Safe Parking Lots Tackle West Valley Homelessness

Palo Alto is not starting from scratch on safe parking. The city already has a network of legal overnight sites for people living in vehicles, and officials have spent the past two years turning what began as a pandemic-era pilot into a standing part of the local homelessness response. City records show Palo Alto now allows safe parking in both public lots and at religious institutions, with the largest city-linked site at 2000 Geng Road. The policy is aimed at a specific form of homelessness that is highly visible across the West Valley: people sleeping in cars, vans and RVs because they cannot secure housing. Palo Alto’s ordinance says safe parking is a short-term measure that gives vehicle dwellers an authorized place to park, access to restrooms and social services, and support in moving toward stable housing. (paloalto.gov) ### How does Palo Alto’s safe parking system actually work? Palo Alto’s December 11, 2024 safe parking overview says the city uses two models. Public lots such as 2000 Geng Road allow continuous parking and are backed by Santa Clara County funding, while congregation-based programs are limited to overnight use, generally from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. (cityofpaloalto.org) The city says congregation-based sites can host four to eight passenger vehicles per night under the permanent ordinance that took effect on February 16, 2024. Those programs are tied to churches and other religious institutions, and the city says four congregation-based sites are currently part of the system. (paloalto.gov) ### Why does Geng Road matter so much? The 2000 Geng Road lot is Palo Alto’s highest-capacity safe parking site. The city says the County of Santa Clara leases the property from Palo Alto and contracts with MOVE Mountain View to operate the program. City project materials say the site originally operated with 12 RV spaces, with room for two cars in each space, and includes a kitchen, laundry, showers and a children’s library. (paloalto.gov) On September 19, 2024, Palo Alto adopted a lease amendment that increased capacity to 22 RVs after the council had authorized expansion tied in part to displacement pressures along the El Camino Real repaving corridor. (paloalto.gov) Local reporting in April 2026 described 23 vehicles housing more than 40 people at or near the Baylands site, underscoring how heavily the program is being used. ### What do participants get besides a legal place to park? MOVE Mountain View says its safe parking program provides a secure place to sleep seven days a week, access to bathrooms and hand-washing stations, and daily lot monitoring with 24/7 security patrols. (paloalto.gov) The nonprofit says participants are screened, must provide documents including insurance and registration, and are expected to work with case managers toward permanent housing. (sanjosespotlight.com) Palo Alto’s ordinance and program pages describe the same model in municipal terms: interim assistance rather than permanent housing. The city says safe parking is meant to connect households using vehicles as residences to services and a path toward stable housing. ### Why is this issue pressing in Santa Clara County now? (movemv.org) Santa Clara County said on June 20, 2025 that its point-in-time count found 10,711 people experiencing homelessness in January 2025, up 8.2% from 2023. The county said unsheltered homelessness was roughly flat, but more people were entering homelessness than exiting it. (cityofpaloalto.org) The county’s final 2025 report said 37% of people experiencing homelessness were living in vehicles, up from 32% in 2023. That countywide figure helps explain why vehicle-based responses such as safe parking have become a larger part of the discussion in Palo Alto and neighboring cities. (news.santaclaracounty.gov) ### Is Palo Alto treating safe parking as a permanent answer? Palo Alto’s own ordinance says no. The city describes safe parking as a short-term solution and says the purpose is to support households while they pursue affordable, stable housing. Recent reporting has also shown the limits. (files.santaclaracounty.gov) Palo Alto Online reported in April 2026 that the city’s safe parking program was struggling to find case managers, even as demand for the sites remained high. ### What happens next? Palo Alto’s current safe parking framework is already in force, and the city says new sites move through a permit process established by the council. (cityofpaloalto.org) The city’s public materials list existing sites, note that permits under the permanent ordinance do not expire, and say staff continue to coordinate with operators as programs are re-permitted and monitored. (paloaltoonline.com) Santa Clara County and MOVE Mountain View remain the named operators at Geng Road, while Palo Alto’s planning pages continue to post project documents and permit information for additional sites. (paloalto.gov)