Residents Oppose, Support Safe Parking Program at Site of Bad Weather Shelter

The City’s Hearing Officer approved a minor conditional use permit that will allow nearly one dozen homeless people to sleep in their cars in a church parking lot overnight, where a cold weather shelter is located.

The minor conditional use permit will allow safe parking use for 10 vehicles of unhoused individuals or families to park on-site overnight at Trinity Lutheran Church.

In Pasadena, the Safe Parking Program provides a safe and legal place for individuals and families experiencing homelessness to park and sleep at night.

But locals, already unhappy about conditions in their neighborhood, oppose the idea. According to some of them, even before the City Council approved a bad weather shelter at the church in December, they were already faced with growing problems caused by mentally unstable unhoused people.

Some people say they have found human defecation on their lawns, urine, soiled adult diapers, vomit, discarded condoms, used needles, and empty liquor containers.

“After the Winter Weather Shelter guests leave the premises of the church, there is always one or more individuals that linger around the neighborhood,” said Silvia Hernández. “The church is only responsible to vacate the Fellowship Hall and premises of the church. The neighborhood is then left in a very vulnerable, unsafe place. Having to cope with the church guests that have decided to linger and roam our neighborhood.”

As part of the conditions, Hearing Officer Alex Garcia added several conditions to the Conditional Use Permit.

The church must provide someone that is responsible for monitoring the site during the hours of safe parking. That person does not have to be a security guard but someone responsible for providing security.

A sign with the name and phone number and operator of the program.

The church will be responsible for fencing if the City does not build it.

No visitors will be allowed during overnight parking. The program must be assessed and the church must conduct weekly meetings to address the concerns of nearby residents.

The City Council last year approved several contracts allowing the church to open a bad weather shelter. The City’s previous shelter shuttered during the pandemic because workers could not guarantee they control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Residents living in the area opposed placing the shelter in the area due in part to the issues they were already facing caused by unhoused people.

One business owner said his employees had been attacked by transients in the area.

“Several employees have been physically accosted by the transients that have terrorized the residents and employees in the building,” said B. Duong. “I have had to call the police more than 50 times, sometimes weekly, or several calls in the same week.”

But the idea does have its supporters.

“As a Trinity congregant and member of its property committee I have seen the program at firsthand and gotten to know several of its clients fairly well,” said Daniel K. Richter. “They are all good people who are dealing with difficult circumstances, and they are working closely with their case managers at Foothill Unity Center to get their affairs in order and to find permanent housing. Quite a few have successfully completed the process and could not have done so without the program’s support.”

To be sure, there are unhoused people in this neighborhood, and some of them have mental illness and/or mental abuse and sometimes they cause problems for other residents, although they usually keep to themselves. However, these unhoused people have been here for a long time, long before the safe parking program was around.”

Newton said he did not think the church needed to hire new security.

“I have enjoyed socializing with the safe parkers, who have shared their experiences with me,” said Lynn Miedema. “They feel safe in the program, and welcome. They are trying to get their lives back on track, and they are very grateful for the neighbors who have supported them. They have full access to emergency services but have never needed to call upon them, because they have always been safe and secure with security cameras and drive-through patrols.”