Mission

Safe Parking LA provides safe overnight parking to facilitate stability and housing in Los Angeles County for individuals living in their vehicles, and advocates for fair and equitable treatment and resources for the unhoused.

What We Do

Founded in 2017, Safe Parking LA was inspired by the New Beginnings safe parking program in Santa Barbara, CA. Prior to 2014, it was illegal to reside in a vehicle in Los Angeles. Once the laws changed, co-founders Pat and Ira Cohen, and Scott Sale MD, met with city officials to provide education and build a team of advocates. With help from local government and a fundraising plan in place, Safe Parking LA was born. Safe Parking LA is a project of Community Partners, a nonprofit fiscal sponsor and intermediary organization since 1992.

Since opening our first parking lot in Koreatown in 2017, Safe Parking LA has received over 6,000 online inquiries and permitted over 2,000 vehicles for safe parking to date. In just 4 years, Safe Parking LA has become the largest safe parking program in Los Angeles. We currently operate 10 safe parking lots in LA County with the capacity to park 209 vehicles each night.

Safe Parking LA employs underutilized parking lots to support the specific needs of Angelenos whose only source of shelter is their vehicle. In addition to a parking spot overnight, we offer services to help stabilize clients sheltering in their vehicles, support their health and wellness, and open doors to housing.