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SLO County stopped from removing homeless from safe parking site

March 19, 2024
Homeless parking site

People protesting closure of safe parking site

By KAREN VELIE

A judge approved a temporary restraining order on Friday that blocks the closure of a safe parking site off Highway 1 near the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, where 16 people currently reside. The site was slated to close on Monday, but will now remain open until March 29.

Established in 2021 as a temporary safe parking site, the county began taking steps last year to close the site. Late last year, county staff told homeless individuals remaining at the site on Oklahoma Avenue to leave the location.

In January, Homeless Union of San Luis Obispo attorneys filed a restraining order request asking the court to stop the proposed closure.

On Feb. 1, the county gave tenants of the site a month and a half to move out. San Luis Obispo County planned to officially close the safe parking site on March 18.

Since its establishment in Oct. 2021, 115 people have lived at the Oklahoma Avenue site, which was originally deemed temporary. And during that time, emergency personnel have responded to more than 500 calls for assistance.

Those calls include three deaths, along with medical, disturbing the peace, spousal abuse or battery, threats, burglary or theft and mental health issues.

 


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How about charging them a fee for parking/living? Once it was created, it was inevitable that dissolving it was going to be a headache. Just come up with a fee table based upon income and assets, similar to subsidized housing. Throw in a couple mandatory welfare and H/S inspections every 6 months, for good measure. Who knows, they might leave on their own.


5

Nice to see even the poor can fight city hall and occasionally win.


-3

Help these vagrants at your own peril. Another winner from our local government of fools.


6

This was a bad idea from the start!!!

County should promote a site out in California Valley, with hook ups for RV’s, housing for homeless, mental heath facilities, public transportation, grocery store etc.

Were paying for it now, might as well create a place that’s safe for the homeless as well as protecting the public. That would meet the Martin v. Boise criteria and give municipalities the ability to clean up the growing encampments!!!


14

And who would clean up CA Valley?


7

As I stated, we’re paying for it now, probably even more with the creek clean up’s and pollution:(


4

There are jobs available… these people should work so they can save enough for housing… I see some of them as I go to work… they are half my age and apparently in much better shape than I… some of them are just lazy….


22

Good because they just come to Morro Bay and fill up the Albertsons parking lot….


6

There are costs associated with the operation of the safe parking site. What is the rent charged to those using this site?


23

Will the judge at least let them change the name to unsafe parking site?


10