Women's Safe Parking Program Pilot

Affordable housing and homelessness

Central LA West LA San Fernando Valley County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Women experiencing homelessness report the highest rates of trauma, violence, and barriers to services. The 2021 Los Angeles County Women’s Needs Assessment found that 61% of unhoused women had experienced domestic violence, and 65% cited trauma or abuse as a reason for becoming homeless. Women living in vehicles remain especially vulnerable, often avoiding congregate shelters to maintain autonomy, protect their mobility, and stay with pets, children, or belongings. Vehicular homelessness now comprises nearly 45% of the unsheltered population in LA. Women living in their vehicles are disproportionately Black and Latina, and they often remain hidden from outreach systems due to lack of trust, safety concerns, and stigma.
The targeted zip codes include areas with some of the highest concentrations of unsheltered women in the county. Many women, disproportionately African-American and Latina, avoid shelters due to safety concerns and are often excluded from traditional service models.

The Women’s Safe Parking Program Pilot will serve women and their children experiencing vehicular homelessness in the City of Los Angeles and expands Safe Parking LA’s capacity to deliver highly responsive, trauma-informed bridge intervention while building a model that can be sustained through public funding. Launching July 1, 2025, the program will prioritize women impacted by homelessness, domestic violence, behavioral health challenges, and trauma.
The site is proposed for areas with high concentrations of unsheltered women and children, with the capacity to safely shelter women and their household members each night. Over 12 months, the pilot will serve approximately 120 women and their household members, offering secure overnight parking, access to hygiene facilities, trauma-informed case management, and linkages to housing and healthcare services.
The program will operate nightly, 12–13 hours each night, 365 days a year, maintaining at least 80% occupancy. It will also provide gender-responsive support and disburse financial assistance to overcome key barriers to stability, including vehicle repairs, transportation, medical needs, child-related expenses, and move-in costs.

If the Women’s Safe Parking Program Pilot is successful, LA will be a safer, more compassionate place for unhoused women experiencing vehicular homelessness. Our vision is a community where no woman sleeping in her vehicle is forced to choose between safety and survival, and where every woman has a clear, supported pathway to permanent housing, healing, and independence.
Women living in vehicles face unique vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and health complications. The Women’s Safe Parking Program addresses these challenges head-on by offering gender-responsive, trauma-informed services in a safe and secure environment.
SPLA is using the pilot as an opportunity to innovate on our baseline safe parking model to contribute to a more responsive Los Angeles County. This pilot allows us to explore how site operations can be adapted to better meet the needs of specific participant groups through thoughtful design, staffing, and partnerships.