It?s a symptom of a bigger, nationwide problem: the lack of affordable housing near jobs Santa Barbara, California, a coastal enclave boasting beautiful beachfront Spanish missions and a nearly $2 billion tourism industry, offers a postcard view of the state?s many natural advantages.
At night, in about a dozen area parking lots attached to churches, nonprofits, and city property, it also provides a look at California?s continuing affordability crisis. Known as the Safe Parking Program, the initiative, run by a local nonprofit called the New Beginnings Counseling Center, provides a place to park and rest overnight, as well as connections to local government and charitable resources. These lots form a network of temporary rest spots for low-income workers living out of cars and recreational vehicles with few other options. According to Safe Parking Program coordinator Cassie Roach, there truly are few options. The city of nearly 92,000 has a 7 to 10 year waitlist for subsidized housing, a single room is hard to find for under $1,000, and the rental market has a 0.6 percent vacancy rate, according to the city (apartment owners argue that?s inaccurate). Many of her roughly 150 nightly clients, who spend their evenings in RVs or attempting to doze off in their cars, usually spend their days working: 35 to 40 percent are employed, working as painters, gardeners, servers, and even nurses and veterinarians.
?A lot of the time people have been here in Santa Barbara the maj...