Colorado Safe Parking Initiative
Colorado Safe Parking Initiative is a community driven initiative to provide a safe environment for people in the Denver metro area who are sheltering in vehicles because they’re experiencing homelessness.
Sheltering in vehicles is often a first stop for individuals who have been forced to leave their home, for a variety of reasons and perhaps cannot find a new place because of limited affordable housing options. Without intervention and support, many fall deeper into homelessness and may eventually end up on the streets.
Safe parking provides many benefits including safe, legal overnight parking with restroom access, connection to additional supporting services and a caring community to be a part of while they strive to get back on their feet and into suitable, long-term housing.
The Need for Safe Parking
According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative Point-in-Time Survey and various municipal and county-level counts, hundreds of individuals and families are estimated to be sheltering in vehicles in the seven-county Denver metro area, and there are nearly a thousand statewide. But because most surveys of people experiencing homelessness exclude or undercount people living in their vehicles, the actual number of individuals experiencing vehicular homelessness may be even higher.
Sheltering in vehicles is often a first stop for individuals who lose permanent housing. Without intervention and support, many fall deeper into homelessness and may eventually end up on the streets.
