There's new hope for a long-awaited parking program for those who live in their cars.
Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church in Ballard has agreed to be the host of a city-sponsored pilot program to provide parking spaces, washroom facilities and outreach services for car campers.
"We want this thing to work so we can invite other churches to consider it themselves," said Steve Grumm, a pastor at the church.
The next step is finding the money. Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien is seeking $20,000 from the human services budget to fund a social services staff member to help car campers move into permanent housing.
It's a stopgap. The City of Seattle is committed to transitioning people out of homelessness, O'Brien said, but there's not enough housing to meet the current need.
"We also need to be able to find ways to bring stability and safety to situations where we don't have an answer immediately," he said.
A car camping pilot program has been a long time coming. Ballard Homes For All started in 2007 after state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle) called community members together to address Ballard's growing homeless population.
An informal count in October 2010 found 141 lived-in vehicles in the Ballard area, up from 112 in June 2010. The One Night Count has found 800 lived-in vehicles in King County.
Dickerson secured $10,000 for a car camping pilot program, and project advocates have courted churches to provide two or three parking stalls on their lots and, perhaps, keys to a bathroom.
Some churches have offered parking spots and restroom access on an ad-hoc basis. But until now, no church had agreed to be the first to host the pilot.
Sally Kinney, a Lake City homeless advocate and Ballard Homes for All volunteer, said church leaders were wary of taking on more than they could handle. What they wanted, she told Real Change in 2010, was to offer car campers help beyond a place to put their cars.
Now, Our Redeemer's will provide that, once O'Brien secures the $20,000 to pay for it.
He's got a deadline: The money Dickerson secured must be used by Spring 2012.