Long Beach City College creates program to help homeless students stay safe at night
LONG BEACH, Calif. - For people who are sleeping in their cars, finding a safe location can be difficult.
That’s why Long Beach City College (LBCC) has decided to allow their students who are experiencing homelessness to use the campus parking lot to spend the night.
Unhoused students can park their cars overnight in a well-lit parking lot. They have wifi and outlets to charge their laptops including restrooms, showers and extra security.
"We secure the parking structure for them so they don't have to worry about anyone walking up from the street and kind of bothering them. They'll be safe and secure," said Dr. Mike Muñoz, the Interim Superintendent President at Long Beach City College.
When college administrators discovered 69 students were sleeping in their cars, the school felt it had a responsibility to help.
Muñoz says, "I’m not saying that a safe parking program is going to solve all their problems. We know that this is a very serious issue, but it's a first step in providing them a safe space and while they park we connect them with transitional housing supports."
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Support like this is desperately needed. When the school conducted a survey 3,000 students reported they are struggling to pay rent and another 1,000 said they are housing insecure and on the brink of homelessness.
"The cost of living has really increased in California over the last several years. We also know that our students have been struggling with basic needs for quite some time and the pandemic has made the challenges worse," Muñoz added.
LBCC student Patricia Lopez has been sleeping in her car with her daughter. She tried to keep it a secret but it became overwhelming.
"It's very depressing, it's very stressful. Not knowing where you're gonna go, how are you gonna sleep? Or how you really get to class, how are you gonna be able to like, you know, be able to pass classes," Lopez said.
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LBCC connected Patricia to an agency that helped her find transitional housing. She and her daughter now have a place to call home. 12-year-old Genesis Chinchilla says, "It feels really comforting to have a home instead of just living out on the streets."
The Safe Parking Pilot Program is open to LBCC students from 10pm to7am. It will expire in June of 2022.
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