A place to park in Los Angeles is fast becoming a place to start over for thousands of people now living there in RV's. Danya Bacchus shows how some are finding safety, stability and hope.

Los Angeles

A pilot program in Los Angeles is providing a safe, long-term parking lot for people living in RVs, aiming to address part of the city's homelessness crisis. The facility, the first of its kind in California, offers 14 spaces with electrical hookups, restrooms, showers, three meals a day, and 24-hour security. 

The program, championed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and operated by the non-profit Shower of Hope, seeks to move residents from RV living into permanent housing while removing RVs from city streets. Nearly 10% of America's homeless population lives in Los Angeles, with about 7,000 people residing in RVs. The initiative is being considered as a potential model for broader implementation.

RV parking lot could be answer to Los Angeles homelss crisis

In Los Angeles, a place to park is fast becoming a place to start over for thousands of people there living in RVs. CBS's Donya Backus shows us how some are finding safety, stability and hope. A solution to a large portion of Los Angeles' homeless crisis could be behind these gates. It's a win-win. Part of that win is this parking lot. It's the first in California to offer safe long-term parking for homeless people living in RVs. It was there we met Terrell. He did not want to appear on camera. Terrell works, but can't afford housing. You kind of constantly have to move. You called it the knock of shame. Can you talk a little bit about the knock of shame? Your sleep, it's two o'clock in the morning and you get the knock from a business owner or a cop saying you gotta move and oh, you gotta pack up all your stuff. We see the RVs, whole swaths of block after block. You look down and as far as the eye can see. Holly Mitchell serves the 2nd District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Nearly 10% of America's homeless lives in LA alone. Almost 7,000 of those people live in RVs. Some of our municipalities deal with it by simply putting up no parking signs. And so that's not a solution. Senator Mitchell championed the one-year pilot program for this parking lot, which has 14 RV parking spaces. This is something where folks come in, get placed into housing, and the RVs get removed from the street. Mel Tilakarachna is the Executive Director of Shower of Hope, a non-profit contracted to run the program. The safe parking lot provides electrical hookups for each RV, restrooms and showers. Each resident gets three meals a day, and the facility is protected by 24-hour guarded security. If we can create community, it helps them know that they're going to be okay. Do you think that this could be a model for something that will be much larger? I absolutely think it should be, and I think we all have to figure out how we're going to make LA County a place where we can all thrive and prosper. And that is going to mean creating space. Terrell is hoping for some of that space. To transition from this camper trailer type living to apartment type living, it would be ideal. A parking lot to help people get moving again. Donya Backus, CBS News, Los Angeles.

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