big business too, and endless wars only benefiting DoD contractors wasn’t real; maybe we wouldn’t have to help people in need; I wonder what Jesus would say, I think he was poor too if not mistaken. I think Jesus would disagree with stolen land ownership as well. Because no one really Owns anything on earth. Especially when an asteroid is coming.


-39

Sure, why not give them money for nothing, then raise our taxes!


28