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Oceanside’s safe parking program for the homeless that opened last year in the North County LGBTQ Resource Center’s parking lot on Apple Street is moving to a larger lot at the city’s Senior Center on Country Club Lane.
The program got off to a good start on Apple Street with room for 25 to 30 vehicles, city officials said, and the new location will have more space, better security and easier access to services for the homeless.
The Oceanside City Council at its meeting Wednesday unanimously approved the move and added one year to its contract with Dreams for Change, the nonprofit that operates the overnight parking program for people living in their vehicles.
“It’s a great move and I’m looking forward to serving more people who need this service desperately,” said Councilmember Eric Joyce.
The new contract begins retroactively on Jan. 1 and goes through Dec. 31, 2026, at a cost of $329,329, which is an increase of $100,000 from the first year.
The new location will allow “increased flexibility to scale or expand program capacity over time based on demonstrated need and available resources,” the staff report states. It does not specify a number of vehicles, although Mayor Esther Sanchez said it should be able to handle as many as 50.
Dreams for Change will have two full-time staff members on the premises overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to provide case management, site coordination, peer support, program oversight, and site security...
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