You’ve no doubt seen them parked along side streets in communities across the Bay Area, and there are more of them every day.
Homeless people living in RVs are sometimes riling up neighbors and dodging the police.
Partly out of concern for their safety, one city is taking action.
Estimates vary, but there are at least 50 RVs parked on Bay Road in East Palo Alto on any given night. Amid complaints about unsanitary conditions, the city is taking action.
A city-owned parking lot, also on Bay Road, will soon be made available to homeless residents who are living on the streets in RVs, says mayor Reuben Abrica.
With space for at least two dozen RVs, with bathrooms and security, the safe haven parking lot will be limited to residents whose RVs are licensed, insured, and functional. It will be managed by the non-profit Project We Hope and Pastor Paul Bains.
The plan could lead to a softening of parking restrictions for RVs, some of which have been evicted from city streets. East Palo Alto is one of the first local communities to launch such a program.
It’s all about keeping people safe, says the mayor.
The mayor says most of the people living in the RVs are local residents who are still holding down jobs but have simply been priced out of the rental market which has risen some 26 percent in recent years.
The lot should be open for business by mid-November.